Page 81 of Montana Heat

“Oh!” Jada smiled. “Not like that. I don’t want to hurt you. Definitely don’t want to kill you.”

“It didn’t feel that way when you put a rattlesnake in my tub and locked me in my bathroom.”

Jada shook her head quickly. “Well, first of all, again, outsourced. I didn’t do it myself. But that snake wasn’t actually venomous. I got it from a breeder who removes venom. It’s called venomoid surgery.”

I did not give a flying fuck what the sick surgery was called. I pressed my lips together to keep from stating that.

“A bite would’ve hurt, but it wouldn’t have killed you. I was just trying to scare you. To spook you into running like I told you to. Alan and I can’t move from Colorado because of his parole issues. But I was hoping you’d just leave and start a new career somewhere far away.” Another sigh. “Wishful thinking on my part—I finally figured that out.”

I was trying to wrap my head around her plan since no part of it seemed to be steeped in logic.

She wanted a life with Alan but felt like my presence in Colorado was keeping them from having that. All the crazy stalking stuff hadn’t been because she was obsessed or angry with me; it was because she’d wanted me to leave.

It was why she hadn’t killed me, like Jensen and the Resting Warrior guys had pointed out. Killing me had never been her endgame. If she’d wanted me dead, it would’ve already happened.

So what the hell was she doing now? Driving me out of the country? She had to know it wouldn’t stop me from coming back and pressing charges. Although I’d happily lie to convince her that wasn’t true if it got me out of this.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked as calmly as I could manage. “What do you plan to do with me?”

“Well, I know this is going to seem farfetched…” she said.

Now I let out a sigh.More fucking farfetched than this situation already was?Difficult to believe.

“I outsourced one more time. My brother—the same one whois in prison with Alan, so this kind of brings the entire situation in a nice full circle—has connections with some people who have developed a black-market memory drug.”

I blinked. Once, twice. I’d been wrong. This was definitely more farfetched.

“Memory drug?” I asked, not liking any single syllable of what Jada said.

Once again, I looked out the window, wondering if I could survive a jump. Definitely not at this speed.

“Yes. I’ve thought this through, and it’s the best possible plan. The drug will pretty much wipe your memory—you won’t remember who you are or any part of your life.”

“Jada…”

“But you won’t be hurt, you see? I’ll drive you really far away from Colorado, maybe Florida or something. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re safe and okay. Then I’ll inject you. You won’t remember anything about your past, so you’ll just rebuild a new future. You’ll be fine!”

It was obvious she’d spent a lot of time thinking about this and convincing herself that her words were true.

“The effects of the drugs might wear off after a few years, but that won’t matter, because once you’re gone, Alan will move on. With me. And when he realizes how happy he can be without you in his life, then it won’t make a difference if you eventually come back.”

I couldn’t even figure out what to say.

“There is a chance it could permanently affect brain function.” One more sigh. “But I have to try this. For Alan’s sake. He deserves a full life without any hangups about you. He’ll get out next week, and this is the best gift I can give him. He’s worth it.”

“Listen.” I shook my head, frantic to make Jada see reason. “Jada, no. This is not what you want to do. This is not how you want to start your life with him.”

“Kenzie, I trust my gut. Another thing you taught us in your seminar, remember? Working out what we feel is right in our gut.”

Jesus fucking Christ. She’d taken every single thing I’d said and twisted it to suit her own purposes.

“But you’ll never?—”

The blaring ringtone of a phone cut off my next words. With the sound, the dashboard lit up.

“It’s an unknown number.” She shifted in her seat. “You have to be quiet now, or else I’ll hang up and inject you again so you’re unconscious for the rest of the trip.”

“I’ll be quiet.” The lie slipped easily from my tongue as I thought about what I could yell to get help from whoever was calling. I’d only have a few seconds before she would hang up. Maybe my name? That I’d been kidnapped? Maybe mention Resting Warrior?

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