Page 64 of Relinquish

We stop, and the dogs go silent. “Dart gun.” Derrick’s voice breaks into my ear.

“You aren’t supposed to be out here.”

“Fuck you. This is our sister. We’ll beg for forgiveness later.”

“Point taken.” My shoulders relax a fraction as we inch along the cement patio. I’m more than a little relieved to have backup. “I’m going in. The dog’s barking had to have made him suspicious.” I grasp the knob, and my hand slips off. Locked.

“I’ve got it.” Ripley pulls out a battery-operated screwdriver, and zips the screws out that hold the doorknob to the door. “Got it.”

He steps back, and I push the door open, slipping into the downstairs bedroom. The room is pitch black. I tap on the flashlight and scan the room. “Clear.”

Ripley follows behind me. “The next room is the study.”

“There’s no movement in the study. Two people are seated, and one person is pacing the floor.” Sloane reports from the safety of the road.

***

Lola

Cade. My heart skips a beat. How in the hell did Randall not hear the dog barking? Oh, right. Because he loves to hear himself talk. The man has a serious ego problem with a case of diarrhea of the mouth.

Over the last hour, he’s vacillated between killing me and taking me off for an exotic getaway while framing Patricia for everything. If she had a backbone, she’d be pissed that he’s tossed her out of his inner circle, but she’s been blubbering in the corner the entire time. I should feel sorry for her, but I don’t. She made her bed, and now she must lie in it.

I keep my eyes straight ahead as Randall brandishes the weapon and talks to himself. He stops in front of me. “Are you ready?”

“Am I ready for what?” Keep him talking. Cade must be near the house or even inside by now. I’ve got to keep him talking.

“God, that fucking mouth of yours makes me want to do so many dirty things.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Cade crouching near the door. The whites of his eyes narrow into slits.

“So, now we’re back to you taking me to Micronesia with you? What time is the flight? I don’t want to miss it.” If I get killed in the fracas, I want his plans foiled.

“Five o’clock.” He stops. “Do you want to go with me?”

“Sure.” I shrug. To the fucking police station to watch you get booked. “I’d rather go with you than get killed.”

Randall steps forward. Shit. He’s going to move out of Patricia’s line of sight, and she’s going to blow the team’s cover. I swivel to her. “What about her?” I pop my bottom lip out. “I don’t like to share.”

“I’ll get rid of her.” He shifts to stand in front of Patricia. Cade and someone I assume is Ripley step into the room with guns trained at the back of Randall’s skull.

“Don’t.” Tears stream down her face.

“Randall, I want you all to myself.”

“As do I,” he says as if he seriously believes I’ve changed my mind. Is the guy that stupid? He leans toward Patricia, and I jump off the sofa.

“What?” He swivels toward me with wide eyes. The shock on his face is almost funny, but I’m not out of the woods yet. There’s no time to get cocky. “How did you get free?”

“Your girlfriend is shit at tying people up.” I lower my hips and wait for the attack. Patricia sucks down a gulp of air. Apparently, she’s finally noticed Cade and Ripley standing behind Randall. She snaps her mouth shut and stares at the floor. Good girl.

Randall lunges forward and grabs my arms. I fall into him and relax. The second he thinks he has the upper hand, I stomp on his foot and raise my knee, smashing into his balls while punching his nose with the heel of my palm. Blood splatters out of his nostrils in a stream that floods down his shirt–his white dress shirt–that he’s still wearing from the party. A spurt of it shoots out toward me and lands on my T-shirt.

“Fucking cunt.” He surges forward.

“I wouldn’t if I were you.” Cade levels the Glock at the back of Randall’s head. There are less than three inches between the gun and his head. “They say it’s hard as fuck to get brains out of the carpet, and the sofa will be ruined.”

“Asshole,” he barks and spins his head around to see who’s caught him.

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