Page 94 of Blackmail of a Billionaire

Julia gripped the car door as she desperately tried to stop herself trembling. The drugs still in her system twisted her stomach into knots as the lights smeared into streaks of color against the dark canvas of the night. The easy, soft music emitted from the car’s sound system wove through the air, a stark contrast to her chaotic thoughts. Had it been a wise decision to trust Kyle Carter?

He’d gotten them out of a dangerous situation, but she still remained in peril. At least Sierra was safe. Mostly. She glanced out at the city’s lights in the distance wondering if she’d connected with help yet.

Tears pricked her eyes as the car continued to careen further away from anything known to her. She bit into her trembling lower lip as she struggled to squash the rising tide of panic. She needed to be clearheaded when dealing with Kyle.

“Are you okay?”

His voice startled her but not more than the warmth of his hand as he slid it around her shoulders. She leapt in the seat, twisting to face him as a tear fell to her cheek.

“Easy, Julia, I’m not going to hurt you. I helped you, remember?”

“After you made it possible for someone to kidnap us in the first place.”

“I already explained that. I had no idea they were going to do something like this.”

“Who are they?” Julia demanded.

“Someone else who doesn’t like Grant as much as I don’t like him.”

“Who, Kyle?” Julia’s fear took a backseat to her curiosity and drive to free herself.

“I don’t know exactly, okay? I just…had a contact who said they’d love some help making sure Grant pays for all of the things he’s done. When you left earlier, I called them.”

Julia glanced down at her lap, trying to piece together the information as tears threatened again.

“I didn’t know this is what they were planning, Julia, I swear.”

“No, but you were willing to give them our location to make Grant pay for a crime I’ve yet to hear about. And you left Sierra on the side of the road! She’s still scared and sick, and now she’s alone.”

He blinked the comment away. “She’ll be fine. But I could care less about Sierra Harrington. I’m sure her daddy will come swooping in to save her. But you don’t deserve to be another casualty of his recklessness.”

The bitterness of his words struck her as Kyle brought the car to a stop on the wide shoulder of the lonely road. She popped the door open and fled into the cool night. Kyle sprang from the car, skirting around it as she stalked away, her arms tightly wrapped around her midriff both from the chill in the air and her nerves.

“Julia, wait,” he called after her.

She whipped around to face him. “For what?”

He sucked in a deep breath, holding his hands up. “Please calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down. If there was ever a time to panic, it’s right now.” She clamped her hands on her head as the reality of her situation pressed in on her.

Kyle tugged off his blazer and moved closer to slide it around her shoulders. She stepped back, putting distance between them.

“Just take it, Julia, you’re freezing.”

She snatched the jacket from his hands and slipped it around her shoulders. He closed the distance between them and tugged her hands forward to study the wounds on her wrists.

“Please stop stalling and say whatever it is that was so important for you to tell me that you had to dump someone on the side of the road at knifepoint.”

“Let me take care of this.”

“Stop wrapping this all in your concern for me. What is so important about Grant that I need to know? And why have you involved me?”

He snapped his gaze up to her. “He just…leaves a trail of destruction always. You’re just the latest victim. And I’m still a doctor. These cuts are not superficial.”

“Maybe you could take me to the hospital.”

“I’m an ER doctor. I can handle this here,” he said as he opened the hatch on his SUV. “Come on.”

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