Page 12 of Midnight Escape

“Listen to me—” Declan began in his attempt to explain or pacify her. She didn’t care which one. This wouldn’t happen.

“No.” She jabbed her finger at him. “I am not leaving Ireland. In case you didn’t understand, I said nay. N A Y.”

Declan released an aggrieved sigh, which, knowing him as she did, he didn’t like what he was about to say and that had her squirming in her seat. “I think you need to get far away from here. Out of Ireland and their reach.”

Panic set in and her heart pounding erratically. “What? Why? This is where I grew up… where I live.” She shook her head, hoping to dislodge her unease. “They didn’t know I was listening.”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

Declan slid the hand that’d been rubbing Diana’s back only a moment ago over his face, as if to wipe away the weariness that permeated his mood.

“Why do I need to leave?” she persisted like a petulant child. Moira allowed her gaze to slide back to Justin again, who appeared bored with the conversation. He was the wildcard. If he was on their side, she’d be fine. But, if not, this conversation was a waste of their time.

“Be realistic. Don’t you think if they are looking for me that they’d come to you to find me? And, if they want to kill me, what extreme do you think they’d go to find out what you knew?”

Justin stepped forward. “Okay, here’s my plan.”

His plan? His plan?her mind screamed. He should be the last person who knew what they would do to save themselves.

However, she listened. Mostly because her brother told her to keep an open mind. Worse, he told her he trusted Justin to keep them safe.

Justin’s phone rang, and they all froze, conversation ceased. She just knew it was his boss. Just knew it. Somehow, they’d figured out she was there and overheard. Something inside her screamed that her brother’s trust in the man was grossly misplaced. Her mind began to think of avenues of escape. Only, she wouldn’t run and leave her brother and his pregnant girlfriend to their death.

“Franks.” His gaze bore into Moira and became darker as he listened to the caller.

She swallowed hard. It was his boss. No doubt in her mind. Her thoughts scrambled on what to do.

“Are you sure you want all three dead?”

Oh God, they’d waited too late.

Before her, Justin transformed into what she’d expect a cold-blooded killer to look like. His lack of voice inflection in the call scared her. Those scales had just tipped back to not trusting Justin. He’d just been humoring them until now to see what they knew. And she’d given him the recording. The only evidence they had.

“You can count on me to take care of it.”

After he ended the call, it appeared the other room occupants held a collective breath.

The menace in Justin’s voice grew as he continued, “Time’s up.” He turned to Diana, and his eyes appeared pained to Moira. Not lethal like they were seconds ago. Maybe he had more feelings for Diana than he’d expressed. “I’m sorry, Diana.”

Diana burst into tears and turned back into Declan’s chest.

Justin straightened and a terrifying transformation overcame him. “My orders are to kill all three of you.”

If the blood in Moira’s veins had grown any colder, she’d have frozen to death at the next few words as they’d contradicted his earlier plan.

“There’s no time like the present.”

Chapter Six

When Moira, Declan, and Diana remained frozen, Justin continued. To Moira’s everlasting relief, he relaxed and spoke authoritatively, but not threatening. “If you want a life, you have to leave now. With me.” He checked his watch. “We don’t have much time, grab only what’s important, and let’s get out of here.”

As if expecting them to jump into action at his command, he punched a finger on his phone, then put it to his ear. “It’s time. I need wheels up ASAP.” He paused. “I’ll text you the specifics for the flight plan. Expect long enough that it’ll take two pilots.”

Moira shrank in a bit at his statement. Her eyes watered thinking of leaving friends, but mostly her home. Homeland. Inside, she screamed,Why me? Why do I have to leave?She’d heard the men and understood, but she didn’t want to leave. Maybe if she thought of it as a vacation.Yeah, that’d work.

“Moira, where’s your passport?” Justin asked after he ended his phone call.

Passport? All the talk had been about leaving Ireland, so a passport sounded like a normal thing she’d need. Yet her brain seemed to have short-circuited. She wished she could swish away the fog in her mind and focus on the larger problem that included her brother.

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