Choke: A Thriller Read Online Free

bag over his shoulder.  He walks into the middle of the room and drops the bag. From inside, muffled screams struggle to escape.  The duffel bag thrashes violently on the floor as Vicki struggles to free herself.
    The man unzips the duffel bag to reveal Vicki Lee's terrified face.
    “Hey!” she yells.
    He slaps a strip of duct tape over her mouth, rendering anything else she says into muffled, unintelligible noises.  He pulls her out from the bag, kneels on her back, and duct tapes her ankles together.
    She rolls onto her back and watches in horror as the man uncoils a long stretch of rope and throws it over one of the thick wooden beams high up near the ceiling.
    A noose comes down the other side and hangs ominously over Vicki’s face. 
    Her eyes widen in recognition of the object swinging over her head.

15.
    The reporter Douglas Eves is sitting in Vincent's office.  He has placed a recorder on the desk, halfway between them.  On his lap is a legal pad, in his hand, a pen.
    “So your first patient who really was famous, or at least became famous after you got involved with him, was Bryant Mitchell, the baseball player,” Eves says.
    Vincent nods.  “Yes, that’s correct.  When I met him, he was considered a young kid with a great arm and a lousy attitude.”
    “But you changed that.”
    “No, he did.  I just helped him.”
    “And then he helped you.”
    “Well, when Bryant pitched in the World Series, and they won, he threw my name around a bit,” Vincent admits.  “I did receive quite a few calls from other athletes after that.”
    “Now you've moved beyond athletes to anyone who wants to achieve peak performance,” Eves continues.
    “Right.  I spoke at a dinner of Fortune 100 executives the other night.”
    Eves writes something down on his notepad.
    “So what exactly do champions all have in common, from a psychological perspective?” he asks.  “What traits does someone need to consistently perform under pressure?”
    “Through hundreds, even thousands of hours of research and discussions with people in a wide range of stressful occupations, I've discovered some constants,” Vincent says.  “One, they all practice positive self-talk.  Two, they all visualize themselves succeeding in whatever competition they're involved with.  And they all definitely say that the psychological component of their respective endeavors is as important as the physical aspect.”
    “Meaning...”
    “Meaning to be a professional golfer, you not only have to be able to drive the ball three hundred yards off the tee, but you have to be able to put yourself in the right frame of mind to consistently drive the ball three hundred yards off the tee.”  Vincent smiles.  “I know it sounds like I’m splitting hairs, but it’s actually a very important distinction.”
    Eves scribbles down some more notes.
    “And what about people who crack under pressure?” the reporter asks.  “I believe, in sports, it's called choking.”
    “Invariably, it comes from a visualization problem.  Typically, it's produced by a collapse of the internal voice.  For some reason, the person's ability to put themselves in the right frame of mind is incapacitated.”
    Eves puts his pen down and looks directly at Vincent.  “Have you ever personally choked?”
    Vincent smiles.  “Hasn't everyone?” he says.
    “Care to elaborate?”
    Vincent shakes his head.  “Nothing really to elaborate on.  Everyone, from time to time, makes mistakes with regard to their thought process.  It has to do with being human.  Sometimes strong emotions interrupt the thought process.  What matters is how you get back on track.”
    Eves doesn’t seem to want to let it go.  “I don't suppose it would be good for business, the psychologist who specializes in helping people remain cool under pressure talking about how he's choked in the past.”
    “That's a very astute observation, Mr. Eves.  I hadn't thought of that.”
    Eves looks at