Liberation Day - A Thorn Byrd Novel

“Put me down, dammit!” Iggy yelled as Ling hefted her onto his shoulder and carried her away from the dock. With both hands bound she pounded against his lower back, her kidney shots absorbed as if unfelt. Around her she was vaguely of aware of a dozen dockworkers, all looking on in open curiosity, nobody making any effort to aid her.

  “I said, put me down!” she repeated as Ling carried her up the gangplank and into an elevator. The entire time he kept an iron grip around her waist, stifling any attempts to wiggle free. When the door opened he marched her through the main foyer, none of the staff inside acting as if they heard her continued requests for help.

  Clearly, this was not something they were unaccustomed to seeing.

  Ling carried her up the stairwell to Gold’s office and knocked on the frame of the door. A moment later they were called inside, where Ling dumped Iggy in a chair and stepped back.

  The offering was received with a look mixed of surprise and good humor, Gold arching an eyebrow up at his employee. “For me? You shouldn’t have.”

  The remark was met with no response as Ling positioned his hands before him, staring down.

  “Please, excuse us for a moment,” Gold said, shifting his attention to Iggy, but raising his voice to let it be known he was speaking to Ling. “I’d like to have a conversation with our guest here in private.”

  The only sound Iggy heard was the whoosh of fabric as Ling left the room, a breath of cool air kissing her neck. Once it had fallen away she focused her entire attention forward, her body angled awkwardly in the chair, the bungee cords wrapped around her wrists and ankles preventing her from making any type of movement.

  ”Welcome,” Gold said, extending his hands to either side. “My name is Bern Gold, and this is my home.”

  Iggy stared back at the introduction, saying nothing.

  “What is your name, miss?” Gold asked.

  A long moment passed as Iggy stared at him, contempt on her features. “Rojas. Vanessa Rojas.”

  The same look came to Gold’s face as he met the stare, his features growing hard. “What is your real name, miss?”

  “I just told you my name,” Iggy replied.

  “As I am sure you have well surmised by now, I am a very powerful man. And you do not get to be a powerful man by being lied to. We both know you’re name isn’t Vanessa Rojas any more than mine is Abraham Lincoln.

  “Since I don’t really care and you don’t seem interested in civil conversation though, allow me to get to the heart of the matter. Why were you snooping along the coastline?”

  Clearly their entire afternoon trip had been watched from inside the mansion, relayed to everyone relevant. For the briefest of moments Iggy felt her cheeks flush, a rush of self-condemnation for their foolishness in believing they could sneak by unnoticed.

  “We weren’t snooping. My boyfriend and I were fishing.”

  “Fishing? Really?”

  “We were vacationing and wanted to get out on the ocean. He likes to fish so I agreed to go along.”

  “Does vacationing include walking along the Boston docks late at night?”

  Again Iggy felt herself flush, warmth growing between her back and the leather seat beneath her. “I’ve never been to the Boston docks in my life. I don’t know who your man thought he saw, but it wasn’t me.”

  The corners of Gold’s mouth played up a bit. “Mistaken? Ling? I think not. The only person here that is mistaken is you if you believe you can lie to me and not soon come to regret it.”

  “Regret it?” Iggy asked, narrowing her eyes in confusion, intent to play the role of ignorant rube for as long as she could. “What do you want from me? What could I begin to have that you would want?”

  “You have information. You have the truth as to why you’re here poking around in my backyard.”

  “Not poking, just fishing,” Iggy said, hearing just the slightest hint of a crack in her own voice.

  It was clear at a glance that Gold had heard it as well.

  “Alright then, we shall do it your way,” Gold said. “Had you cooperated I could have made your stay here quite comfortable. Instead, you have chosen the alternative.”

  “The alternative?”

  “Ling, could you come in here?” Gold said into the hall.

  On cue, the curtain drew open and Ling stepped into the room, another puff of cool air coming with him. “Yes, Mr. Gold?”

  “Please show our guest where we keep visitors that can’t seem to tell the truth.”

  Chapter Forty-One