Page 73 of Captured

His bellow of rapture didn’t do as one might expect. No, it brought a smile to my face and a sickening feeling of warmth to my heart.

No, I wasn’t as damaged as he was. I was much more so.

Maybe he should be afraid of me.

CHAPTER 20

Styx

The woman was more powerful than she had any idea about.

I hadn’t planned on indulging in a game of backgrounds but as we lay together on the warm sand, staring up at the blue sky, we were trading information about our likes, dislikes, and lives back and forth.

It really was ridiculous, but my little sparrow was more engaging than I’d realized and I’d listened to her talk. I’d gone through her room and closet. I’d even learned her password on her computer, easily finding her social media sites and private emails.

“Color?” she asked.

“Black.”

Her laugh was another unexpected reaction. “Why does that not surprise me? I was shocked to see you in cream linen today instead of black or charcoal. Why black?”

“Because it hides blood easier.”

Tick. Tock.

“Oh, my God. You aren’t kidding?”

I chuckled more for her benefit. “No, sweet Emily. I’m afraid not.”

She rose onto one elbow, turning to face me. “How many people have you killed?”

I turned my head, catching the sound of what had to be a low-flying airplane in the distance. It wasn’t unheard of given there were resorts twenty miles on either side of the island, but I was always cautious. That’s one reason I’d remained alive over the years. “Do you really want to know that? Information can be as damaging as anything physical.”

“I’m a big girl. I can take it. I know what you’re made of.”

With a slight huff, I shook my head. “Let’s just say more than I can count on four sets of hands.”

“Women and children?”

“Up to this point, no.”

“Then why me, I mean assuming that you weren’t lying to me about someone taking a contract out on my life?”

“There was no reason for me to tell you a lie, Emily. You said your father has several enemies. Liam Jacobs appears to be one of them.”

I sensed another moment of shock coursing through her. “Liam? Uncle Liam?”

“Uncle? He’s not related to your father.”

“No, but they were close from the time I could remember. They’re golfing buddies, drinking buddies. He used to bounce me on his lap when the two couples got together when I was five or six.”

I thought about what I knew regarding Liam and his life. In all the information I’d found, I’d never noted that he was or had been involved with anyone. “Who was this other woman?”

“His wife.”

“What happened to her?”

She pulled back slightly, narrowing her eyes, almost answering immediately. “I honestly don’t know. Uncle Liam stopped coming around after my mother was murdered. I just… that’s odd. I have no idea other than I heard his wife had died. You’re telling me that the man who never forgot my birthday or Christmas wanted me dead.”

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