Page 46 of Stuart Woods' Golden Hour

“If you’re wondering if I had a choice, the answer is no,” Billy said. “It was either I shoot him or let him shoot you.”

She mulled it over for several seconds, then said, “Can I ask a question?”

“You can.”

“Please don’t think I don’t appreciate you saving my life because I do. Ireally,reallydo. But why did any of that happen in the first place?”

“That is an excellent question.”

“And the answer?”

He winced. “Well, it’s complicated.”

“You need to tell her,” Tessa said to Billy.

“Tell me what?” Stacy asked, confused.

Billy knew Tessa was right. He’d known it since the moment Stacy looked into the corridor. But knowing it and actually bringing her into the fold about his big secret were two different things. But try as he might, he could not come up with an alternative. “There’s something you don’t know about me.”

“Really?” she said exaggeratedly. “I would have never guessed.”

“It’s something thatveryfew people know. If I tell you, you must agree never to talk about this to anyone who doesn’t know.”

“Why?”

“Because people could die.”

“You—you’d kill me?”

“Of course I wouldn’t kill you. But there are a lot of people out there who would love to kill me, and since you and I work together, you might become collateral damage.”

“I’m not sure I want to know now.”

Tessa put a hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be better if you do, I think.”

“You already know?” Stacy asked, confused.

“Both Peter and I do.”

“Hattie, too,” Peter said.

“And Ben,” Tessa said.

“But Adriene and Lizzie don’t,” Billy said. “And it needs to stay that way.”

Stacy chewed her lower lip and after a moment seemed to come to a decision. “All right. Whatever you’re about to tell me, I won’t share with anyone else.”

“I have your promise?” Billy asked.

“Do you want me to sign my name in blood somewhere?”

“Now there’s a thought.”

“I was kidding.”

“So was I.”

She frowned. “I used to know when you were kidding.”

---