Page 97 of Silver Fire

“I’m fine. Did that bastard do something to you?” Beth demanded.

Sophie felt herself yanked from Beth as her back hit a solid chest. She did not have to turn around to know that it was Justin.

“I have no desire to harm Sophie, Ms. Turner. You on the other hand, I am not so certain,” Justin said frostily.

“Bring it on you big pervert,” Beth sneered.

“Beth, don’t provoke him.”

“Come along, Sophie,” Justin murmured in her ear as he led her to a chair beside him.

“We shall eat. Then I will show you the barn,” Justin said.

“Oh, are you a horse breeder now?” Beth said sarcastically.

Their captor, for the most part, ignored Beth’s barbs all throughout dinner. Instead, he gave his full attention to Sophie. Cutting her food for her, and sometimes even feeding her with his fork. Beth was eyeing them with morbid fascination and disgust.

“Ah, my dear Sophie, I will take good care of you,” Justin said contentedly as he cut through a piece of chicken, speared it with a fork and held it out to her lips to take. She played along, not wanting Justin’s ire to fall on Beth. This man was clearly off his rocker and if complying with his wishes at the moment would keep them alive, she would do it.

After dinner, Justin suggested a visit to the barn. The barn was about sixty feet from the house and lit up like a Christmas tree. Sophie’s heart sank when she realized what was going on in there. She already had a hunch, but when she saw the equipment similar to what she had in the lab, she knew they were building the zefinium bomb. She eyed the suitcase size chassis sitting on the work table.

“No,” she whispered and turned to Justin. “You can’t do this.”

Ignoring her, Justin said, “Sophie, I would like you to meet Yuri. He apparently is having trouble with your trigger design.”

Sophie stared at the man called Yuri who was avoiding her eyes.

“Look at me,” Sophie said to Yuri. When the man reluctantly met her eyes, she said, “This is wrong. What you men are doing is wrong.”

“Enough!” Justin shouted.

The three men in lab coats fidgeted restlessly.

“Listen to Sophie, guys. This is fucked and you all know it,” Beth added.

Before Sophie realized what was happening, Beth went flying to the floor. Justin had backhanded her brutally.

With a growl, Sophie launched herself on Justin and started hitting him blindly, but he quickly subdued her, gathering her hands behind her.

“You will not defy me, Sophie,” he said furiously. “You will help Yuri fix the trigger and you will do it with no question. You do not want to test my patience. Is that clear?”

“You’re dreaming!” Sophie shrieked. All intentions of complying flying out the window. “I will never help you build the bomb. Never!”

Sophie watched his eyes change, turning stone cold and despite the heat in the room, she felt chilled to her bones.

“Morgan! Hold down Ms. Turner.”

“What are you going to do?” Sophie asked fearfully.

“A little incentive,” Justin said as he handed a squirming Sophie to another big burly man. In fact there were two more big, beefy men holding assault weapons and observing the whole scene.

“What are you going to do?” Sophie shouted.

Justin unsheathed a sharp knife.

“No!”

“Say you’ll do it, Sophie,” Justin said silkily as he tested the sharpness of the knife on a piece of paper.