Page 74 of Last Resort

There was no way she was getting into a vehicle with Dorian until she talked to Chance. Maybe she was being paranoid, but under the circumstances, that could be forgiven.

She forced a smile at Dorian. “Just hang out here for two minutes. I’ll be right back.” She turned back toward the warehouse. “Mom? You here?”

She walked, calling for Evelyn as she pulled her phone out. She was just hitting Chance’s number when a soft voice spoke behind her.

“You’re not a pale imitation at all, are you?”

Maci tried to breathe through the terror. This was the voice from that night at the apartment when she’d been knocked unconscious.

Dorian was definitely the killer.

She turned to face him again. “You. Why?”

“Someone has to be the best. Learning how to stalk, learning how to kill... It made me the best security expert available.”

“But you’re Stella’s stalker. How can you be the best at protecting someone when you’re the one putting her in danger?”

“I never planned to hurt Stella—she’s not worth the time or effort. I wasn’t even her real stalker at first. I eliminated him early on and took over. Especially once Nicholas brought in the Pattersons. I quickly realized how much I could learn by going up against them. And knew I could up the ante when I targeted someone they cared so much about...You.”

Maci took a few steps backward, trying to figure out what to say. “I’m just their employee.”

He tsked and shook his head. “You’re the mother of Chance Patterson’s child. He would burn the world to the ground to get you back. His brothers would hold the matches for him.”

“I’m not going with you.”

Dorian smiled and slowly pulled up his pants leg at the calf, showing some sort of knife holder. “I don’t think you’re going to have a choice.”

Without another word, Maci spun and ran. She didn’t make it far before Dorian’s arms wrapped around her from behind, stopping her progress. At least he didn’t have the knife out yet.

She remembered what Chance had taught her in their training. She used her legs to kick back, aiming for his knees, groin, whatever. Dorian let out a curse as her foot connected to a sensitive spot and let her go.

She dropped her phone in the skirmish but didn’t stop to pick it up. She sprinted as hard as she could for the warehouse.

She knew if Dorian got her into his car, she and her baby would be his next victims.

“WHATDOYOUmean she’s not there?”

Chance was ready to put his fist through a wall. He’d called Maci’s phone half a dozen times, and each time it had gone directly to voice mail.

“We all thought she was taking a nap,” Weston said. “She left a note on the pillow saying she needed to meet her mom and would be right back.”

He’d already explained that Dorian was a killer and law enforcement had an APB out for his arrest.

That wouldn’t help if he already had Maci.

The door to the office opened and Chance turned to bark that they were closed. “I’ll call you back,” he said to Weston when he saw who it was.

Evelyn Ford. And she had seen better days.

He rushed to her and helped her sit down. She had blood seeping from a head wound. “Mrs. Ford, where’s Maci? What happened?”

His brothers rushed in to see what was going on, but remained silent.

“I needed money. She was supposed to meet me about a half hour ago.”

“She didn’t show up?”

“I don’t know. Some man saw me, said he worked with you. Offered to give me the money I needed to pay back my dealer.”

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