Page 84 of The Atonement
“What do you want, Peter?”
He took a seat on the desktop in front of me. “You.Don’t you see that? I wantyou.I’m never going to stop coming after you. I’m never going to stop searching. If you won’t be with me, you sure as hell don’t get to go off and live a perfect little life as if I don’t exist.” He moved behind my chair, his voice in my ear. “I’ll be the noise you think you heard in the shower.” He bounced to the other side. “I’ll be the bump in the night.” A chill ran down my neck. “The person you swore you saw in a dimly lit parking garage. You’ll never escape me. Never be rid of me. Never—”
I rammed the stun gun into his neck and engaged it, stopping his words. He fell forward on top of me, quivering with the pulse of it, and I pushed up out of the seat, holding it out in front of him.
“Do you really think I expected any less? I know you, Peter. I know that you’re relentless. I’ve been waiting for you. Trying to anticipate when you’d strike. You’re never quite as smart as you think you are. The day Tina told me about Burt Stover, I looked him up. Company pictures are public info. I saw who you were. It’s why I stopped trying to get the job. I knew what you were up to, knew you’d use it to try and catch me. I never thought it would take this long, though. Patience was never your strong suit.”
“We’re…all…having toadapt, aren’t we?” he asked, finding his voice again. He stretched his arms, popping his neck. “What’s your plan here, Ainsley? What can you possibly do to me right now?”
“Right now? Nothing. But Beth goes to lunch at twelve thirty. I’m the only interview for this position, sono one will be on this floor while she’s gone, which means I can get you to the elevator and downstairs in one of the empty conference rooms. Then, I just have to wait until Marcus takes a bathroom—actually social media—break, and I can get you outside. I’m assuming you shut off all the cameras today, planning to do the same thing to me.” I pursed my lips, watching the rage flash through his eyes in confirmation. “You should’ve just stayed away, Peter. Really, you should’ve. But I told you if I ever saw you again, it would be for the last time, and I meant it.”
He lunged at me, shoving me into the desk, and I pulled the syringe of sedative out—the last one I had.
How fitting.
I bit the lid off as he fought to swipe it from my hands. I was too fast. I wrapped my legs around his waist with every ounce of strength I had to keep him from moving and shoved the needle into his side.
“You…bitch…” he mumbled, trying and failing to fight. The dose was strong, it would work fast and last a long time, which was what I needed.
I grinned at him, my chest swelling with pride as I shoved him to the ground. He panted, trying yet failing to get up. It was over. Finally, it was all going to be over. I leaned down, staring into his eyes as they went hazy.
Seconds before he closed them for what would be the final time, I whispered, “Sorry, honey. Thisbitchjust won.”