Page 71 of Last Resort

Maci hoped so. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. “I think I might go take a shower, then lay back down.”

The older woman smiled gently. “Absolutely. Hopefully you’ll be more hungry at dinnertime.”

Maci looked back over at Weston. “Did you find anything else?”

His face was almost haggard. “At least one more. I’m still searching.”

Five murders.

She couldn’t think about it too much right now or she was going to panic. She showered, then got back into bed, pulling the blankets up to her head, trying to shut out the world.

When she awoke the second time, things were actually worse. Her phone was buzzing with a call from her mother.

“What do you want, Evelyn?” Maci kept her voice barely above a whisper so none of the Pattersons would hear her.

“Maci, baby, I’m in trouble.”

Maci really didn’t have the time or mental energy to deal with her right now. “You’re always in trouble.”

“Baby.” Her mother’s voice was small, shaky. “I’m really sorry for how I treated you a couple days ago. That was wrong.”

Maci rolled her eyes. “You can’t blackmail me for more money. I’ve already told Chance everything.”

“It was wrong for me to say what I did. So wrong. I thought about you being pregnant, and I knew you would need your money for the baby.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“My dealer has been trying to get me to sell for him for a while, so I told him I would. That way I wouldn’t need money from you.”

“Timothy?” He was low-level and not organized. Barely more than a thug.

“Yes.”

Maci rubbed her eyes. This wasn’t what she wanted. “Mom, that’s dangerous.”

“I know. I—I...” Evelyn let out a sob. “I was robbed last night. They took all the product.”

Maci sat up straight in the bed. “Are you hurt?”

“No, but Timothy has given me twenty-four hours to come up with the money or he will hurt me. You know, he has to set an example.” She listed the amount she needed.

“Mom, I don’t have that much! Especially not since you just cleaned me out.”

“I know. I know.” Evelyn began to cry in earnest. “I don’t know what to do. And it gets worse.”

Oh, no. “What did you do?”

“Timothy was threatening to break my wrist when I told him I didn’t think I could get the money. So I mentioned where you work.” Her voice got smaller. “I think he’s planning to jump your boyfriend or his brothers to get the money if I don’t pay him back.”

Maci thought through finances. If she pooled everything from every account and maxed out the cash withdrawal on her one credit card, then she might just have enough.

At least enough to keep Timothy and his buddies from attacking the Pattersons unawares while they were in the middle of a crisis. Maci could handle this for them. They would never even need to know.

And she could admit that, even though Chance already knew about her past, she’d prefer not to dump this on him in life-size Technicolor.

“Where are you, Mom?”

Her mom spit out an address on the south side of town near the warehouse district. Not the safest place, but not where Rich Carlisle would be hanging out, so at least she didn’t have to worry about a serial killer.

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