Let's Kill Her (Book #1)

(ﾒ￣▽￣)︻┳═一(39)

When I come to, colors swim in front of my eyes and pain radiates from my shoulder, ribs, and head. Noise fades in and out. I crack my eyelids open a little farther and can just make out a patch of navy fabric . . . a couch maybe?

I try to sit up, but I'm already sitting. I force myself to blink, and it takes me a moment to make sense of the shapes in my vision. I catch sight of my arms, which are bruised and cut up. My wrists are zip-tied to the arms of a wooden chair, and since I can't move my feet, I assume my ankles are tied to the chair legs as well. If I struggle or move around, the tie slice into my skin.

Suddenly I'm inhaling something awful that's reminiscent of ammonia, and the fog in my brain starts to clear. A man stands in front of me, waving a small glass vial under my nose. My chair is against a wall, and now I can make out a heavy desk to my right and a fireplace to my left.

I cough and turns my head away from the smell, fully awake.

The man corks the vial and slips it into his blazer pocket. I focus my eyes on him and it suddenly occurs to me where I am, who he is. Oh no.

Yoo watches me curiously as the events of the night begin to come back to me: Rosé, Sehun, Jimin . . .

"Well, there you are," Yoo says, perfectly at ease.

"What did you do? Where's Sehun?" The fear in my voice is apparent and I'm sure he doesn't miss it.

Yoo smiles. "It's amazing to me that you would worry about someone who was helping to kill you." He makes a tsking sound, as though it's all such a shame. "Just like her father," he says under his breath, but I can tell it was meant for me to hear.

I freeze at the mention of appa.

Yoo gives me a knowing look. "And that's another thing. You're far too easy to read. It's actually disappointing. One would think the Strategia in your blood would have manifested itself more, but alas." He clasps his hands behind his back. "Yes, I know your father, Suzy. And when I saw you, the exact image of your mother, I was expecting someone polished and poised. A true opponent. But you?" He laughs. "I'm not saying you're not like them. After all, you've certainly managed to inherit their worst qualities."

I hate the way he's talking about my parents. He's clearly trying to get a rise out of me.

"It makes you angry when I talk about your father?" Yoo says in answer to my thought, and puff out his chest. "Well, then I imagine you're not going to enjoy our time together very much."

My fists clench, making the zip ties dig uncomfortably into my skin.

"Now, Suzy," he says slowly. "Where is your father?"

I struggle against the restrain, pain be damned. "I don't know," I say, because it's the truth.

I look at his desk on my right, but it's too far away to get the knife Rose said was hidden under it.

Yoo sighs. "You may not know where he is at present, but you can tell me where you live."

Suddenly it's hard to breathe. If I give him my address in Jeongseon, the people I love are in danger - Appa, Jisoo.

Yoo smiles. "I see you understand the question now. Based on the assessment I gave you and your skills sets, I'd say your father has hidden you away in some sleepy town in the country that you don't leave. Probably has a mundane job that never raised any flags. Near a forest - lots of light and trees.

I cringe, remembering the yellow and green I chosen on the color test my first day here - what else did I give away during my interview with him?

"Your uncle wasn't easy to find, either, even in a small city," he says casually, like he's merely commenting on the weather. "But your father . . . he has managed to elude us for a very long time. Then again, our Family always was excellent at deception and disguises."