"What do you know?" Victor sneered. "You're just some stupid girl who’s fallen for Mr. Big Shot. You know nothing about him."
"Wow, you really have a grudge against him, don't you?" I said, shaking my head in disbelief.
"You would too if he'd tried to ruin your life the way he's ruined mine," Victor shot back. "He's a destroyer of worlds."
"I find that very hard to believe," I said, raising an eyebrow. "But why don't you fill me in? Maybe I'll see your point."
"Why the hell do I care what you think?" he sniffed as he walked into the kitchen and opened a cabinet. I could see several large red cans lined up inside the cabinet, but it didn't dawn on me what they were until Victor pulled one down and opened the lid.
; "Is that gasoline?" I asked as I realized that he'd stocked the cabinets full of it.
"Indeed it is, Sherlock," he said sarcastically.
"What the hell are you doing with all that gasoline?" I asked. "That's enough to burn an entire building down!"
"Indeed," he said with a malevolent smile as he grabbed the can and began pouring gasoline along the outer edges of the room. "You've got quite a mind, Miss Pierce. It's really too bad that it's not going to survive the fire."
"You're going to burn us to death because you've got a grudge score to settle with Cam Connor?" I said incredulously. "That's about the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life!"
"Who are you to judge, bitch?" Victor said in a voice that suddenly sounded nasty and vicious. "I've had enough of being pushed around by that asshole. He's taken everything I ever wanted away from me and now it's my turn to take something away from him."
"Me and Liz?" I asked. "You think he's going to care if you harm me and Liz? Oh man, you're more deluded than I thought! You really don't get it, do you?"
Victor's eyes narrowed as he looked at me, then he gave me a questioning look as he continued pouring gasoline around the room. The fumes were strong and made stronger by the fact that the windows were sealed shut and the afternoon sun was streaming through the balcony door.
"He doesn't care about me," I continued as I tried to muster all of the anger and resentment I had felt upon discovering Cam had paid my bills this morning. "He cares about owning things. He doesn't care about whether those things care about him; he just wants to be in charge. Case in point, he paid my rent and tuition this morning without consulting me, or even asking if I wanted him to. It's because Cam Connor wants what he wants when he wants it."
"Yes, he's selfish that way," Victor nodded as he stopped pouring and looked at me. "He wants what he wants."
"And Liz? What the hell does he care about her?" I laughed. "She won't sleep with him like I did, so she's nothing in his book. You killing her will have absolutely zero effect on him, so you might want to recalculate the cost/benefit value of that choice before you commit to it."
"Oh, he'll care all right," Victor grinned. "He'll care when all the evidence points to him as the suspect."
"Now that's just ridiculous," I said. "You're not going to be able to pin this on him!"
"That's where you're so very wrong, my dear." Victor smiled. I felt a chill run up my spine as I looked into his eyes and saw nothing there. "I've spent a long time planning this out because I knew a day would come when I would get my chance to exact revenge on the man who has ruined my life!"
"You're pretty stuck on that message, aren't you?" I asked. I felt something moving next to me and realized that it was Liz. She was awake and aware of what was going on, but she knew better than to let Victor know that, so she pressed her fingertips against my thigh to let me know she was with me. "It's understandable, of course, but the way in which you're going to play your hand makes zero sense to me. Why don't you explain it?"
"You're not going to trick me into that, little lady." He grinned, looking more maniacal by the minute. "Let's just say that evidence I've planned to plant around his house, at the station, and in your friend's apartment will all lead directly to the one and only, Cam Connor."
"And how exactly do you fit into all of this?" I asked. I couldn't figure out if he was a criminal mastermind or just a deluded pyromaniac. "How are you going to walk away from all of this and not be connected to it?"
Victor walked over to the sofa and began slowly pouring gasoline onto the couch. He soaked one end of it before he stopped, set the can down, and pulled a length of rope from his back pocket. I quickly stood up and tried to move away, but Victor grabbed my arm and slammed me back down on the couch. I fought back until he'd decided he'd had enough and cold cocked me with one punch. I saw stars and felt like my jaw had been detached from my skull, but I didn't lose consciousness.
As Victor grabbed my wrists and tightly held them together, Liz rose up behind him and used all the force she could muster to drive her fist into the back of his head.
"Motherfucker!" Victor shouted as he shot up off of the sofa and turned to find Liz standing behind him holding the lamp that, moments before, been on the side table. He rubbed the back of his head and growled, "I'm going to kill you, you stupid dope fiend."
"Not if I kill you first," Liz hissed, holding the lamp like a baseball bat. I scanned the room looking for another weapon, but Victor was ahead of me. He turned and punched me in the face again, and this time I felt my nose snap and blood began to pour from it. He turned back to Liz and lunged at her. She swung the lamp and connected with his shoulder, but he caught the lamp on the back swing and wrenched it out of her hands.
"Do not fuck with me," Victor growled as he threw the lamp to the side and reached for Liz. She scooted around him and made a dash for the front door.
"Run, Liz! GET OUT OF HERE!" I screamed as I cupped my hands under my nose in an attempt to contain the blood. For what purpose, I had no idea.
"Bitch, I am going to murder you!" Victor shouted as he ran across the room and followed Liz down the hallway. She was faster and lighter than he was, and I could hear her screaming for help as she pounded on doorways with her fists.