Page 42 of Perilous Healing

The mention of my mother is a sucker punch.

“Stay there for three minutes. After that, you can get up. But a second sooner, and”—he holds up his cell phone, showing that the call is still active—“bang.” He turns and heads back down the hallway, and I remain where I am.

The seconds might as well have been hours. I don’t even dare reach for my cell phone, terrified that he’ll see that as a move against him. Tears burn in the corners of my eyes as the adrenaline wanes, making way for the shock of what just happened.

I sat face-to-face with River Culvers.

My father’s brother.

The man who has been trying to kill me.

Who promised to do so the last time we saw each other.

The same man who tortured Silas for a month and hunted us like wild animals when we were in the jungle.

Yet I’m still breathing. Which begs the question…what does he want from me?

“I should have been here,”Silas all but growls. “Should have stayed put.”

I’d made the call to Silas first, desperate to make sure he was okay. Then I’d called Lance so he could alert the team to River’s presence in Hope Springs. Silas arrived right after I got off the phone with Lance, insisting on clearing both sides of the duplex to make sure everything was locked down tight.

Lance, Michael, Jaxson, and Elijah showed up shortly after, now that Caleb is working for Knight Security and handling video monitoring tonight.

“No. He only came because you were gone.” That much, I’m sure.

“How did he get in?” Lance questions.

“Her bedroom window,” Silas replies. “Broke the lock and came through. The system was unarmed,” he adds with a glare at me.

“I checked the house when I got here,” I tell them. “So it had to have been while I was in the shower.”

Silas snarls something under his breath, then turns away and puts both hands on his hips. He’s furious with himself, which is absolutely ridiculous. I can take care of myself, something I’ve proven time and time again.

“He is expecting both Silas and me at that dinner tomorrow.”

Silas whirls. “What?”

“He mentioned you specifically,” I reply. “Though I’m not sure why he wants either of us there. Something has to be happening. Something big.”

“We can’t move on him without proper cause,” Lance warns.

“Agreed.” Jaxson crosses his arms. “Guy like him will be lawyered up to the teeth.”

“Then Silas and I can go in and gather evidence.”

All eyes turn to me.

“Look, he may be at a hotel, but I can almost guarantee something big is going down at that dinner. If Silas and I can get proof that he’s dirty, then we can stop him.”

“Do you really think he’s just going to let you both walk in and out of there?” Elijah demands. “There’s no telling if you’ll come out alive.”

“He threatened theentiretown, Elijah. A threat he’s more than capable of making good on. I can’t risk it.”

“Neither can I,” Silas replies.

“This feels like a mistake.” Lance rubs both hands over his eyes.

“We’re up against a wall,” I remind them. “He has the power, and he knows it. He knows we know it.”

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