Page 28 of August 20

Since that night, living in the same house with him had been hell. She was ready to walk out the door. Even if doing so, he'd shoot her in the back with the pistol that he always had on him.

Blowing out her pent-up breath, she gripped the doorknob and turned without making a sound. Her heart raced. There was something scary about meeting him when Skye wasn't awake and nearby.

She tried to remind herself that Maverick was Skye's father, and he held her hostage because he wanted his daughter back. But she was more worried about the tension between them lately.

One of them was going to explode, and she had a feeling it would be her.

She stepped into the hall and strained to hear where he was in the house. At night, he never slept in the other bedroom unless a member of Havlin Motorcycle Club came over to relieve him of watching over her and Skye.

The low hum from the television met her ears. She couldn't hear what he was watching but knew he sat on the couch, absently watching the screen like he normally would most nights when he believed she and Skye slept.

She stepped into the living room, expecting to see him on the couch, and he wasn't there. Glancing to her left, she found him at the table where he'd been a half hour before she put Skye to sleep.

Not wanting to delay the inevitable, she approached the table and sat opposite him. If he wanted to kill her, she'd make it easy for him. But he'd need to look her in the eyes when he pulled the trigger.

As soon as her butt hit the chair, he pushed a thick Manila envelope toward her. He nodded when she kept her hands under the table, urging her to take the package.

She turned over the envelope, found it unsealed, and looked inside.

There were stacks of cash stuffed inside. Not a little, but a lot.

"What's this?" she asked.

The stack of mail on the table had disappeared twice. She suspected he'd paid the bills to keep anyone from finding out she was being held hostage because he never offered her money again.

He never flinched. "You can leave tonight."

She sat up straighter. Her heart hammered in her chest. He'd gotten her attention.

Every day, she wished for him to let them go. She wanted to run and wake Skye, dragging her out of the house. She'd hop in her Honda and be out of Seaglass Cove before Maverick could catch them.

Instead of taking the money and running, she shoved the envelope toward him. "What's the catch?"

There had to be something she missed in the offer. He wouldn't hand over money and let her walk away. Not after keeping her hostage for almost two months. She could have the police here to arrest him the second she reached town.

"Take the money." He leaned forward, clearing his throat. "You can go anywhere you want—"

"But?"

"You leave Skye with me." His eye ticked, and he cupped the base of his neck. "You go to the cops. I'll hunt you down."

Her jaw dropped. Maverick pointed at her. She closed her mouth. There was nothing more he could say that would shock her more.

It was the most he'd talked to her since kidnapping her. While he'd spoken, his voice had grown hoarse and deeper than normal. There was something wrong with his throat. It pained him to speak. That's why he grunted, pointed, moved his head, and used his eyes to communicate with Skye.

Maverick's hands kneaded his neck. Brooke sat in silence, unable to believe, after all the weeks held hostage in the house, that would be his offer to get rid of her.

He patted the envelope. "Fifty grand."

He made her sick.

"Why would you ever think I'd sell my niece?" Her lip curled. "To you?"

He shoved away from the table, sending his chair toppling. If he meant to scare her, he'd failed. She was pissed.

Following him into the living room, she stepped around him until he was forced to look her in the eyes. "I never had a relationship with my sister. Janelle was twelve years older than me and ran away from my grandma's house when she was sixteen. Do the math, Maverick." She stepped to the side, blocking his escape. "The only time I saw Janelle was when she dragged herself back to ask for money for drugs or food. I can't even tell you if Janelle knew my name because anytime she showed up at the door, she was drugged out of her mind. But Skye is my niece." She patted her chest. "She's blood. If you want to kill me, then do it. But you better not harm a hair on that little girl's head because I will come back from the grave and stick a knife in your cold, ugly heart."

Tears rolled down her cheeks unchecked. She gritted her teeth together to keep them from chattering.

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