“You have tried to spoil it, that’s for sure. This isn’t what I wanted, either. I wanted to marry you. I thought we could make a good team. But now that’s off the table, isn’t it? Not that it matters. You are still going with me up to the border so I can make this meeting with my associates and pick up your wedding dress because I told them you were coming with me. You aren’t going to make a fool out of me. After that, I really don’t care what you do.”
She stared at him. “Your associates will understand and I’ll reimburse you for the cost of the dress.”
He glared at her, an icy, brittle hardness in those blue eyes that she’d never seen before. “Kate,” he said as if talking to an unruly child, “you are going with me.” Getting her back up, she started to argue that she wasn’t, but he cut her off. “Call Danielle.” He held out his phone. “Call your daughter.”
“What?” She looked at him, refusing to take his phone.
“Fine, I’ll call her.” He punched in a number on his cell phone.
“I don’t want you involving my children in this,” she said emphatically. “Collin, are you listening to me?” She started to take a step toward him when she saw that the call had been answered already.
“Put Danielle on the phone,” he said into his cell, his gaze on her.
She felt her eyes widen. Danielle didn’t have a roommate at the apartment she’d rented near the campus. Who had he just ordered to put her on the phone? All those thoughts raced around like caged hamsters in the seconds before he said, “Talk to your daughter, Kate.” He shoved the phone at her.
Her hand trembled as she took it and put the cell to her ear. “Danielle?”
“Mom, what’s going on?” Her youngest daughter sounded terrified.
Kate glared at Collin as she asked her daughter, “Who’s with you?”
“Some man. Mom, he has a gun, and he said that if you don’t do what you’re supposed to, he’s going to kill me.”
All the air felt as if it had been vacuum-sealed from the room. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak for a moment. Her murderous gaze was locked with Collin’s. She was realizing with terror that she had no idea who this man was.
“Danielle,” she said, surprised how calm her voice sounded, “don’t worry. Just be safe. This should be over very soon. Tell me you’re all right. He hasn’t tried to—”
“No, Mom. No.”
“Okay, just remain calm. Don’t do anything to upset him, and I’ll talk to you soon.” She disconnected and held out the phone. “You hurt my baby, and I’ll kill you myself,” she said from between gritted teeth as he took his phone.
“No one is going to hurt Danielle, okay?” he said, sounding like the man she’d agreed to marry. “Nor will I make a call on your...carpenter friend. If you cooperate. It’s just a trip up to the border. We cross. You be calm, like you told your daughter. You be my fiancée on our engagement trip. You be the woman who’s never been to Canada and wants to mark it off her bucket list. I meet my associates, we pick up your dress and we come back across the border.”
She stared at him in disbelief. Had he lost his mind? Or was there more to this trip? “You really expect me to believe that’s all this is about, meeting some associates and picking up a dress?” she demanded with a shake of her head. “You would kidnap my daughter for that?”
Now that she’d seen this other side of him, she hated to think what they would be bringing back across the border. Something illegal. Look at the extremes he’d gone to, determined to force her to go with him.
“Let’s not argue about this,” he said. “It’s decided.”
What had she gotten herself involved in? And now she’d involved her daughter. Not to mention Jon. Worse, until recently she’d been engaged to the devil. Remembering the ring, she reached into her pocket, took out the diamond engagement ring and threw it at him.
Collin ducked, the ring pinging off the wall behind him. “What the hell? Do you have any idea how much that ring set me back?” He turned his back on her to get down on the floor to look for it.
Kate fought the urge to attack him while he was down. But common sense won out. She merely glared at him as he got to his feet, dusting off the ring and then pocketing it.
When he spoke, his voice was rough with emotion. “I don’t care what you believe as long as you know that the threats...aren’t idle. I didn’t want to do it this way, but you’ve given me no choice.”
She was seething but knew she had to keep her head. Now that she knew what Collin was capable of, she had to know just how dangerous he was. “And after I go with you, then what happens?”
“Then I tell my friend to leave your daughter’s apartment.”
“What about me?” she asked, so furious and scared that her words came out clipped. The fear had her heart thundering in her chest. And yet, she felt strong, she felt in control, even though she knew she was far from it. As long as she could protect her daughter and keep Collin from making that call on Jon, she would do what she had to do. Until she knew they were both safe. Then all bets were off.
But she had to keep her head. She knew she couldn’t trust Collin to keep his word. She had to be strong and smart. She told herself she’d been through worse when Danny had left them. She would get through this, too. She would take care of her girls—just as she had always done.
“What happens with you?” Collin said. “I’ll drop you off in the first real city in Montana we come to, and you can rent a car and go wherever it is you need to go. As long as you never tell anyone about any of this, you and your daughters will be just fine. So will your...carpenter. How’s that?”
She nodded, her gaze still holding his. She didn’t believe a word of it.
“Great,” he said. “Let’s get out of here. Oh, and if you try to pull something stupid—”
“I’m not stupid. I understand. We go to the border. You do your business. We cross again. Together. And then we’re done.”
“Suits me,” he said and picked up their luggage. “After you.” He motioned toward the door.
She opened it and walked out. She could hear him behind her as she stepped to the car, the engine still running. She didn’t look down the highway toward Jon’s workshop. Looking straight ahead, she opened her car door and froze at the sound of Jon’s voice.
“Kate.”
She turned to see him limping toward her through the snow. His breath came out in white puffs as he approached the SUV. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Collin tense, then start toward the man.