Page 73 of Dangerous Obsession

The only way to access the cellar was through an exterior, ground-level entrance at the side of the cabin. He cautiously stepped over vines and around bushes and was not at all disappointed to discover a massive tree had fallen and blocked the access door.

He did a quick mental calculation of how much cash he had left and decided to add a lantern to his shopping list.

Cliff zipped up his coat and set off into the woods. With each step, the cheap sneakers he’d gotten upon his release squished and sank further into the soggy ground cover. A miserable forty-five minutes later, he came upon the trail and followed it to the entrance. He concealed himself behind a giant oak and checked for hikers. The gravel shoulder served as parking for the trail, and Greg’s car was the only one there. He stepped out of the woods and hurried across the road to the car.

He jammed the key into the lock, swung the door open, and slid in behind the wheel. The car was much more reliable than his truck, and the engine turned over on the first try. He input the address of the store into the GPS and pulled away from the trailhead.

“Your destination is on the left.” He followed the GPS directions and turned into the massive parking lot.

The small market he remembered from his childhood had been replaced by a larger chain store that sold everything from groceries to lawnmowers. The damn thing was surrounded by apartments on three sides. With apartments came people, and with people came more security than he would like. The only other option was another forty-five minutes away, and he couldn’t spare that kind of time. He wasn’t confident he could find his way back to the cabin in the dark, and those woods got dark early.

He’d just have to get in, get out, and be careful to avoid surveillance cameras.

Cliff parked in an out-of-the-way spot at the side of the building and tugged the ball cap down on his head as far as it would go. Chin down, he shoved his hands into his coat pockets, comforted by the feel of the revolver against his palm. He gave some sideways glances as he headed to the front and walked through the automatic doors. For a weekday morning, the place was more crowded than he’d expected.

He yanked and tugged and finally freed a cart and headed to the camping section at the back of the store. A propane lantern and camp stove, two sleeping bags, and matches all went into the cart. They had some cheap hiking boots and thick socks, so he tossed those in with the rest. The boots weren’t a perfect fit, but they were a hell of a lot better than his mushy shoes.

Groceries were next. He bought a bag of apples, some bananas, and picked out a bunch of canned food—beef stew, chili, a variety of soups, beans, and a few other things. Stuff he’d called hobo food when he was a kid.

At the front of the store, near the self-checkout area, there were black buckets holding cut flowers wrapped in cellophane. A bundle of sunflowers caught his eye, and he snatched them up. He waited until the water finished dripping from the stems and scanned them. Goldie always loved when he brought her sunflowers. After all of his purchases were paid for and loaded into the cart, he ripped off the receipt and started toward the doors.

“Have a nice day.” A guy in a blue vest monitoring the self-checkout registers smiled as Cliff passed.

He fast-walked to where he’d parked and put all but one specific bag and the flowers in the trunk. Once in the car, he tossed the plastic bag onto the passenger floorboard and gently set the bouquet on the passenger seat—careful not to crush any of the petals—and lifted a hip to retrieve his phone from his back pocket. He dialed the number for Marigold’s store and waited. It rang two and a half times before she answered.

“Timeless Designs. This is Marigold.” She sounded out of breath.

“Hey there, Goldie.” Cliff knew she hated the nickname, but he liked it, and that’s all that mattered.

“Where is Shayna?” Her voice was different than it used to be—more confident, less timid. “If you’ve hurt her—”

“Shut up and listen, or that mouth of yours is going to create problems for the kid.” She needed to know who was in charge. “You and I must have a little chat about your disloyalty. So, here’s how this is going to go. You are going to trade yourself for your little friend.”

“How do I know she’s okay?”

“Oh, she’s very much alive.” And a pain in his ass. “I’m happy to send you proof, but I’m going to need your cell phone number.”

She rattled off the number. He texted her the photo, then saved her number on his phone.

Marigold gasped. “Oh, my God.” Her shocked tone was very satisfying and told him the photo worked as intended.

“She’s fine … for now. But that’s subject to change based on how well you follow my instructions.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll meet—”

Her voice cut out, and there was a rustling noise. Though the sound was muffled, he managed to make out what they were saying.

“My job is to keep you safe, and there is no way I’m going to let you anywhere near that asshole.” He guessed the deep voice was the supposed security guard.

“What do you mean,let me? It’s not up to you.” Marigold sounded pretty pissed. “I’m going, and you can’t stop me. If you have a problem with that, you can leave right now.”

“Seriously? Youreallywant me to leave?” Whoever the man was, he seemed pretty shocked by Marigold’s mandate.

“Yes, I do,” she said.

Cliff listened closely, anxious to see how this little drama would play out.

“Whatever you say,Ms. Hartnett.” Derision coated the guy’s voice.

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