a man snarled distantly. “That wasn’t the plan.”“I didn’t have a choice, Rick,” another man replied. “Shut up and let’s deal with it. I say we off her right now.”“No. The girl lives, so keep your masks on. Looks like she’s been thrown a lifeline.”“Why?”“Henry thinks she can be of use, doing the uploads. Now keep your temper in check before you mess anything else up.”“He’s making a mistake, but... okay. Let me think about this.”God knew how long Nicola had been knocked out. Every muscle ached. She ran one hand down her shivering frame. What happened? Her shoes were missing, her top torn to reveal her bra, and something sticky had matted the ends of her hair. She fingered her jaw. It throbbed so much she could barely part her lips to draw breath.The nauseating air reeked of sweat and smoke. A long, hard object sat tight within her fist, but her clouded eyes were yet to focus. Seconds passed in a blur. Her elbow touched something large as she staggered to her feet. She blinked and shook herself out of her whirlpool of confusion, stared around and screamed. Shock punctured her soul. Death. A sobering, terrifying sight. She burst into tears. Her hand fell open and a bloody knife clattered to the floor and skidded away. A knife? Wha-t? “Welcome back,”
