Page 32 of Drowning Her

I held my chest, trying to see if I was actually alive. Somehow, I was still breathing. Outside of the window, the ranchers moved back and forth across the property, some of them heading out to the pastures, some going to the Dairy Barn. A coffee mug and bowl were drying on the dish rack in the kitchen. The sun stretched above us, magnifying through the windows. Life went on.

But nothing was simple. Wilder was a mess of conflicting ideals. He was always quick to declare that he didn’t want me, but that was a lie. His fingers stabbed into me, his teeth and mouth more worried about consuming than experiencing. Devouringeverything.Controlling himself. Conquering me. His stormy eyes peered at me, his cock pressing through his pants. I didn’t understand him. What kind of man hacks a body to pieces, then a few minutes later, restrains, drowns, and fingerfucks a woman, then ends the night by tucking her in?

But I continued my day like I always had because that’s what Wilder had done. I cleaned the house, watched television, read another book, stared out the window with fresh eyes, knowing that there was more going on in this seemingly unsuspicious ranch.

I opened the back patio door, gazing at the pasture and the long stream of trees. This was a completely different life than I had in the city, but I didn’t miss any of it. There was a certain calmness that came from grassyfields. The security of knowing what loomed in the locked barns.

“How much have you gotten your hands on?” a male voice asked. Sawyer pushed himself off of the back of the house, his chin angled toward the clouds. A surge of adrenaline coursed through me. I hadn’t noticed him there. “Five grand? Six?”

“What are you doing back here?” I pointed at the Calving Barn. “If Wilder catches you, he’ll be?—”

“Already going to yourprotector.” He rubbed his tongue across his teeth. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you two actually have feelings for each other.”

I rolled my eyes. He needed to screw off. “That’s what happens in a marriage, even if it’s arranged. You spend time with someone. You see them for who they are.” I crossed my arms. “End of story.”

As a smile perked on his face, his words from the reception rang through my mind:You have no idea who you married.

I hadn’t, then. I didn’t know anything about the Feldmans. But now, I knew. And I should have been scared. Should have been running. But I wasn’t.

Maybe I trusted Wilder.

That was stupid. Wilder was a criminal. A hitman. A murderer. Not someone who was capable of anything like trust.

And yet, I couldn’t brush him off. Not entirely.

“So where’s the money, then?” Sawyer asked. He tilted his head. “Another thousand went missing last night. Where did you put it?”

A chill ran down my back. I hadn’t taken any more money since Wilder had warned me back when I watched him execute the employee. Was another employee stealing from them?

Or had Bambi been there? With Green?

Was it my fault?

“Where did you put my family’s money, Maisie?” he asked. “Is my brother still covering for you?” His chin jutted forward. “It took us a while to figure out that it wasn’t the new hires.” He chuckled. “But when you steal from our family, we don’t let it go.”

I forced a smile. “I am your family now. Or have you forgotten the vows I made to your brother?”

“Like you actually meant it when you said those words,” he sneered. “I know he’s helping you,sister.”

“You handle the money, right?” I asked. “Just you.Only you.” He narrowed his eyes, suddenly venomous, but I continued: “It’s easy to figure out where to pin the blame when you have the accounts under your control.”

He clenched his fists. “What are you saying?”

“You know exactly what I’m saying.” I widened my smile. “Maybe the crime is in the family. Maybe it’s you,brother.”

Footsteps stomped around the side of the house, the grass parting. Wilder’s shadow stretched over the dull green blades. Wilder looked at me, then turned to Sawyer.

“Another thousand went missing last night,” Sawyer said. “It seems we brought a thief onto our property.” He jerked his chin in my direction. “Keep a better eye on her.”

“It wasn’t Maisie,” Wilder said, his voice triumphant. My heart squeezed in my chest.

“You’re defending her?” Sawyer asked.

Wilder straightened, his stance solid. “I was with her last night.”

“All night?” Sawyer asked. Wilder nodded. Sawyer took his time scrutinizing Wilder, dissecting him from head to toe. “You’re under her spell.”

“Can you remind him that I am your wife?” I asked. Wilder stiffened. Shock ran through me. He had done so much for me andhaddefended me more than once, and yet he couldn’t remind his own brother that I was part of the family. Maybe that was his limit, when I lost my importance to him. But I pushed on. I needed to know that he was in this too. “Tell him, Wilder. Tell your brother that I’m your wife.”

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