Tori screeched. The attack was fierce and occurred in a flash, leaving her no time to react. She dropped her handbag and all her belongings to the marble floor, grunting from the pain of crashing into the ancient plaster wall. The wind knocked out of her and her vision blurry from her glasses being thrown free, she panicked and began flailing her arms about helplessly, attempting to defend herself.
The attacker struck Tori in the throat. Tori’s hands stopped floundering and went instinctively to her neck to protect it and gauge the damage as she coughed and wheezed. Pushing Tori’s hands out of the way, her attacker pinned her against the wall in a choke hold. Tori fought against it, but the grip was far too strong to overcome. Gasping and panting for air, she started to feel faint, and just before passing out, her assailant’s grip loosened.
“Evenin’, Miss Tori.” It was Beatrice, and she had a murderous look on her face. “How do?”
“Mrs.…Car-ter. Let…go of…me,” Tori wheezed. “I can’t…breathe.”
“I know that, Tori. It’s a choke hold. Asphyxiation is the object of the maneuver.”
Tears fell from Tori’s eyes. “P-please. I can’t.”
Beatrice released some tension in the choke, then went nose to nose with the other woman. “Our world is such a hellhole, Tori. Bad news one day, worse news the next. Nothing good seems to come of anything. Are you sure you want to live in it?”
“Y-yes.”
“You do? That’s surprising.”
“Why do you say that?”
Beatrice’s eyes narrowed. “Because you’re a weakling, Tori. A bottom feeder, like one of those disgusting, slimy, little leeches. You reside in the bottommost depths of the food chain. The only reasons you are still alive today are that petite young body of yours and that helpless dumb-blonde routine you feign on the daily. Your hair isn’t even the right shade for that, sugar.”
Tori tried to look away, but Beatrice’s grip prevented her from turning her head.
“You really want to live to see tomorrow, do you?” Beatrice asked. “Then tell me exactly what was said after I left this morning, verbatim…and don’t leave anything out. I’ll know if you do.”
The younger woman struggled to nod her head. Beatrice’s grip was savage, but loose enough for Tori to utter a sentence. “I don’t…understand. Nothing was said about you. Neither of us said anything bad about—”
“Tori, hear me, please.” Beatrice clamped down, silencing her prey. “I am not playing with you. I am fully capable of severing your head from your flimsy albino torso.”
“Mrs. Carter…please…”
“Time is runnin’ out, Tori. Best tell me what I want to know.” Beatrice retracted a few seconds later.
Tori tried rubbing the pain away. “It was nothing, nothing, I swear it. He just wanted me to get Seth Bates for him.”
“Bates?” Beatrice chuckled. “Are you kiddin’ me?”
“No, ma’am, I’m not. He called me in right after you left and immediately asked me to get Seth,” Tori explained, her voice nearly cut in half. “It didn’t make any sense to me. I asked him why, and he got mad…told me it was an order. That was about it.”
“So he never told you why?”
Tori shook her head. “No.”
“And did you call on Seth?”
Tori nodded. “Mr. Bronson is my boss. I did as I was told.”
Beatrice exhaled. “Of course. And what did Seth have to say when you spoke to him?”
“At first, I don’t think he knew what to say.” Tori’s face scrunched up. “He didn’t believe me; thought I was playing a joke on him. He’s set to come in first thing Monday morning.”
Beatrice contemplated a moment, giving Tori a few seconds to recuperate.
“Mrs. Carter, please know that I would never overstep,” Tori pled. “You have to believe me. I know I’m not the best at it, but this job…it’s all I have. Without it, I wouldn’t have anything. Please don’t—”
“Please don’t what, Tori?”
Tori hesitated. She was petrified. “Hurt me. Or…kill me.”
“Kill you?” The former operative giggled uproariously. “Why on earth would I kill you, Tori?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I thought maybe that’s what you wanted.”
“I want many things, Tori. And I haven’t fully ruled it out, but killing you right now serves no purpose.” Beatrice knelt and began gathering Tori’s belongings. “You might be a bottom-feeding little leech, but you have devotion on your side, and devotion might just be enough to keep you in my…good graces.” She rose and handed the frightened receptionist her handbag, then went about searching for Tori’s spectacles.
Tori stared at the handbag, then at her would-be attacker, confused. “I don’t understand.”
“Here’s all the understanding you need,” Beatrice began. “You work for Doug Bronson, but as of this moment, you also work for me. You may continue to do his bidding, but the final word will hereby only come from my lips.” She slid the frames unevenly across Tori’s face. “There. Better?”
Tori adjusted the fit and nodded. “Yes. Much…better.”
“From this juncture, you are my ears and eyes when I’m not around. You answer to me, and you will report to me. You’re my imp now.” Beatrice went to light a cigarette. “Your first task will be to remove Monday’s appointment from the agenda. Tell your boss that Seth got sick or held up, and he won’t be needed in the office till later on.”
“I don’t know…how I’m supposed to do that,” Tori said. “He’ll probably get mad—really mad.”
“And I don’t rightly give a damn. You’ll figure it out.”
Tori nodded her head reluctantly. “What should I do about Seth?”
“Nothin’. Let him come on in as scheduled.”
Another reluctant nod. “Okay…what about me? Should I come in, too? As scheduled?”
Beatrice turned and headed for the door. “Hmm. Good catch, there. You might want
