Shark (Wall Street Beasts 1)

Her escape from the compound was not really as hard as it should have been. The guards were clustered in one corner, where two of their dogs were fighting over a hedgehog. She was able to quite literally walk out of the side gate and onto the road, where she wandered through the countryside with the aimless meandering gait of a woman who had nothing left to lose.

She had to find Indigo. And finding Indigo meant making herself available to find.

She figured it would take a few days for that to happen.

In reality, it was only a matter of minutes before an electric car drew up out of the darkness, as sleek and silent as the night.

The rear passenger door swung open, and Indigo looked out at her. Those dark eyes bored into her, and she felt the last of her perceived humanity slipping away.

“Get in.”

Sophie had the strong sense that hesitating would mean losing her chance to uncover the truth forever.

She got in.

“Mr. Indigo,” she greeted him coolly.

“Just Indigo,” he smiled, his dark eyes lit with mischief. “You’re out past your bedtime.”

“I’m out because I’ve been… fucked with, somehow. I think you’re connected.”

It wasn’t the most sophisticated way of calling a mastermind out, but then again, she had just gotten into his vehicle for a second time. Being abducted by Indigo was starting to become a bad habit.

“Probably because I am.”

That was a brazen admission, given without the slightest hint of guilt for all the pain and anguish he had put her through.

“Probably!?” She scowled at him furiously. “Why did you do that? Why did you make me shoot Alex? How did you do that?”

“You’ve figured practically none of this out,” Indigo said in withering tones. “Really. You're basically a sponge. A cross between a puppy and a sponge.”

“Yeah? Well. This time, I’m a sponge puppy who came prepared.” She produced the gun from her pocket. The same gun she’d somehow been coerced to use on Alex. The gun she was going to use on Indigo if he didn’t tell her exactly what she wanted to know, and quickly.

“How did you get your hands on that? I’m surprised they left you with access to a weapon.”

"They didn't really mean to give me access to it. I found it. Inside a locked safe. With a combination I’m not supposed to know. But I do, because I pay attention.”

“Good for you,” Indigo smiled. “I may as well tell you. I can't tell you how unsatisfying it is not to be able to talk about these schemes, especially when they play out like this one did — seamlessly, like clockwork. Mrs Islington did an excellent job.”

“Not Ellen Islington… You work with her?”

"She works for me,” Indigo confirmed. “But I don't think you want to hear about Ellen. I think you want to know how we got inside your head and turned you into a puppet capable of murdering your own husband. Well. Capable of almost murdering him. I understand he's still very much alive, though in a foul mood.”

“Yes. I do want to know,” Sophie said, barely keeping a hold on her temper.

“Your therapist had a specialization in hypnotherapy. She was able to implant a suggestion which was activated…”

“Activated. That’s what Ellen said to me. She said she was there to activate me. I didn’t know what the fuck she meant, but now it makes sense. You’ve been plotting this without me knowing since before I graduated college. That’s…”

“Yes,” Indigo beamed. “Brilliant.”

“Psychotic!”

“TomAto, TomatO,” Indigo smirked.

“Well, guess what. I've been recording this entire conversation. It's been streamed directly to Alex. He’ll get a link and he’ll be able to watch the whole thing.”

“Good.” Indigo leaned in to where her phone was sticking out of her pocket, not giving a remote indication of the slightest fuck. “Hello, Alex, how are you? Well, I hope. Get better soon.”

“God, you are an asshole.”

“And you failed to kill him, which means this was all going to come out eventually, if not already.” Indigo sighed. “We were so close, weren’t we, Alex. Almost settled our little bet.”

“What fucking bet?”

“Your estranged husband and I have a running bet. For the last ten years, we've been betting on who can kill who first. There are conditions which prevent us from engaging in pedestrian approaches. It has to be a plot.”

“Why the fuck would Alex agree to something as insane as that?”

“Because, Sophie, before he met you, Alex was as mad as I am. You appear to have changed him. You gave him something to live for. And that was absolutely perfect as far as I was concerned.”

“So he never really wanted me. I was put in his path, like… like…”

Indigo flashed his teeth in a broad smile. “Bait.”

He was an actual legitimate psychopath, and she had no idea what to do with that information. Knowing what had happened wasn't actually as satisfying as she had imagined it would be. It didn’t make Alex any less shot.