“It will,” Bruce confirmed.
“We’ll see.” Gregory studied Vanni. “We need a victim. Otherwise we would have just drugged the creature and let witnesses watch him kill her. As tempting as that was, I was afraid the NSO could spin it that he’d had a mental breakdown from the atrocities done to him in the past. They really enjoy playing that feel-sorry-for-us card. This way we’re pitting you against one of them. Fathers, brothers, mothers and sisters are going to side with you after you tell them how you were drugged and raped by that creature. We’ll put you out there every few days with the media and really work the angle of how your life was destroyed by the event. I think it would be a nice touch if you say you caught him slipping a vial into his pocket but didn’t think anything of it until after you realized what he’d done.”
“She could say he explained it as some liquid vitamin he takes and that he bragged about putting it in her drink after she started feeling unwell. That should kill any bullshit they come up with when they deny he drugged her. It implies forethought.” Bruce smiled. “We can spin this any way we want now that we are in control of her. Bleeding hearts will eat it up.”
“I agree.” Gregory gazed at her. “We’ll write your speech and practice it before you’re put in front of the cameras. One of my parishioners is an acting coach. She’ll work with you to get your gestures and facial expressions just right while you read from the cards.”
It wasn’t a nightmare. She was wide awake. “I won’t do it.”
Gregory’s composure evaporated and he grabbed the arms of the chair, his face twisting into a mask of rage. “You will do every damn thing I say or you will tragically be found dead with a suicide note blaming the NSO. That’s not what I want. I need a live victim to parade around in front of the cameras and that’s what you’re going to be if you want to stay alive. I’ve got too much invested in this.”
Bruce reached inside his pocket for gloves then put them on. The sight terrified Vanni. It implied he was about to do something criminal and he didn’t want to leave fingerprints. They were really planning to kill her. She glanced at the door.
Think. “Bullet holes in my back isn’t suicide.”
She launched out of the chair, knocking it over, and ran to the door. The expectation of being shot, of feeling searing pain, drove her into a healthy sprint. Her parting words were the only protection she had, hoping they thought better of shooting her in the back.
The front door loomed and she managed to unlock and yank open the door. She reached inside her pocket, fisting her keys as something hit her shoulder blade. It hurt. She would have screamed but couldn’t. Electricity jolted through her body and she convulsed, hitting the floor hard. It stopped and she lay there panting.
Gregory bent down and chuckled. “Tasers really look painful. Did that hurt as much as it appeared to? She might have some bruises now.”
“We’ll blame them on that creature she fucked. It will look better for the cameras anyway. I might knock her around a bit more if she keeps attempting to run.”
“Let’s try to avoid that since she’s been photographed a few times at her apartment by the press.”
Bruce crouched next to her. She flexed her fingers but they were slow to respond. Her body felt sluggish and everything ached. More pain made her flinch while the guard removed the darts imbedded in her skin. She was pretty sure she was bleeding. It hurt bad enough.
“Fine.”
“I mean it, Bruce. Don’t mess her up. What if a medical examination is required? How are we going to explain what you just did to her?”
“The NSO security carries the same brand. I made sure of that before I bought this one. We can blame it on them.” Bruce rolled her. He dropped the Taser and reached into the inside pocket of his blazer. He withdrew a glass vial, smiled at her and gripped her hand.
Vanni tried to jerk away but she didn’t have the strength. She watched as he pressed her fingers to the sides and lid of the small glass bottle. “What are you doing?”
“Insurance.” When he was done, Bruce pulled a plastic bag out of his other pocket and dropped the vial inside. He waved it at her. “See that small amount of liquid inside? It’s B-47.”
“You’re framing me for the drugging?” She was recovering and tried to scoot on the floor to get away. “You people are nuts and stupid. You can’t blame me too. You’re trying to pin it on the NSO. At least try to make sense.”
Gregory stood and held out his hand. “Give it to me.”