My entire life, I don’t think I ever did anything that made him proud, or gave him a reason to smile. I just always thought that was the kind of man he was—severe, chaste, Old Testament.
But now it’s all starting to click into place.
It wasn’t that he didn’t love me.
He didn’t have to, because I wasn’t his. But I’m sure even the parents of adopted kids feel more for their children than he ever did—ever could have—for me.
Because there’s not a trace of emotion in his voice when he says, “Kill her too.”
And then he turns and leaves, not even bothering to look back.
My mouth falls open. The woman who brought me here comes in front of me and holds out her gun. But it doesn’t have the same menacing effect as before.
Keith Malone just shredded my life to pieces.
And now I’m going to die.
Finally, the fear comes back. It shoots through me like needles of cold steel. My stomach twists, and I start dry swallowing like there’s something stuck in my throat.
This can’t be happening.
This can’t fucking be happening.
I struggle, but the ropes are tight. I scream, but that just makes the woman frown.
She curls her finger around the trigger. I close my eyes, holding my breath as I wait for the inevitable.
“Jess, wait.”
A hand lands on the woman’s shoulder. She looks at it, glances behind her. “What?”
“I’ll do it,” Hoody says.
“Christ, Nick, there’s no time for that shit.” She shakes him off, points the gun.
“You go on ahead. I’ll catch up.” Nick wraps his fingers around the hand holding the gun. She twists it, snarling at him with irritation, and it goes off.
I scream.
My body’s stiff as I wait for death or pain…but there’s nothing. Just my pounding heart and the ice-cold flash of adrenaline pouring through my body.
“Fucking retard,” Jess mutters, but her voice is moving away. “I’m leaving in ten, with or without you.”
My eyes fly open. There’s a hole about an inch away from my left foot. I manage a choking breath, and then there’s a hand around the front of my throat.
Nick uses his thumb to prop my chin up, forcing my eyes to his. “How many times do you think I can come in ten minutes, Missy?”
I cringe when he licks his lips.
“Let’s go find out.”
I fall to my knees, but I’m up a second later, scrambling to get away. Behind me, Nick barks out a laugh and then shuts the door.
Locks it.
Pockets the key.
But I’m already on the other side of the room, grabbing the window sash and hauling it up.
The curtain wraps around my arm. I swat it away and lean out, lifting my leg—
The ground sways toward me.
But from a distance.
I hadn’t realized it, but I’m on the third floor. And below me? A gravel path hugging the side of the house.
Oh Lord, I’ll never survive that.
I spin around. Nick veers around the bed I clambered over, a filthy smile on his mouth. I look back at the drop. Swing my leg over the window ledge.
It’ll hurt, but hopefully only a little. Then I’ll be dead, right? No need for them to go after my men.
Except…I don’t know if that’s what will happen. Nick and Jess were given orders. Who am I to say they won’t follow them to the letter?
Death by gravel is the coward’s way out. And I’ll be leaving my men clueless. For all I know, they’ll walk into our house in Dana Point and Jess and her crew will already be waiting for them.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
I can hear every future gunshot slamming home into one of my men’s chests.
Just as Nick gets in arm’s reach, I dodge to the side.
We’re in a child’s room, a boy judging from all the action figures and faded blue paint. Where is he now, the boy that used to live here?
I slam into the door, pluck at the handle. Yes, even though it’s locked, because all I can hope for right now is a fucking miracle.
Locked.
Nick laughs again. I spin around, flattening myself against the wood. He’s only got ten minutes with me. And I’m determined to keep playing this game as long as—
Nick lifts Jess’s gun. Or maybe it’s his own, who the fuck knows?
And then he shoots me.
Chapter Forty-One
Rube
“Is this seriously the fastest you can go?” Apollo yells as he thumps the back of Cass’s headrest. “I thought you said this was a muscle car?”
“Do you even have a dick?” Cass yells back. “This is a fucking SUV. The muscle car is that yellow Mustang we left back in California, you idiotic, dickless—” he cuts off with a growl that comes close to competing with the SUV’s engine.
We’re headed south down the highway at a ridiculous speed.
I’ve never been an adrenaline junkie. Going this fast makes me feel sick, not excited. But I grit my teeth and I bear it, because the faster Cass goes, the faster we get to Trinity.
She has to be there.
It’s our only hope.
I mentally urge Cass to push the SUV as hard as he can without blowing the engine, and I hold onto the seat with claws for hands, and I will the contents of my stomach to remain where they are.
“How far, Apollo?” Zach asks.
Apollo briefly relents giving Cass shit, and checks his phone. “Another ten miles.”
“Go faster,” Zach says.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Cass mutters. “Do any of you even know what a speed limiter is? And that this car has one? And that, even if I wanted—”
“Shut up and drive,” I bark.
Then there’s silence.
And fuck, it comes just in time. Else I’d have told them to find me something to puke into.
“This is our turn off,” Cass says just as we pass a sign for a shooting range a few miles up ahead. He slows the SUV and puts on the indicator. “Christ, they weren’t fucking around when they decided to go remote, were they?” he mutters.
There isn’t much to see—just another long road.
“We still don’t know which house it is.” Apollo holds up the printout from the Redford library and starts looking through the windows. “But it’s got to be at least two or three stories.”
“Sounds like we’re looking for a mansion,” Cass says dryly. He catches Zach’s eye in the rearview mirror. “Sound familiar, Mason?”
Zachary narrows his eyes, but then his face relaxes again. He nods reluctantly. “Long drive, so the main house is far from the road. Lots of tree cover.”
He’s describing the house we were kept captive in. A place that used to be his home.
That silence comes again, but Cass breaks it this time after looking first at Zach, then at me.
“How about you burn this one down too when we’re done?”
Just after the turnoff heading for the shooting range, signs start popping up for ranches and plots. We drive until we find the first house that fits our description, but since there are two kids playing in the front yard, we drive past.