Page 20 of Oh, Hell No

Fan-fucking-tastic. The bastard had his own airstrip. Which meant he could cover his tracks better.

Do we know if the employee was telling the truth?

I was sure they’d thought of this, but I asked anyway.

Wilder

He used his knife. Did some slicing. The man told him everything and gave him the password to the computer system. Unfortunately, after King logged on, Thatcher sliced the man’s neck, thinking he was no longer needed. The password gave access only to what the man was allowed to know. There is more in the system, but it has another barrier, which I am working on breaking past. With the man dead,we can’t ask him any more questions.

My teeth ached from my grinding them so hard. Could they not control Thatcher and force him to do as ordered? I already knew that answer. No, they couldn’t. The fact that the man was engaged was baffling to me. What kind of female wanted to marry his insane ass?

I’ll see what she knows about it.

I sent it, although I was sure she had no idea.

Shoving the phone into my pocket, I looked over at her. She’d gone without food to make sure he ate, and this was how he repaid her. She had gone missing, he saw her location was in Louisiana and that her car might be parked at her apartment—thanks to Bane—but she wasn’t there, and he’d still left the country. Not even attempting to rescue her.

I’d let her sleep a little longer. The more rest she had, the clearer her head would be. She’d be able to think better. At least, that was what I told myself as I left her room, closing the door behind me.

Ten

Winslet

I stretched as the luxurious sheets caressed my skin. Smiling with my eyes still closed, I rubbed my cheek on the smooth pillowcase. I didn’t know how long I had been asleep, but it had been wonderful. However, thinking about having to go back to the basement made me want to weep. Maybe if I kept my eyes closed, I’d go back to sleep, and he’d forget I wasn’t a guest. He’d let me stay here.

“Get up.”

The deep, husky voice made my eyes snap open, and I scanned the room to see Oz standing at the foot of the bed with his arms crossed over his chest. The sunlight wasn’t as bright, and it was drawing closer to setting, meaning I’d slept all day.

Sitting up, I prepared myself to be marched back down to the horrid underground. At least I was clean and well rested. I was going to see if he’d let me use the toilet and brush my teeth againbefore I was taken back down there.

“He’s left the country. On a private plane from a private airstrip, owned by Samson Zephyr,” he informed me.

I blanched.

Perry had left the country? He hadn’t tried to come get me?

Betrayal stung worse than I could have imagined.

I said nothing. My throat felt clogged, as if I might cry if I opened my mouth. This man was not going to get my tears. The small cloud of bliss I had gotten a taste of had evaporated so quickly.

“I need ideas. Where could he have gone? Has he mentioned going anywhere with Samson Zephyr before? Has he mentioned any out-of-the-country trips? Is there anyone else he has spoken about?”

His demanding tone only made the wave of emotion that I had been struggling to tamp down worse.

I had told him everything I knew. I started to saynoand stopped.

Perry hadn’t mentioned going with Samson, but he had wanted to take me to somewhere in Morocco for my birthday this year. He’d talked about it and planned it, then had to cancel it. But would he go to some tourist place if he was running from the Feds?

“Where? I can see it on your face, Winslet. Tell me, and you can stay in this room tonight. I’ll even let you come downstairs and eat whatever you want. But rewards require information.”

I licked my bottom lip. Perry was in trouble. The longer this took, the more he ran, the angrier they got. The Feds might not kill him, but I wasn’t so sure that the Southern Mafia or whatever wouldn’t. There was a very slim chance that he had taken off on a trip to Morocco. He had gone on Samson’s private plane. They’d have gone somewhere safe. My telling him about the birthday trip would get me a meal and a night in this room.I could sleep in a bed, and I would get another shower, and it wouldn’t lead them to my brother.

As hurt as I was that he hadn’t come to get me or sent someone, I couldn’t let them kill him. That was my line I wouldn’t cross. It was getting clearer to me that this wasn’t some crazed psycho making threats. This was an expensive home. It might not be his, but whoever it belonged to had money. Which meant they probably had power.

“My birthday.” The two words felt heavy on my tongue.

“Go on,” he urged.

---