Page 75 of Abducted

“If you weren’t so worried about conviction, you wouldn’t be killing me to silence the secrets.” She shook her head sadly. “You can’t pay or kill people off anymore. Too many people know. It’s hopeless. Your only chance is to turn yourself in.”

The driver cursed. Grace’s eyes flitted to him, then back to meet Lana’s. “I don’t believe you.”

Lana lifted a shoulder. “Then don’t. But the man you hired—you know, the man who was to kill me?” Disdain laced her voice. “He won’t let this go. He will see to it that you pay for this.”

Grace snorted. The sound rode from her immaculately made-up lips. “I’m sorry to break it to you, sweetheart, but I sent two men to his house to take care of him. He won’t live to tell a soul.”

Lana laughed. The sound rang out through the quiet truck. “You actually think you can hurt him? He had one unconscious in the kitchen and was taking care of the other one by the time I made it to the garage. Sorry to break it to you.”

Grace’s jaw worked. “If that’s true, it doesn’t matter. I have law enforcement on my payroll. I can have him framed and charged in a matter of hours. No one will listen to a damn word he has to say.”

“What do you think the chances are those idiots you sent to Cal’s house will remain loyal to you? And the FBI agents I mentioned? Those are Cal’s friends.”

Silence reverberated through the vehicle.

“I can’t fucking believe this,” the man in the front seat breathed.

Lana leaned forward in her seat. She gasped through parted lips. “Shawn?” She hadn’t been able to see his face before. In the garage, Grace had ushered her into the back of the truck and tied her hands. It had been dark, but she’d recognized Grace’s voice.

He met her gaze in the rearview mirror. His face hardened. A glint of remorse shone in his eyes. He shifted his attention back to the road.

“How can you do this to my father?” she whispered. Edward had always been kind and generous to him and Vanessa. His Christmas bonus alone rivaled an average person’s annual income. Red-hot anger seized her. “You won’t get away with this.”

Shawn sighed. “I had no choice, Lana. Believe me. Tanner and I go way back…if he went down, he would take me with him.”

Grace’s icy fingers wrapped around Lana’s bicep. She pulled her away from the edge of her seat. “Enough of that.” Her voice trembled with warning.

Lana yanked out of her hold. She turned to the woman, the woman who had been at her graduation, whose vows she’d professed to her father on their wedding day years ago. Grace had been not just her stepmother, but someone Lana had cared for and respected.

Nausea rolled in her stomach like acid. She didn’t know this woman. All this time she had been nothing but a façade. How could she have been so stupid? She had even snuck under Edward’s sharp radar.

Lana narrowed her eyes and leaned in close to Grace. Her nose hovered inches away from her face. “If you follow through with this, you will be prosecuted. Everything is going to come to light, and your family name and history will be wiped of its pristine image.”

Grace’s eyes never wavered from hers.

“But it doesn’t end there. You’re going to rot in hell, Grace. And your son will be right beside you.”

Grace’s mouth tightened. A vein beneath her eye twitched. She turned her attention to the road. “Take the next exit, Shawn. Let’s get this over with.” Hope deflated in her chest like a burst balloon. Grace didn’t give a damn.

All those years, all the memories…nothing. A bright light cut through the darkness. Grace held her cell phone, her thumb gliding quickly over the keys. Lana worked her hands again. Dammit. There was no give in the tight plastic. Thankfully, they hadn’t wasted time tying her feet. She’d attacked Cal successfully with her hands bound. This time, though, her hands were secured at her back. She wouldn’t be able to throw her fists. It didn’t matter.

She would find a way. She had to.

The soft click of the turn signal chimed. Shawn took the exit, and the vehicle slowed. Her pulse beat against her throat. She pressed her knees together to keep them from shaking. No. She wasn’t going to die tonight. The headlights cut down the gravel drive, illuminating the thick foliage ahead.

She had to get away.

Shawn’s resolve had wavered. He was her chance. Lana’s eyes locked on the gun resting casually on Grace’s lap. She had to disarm her. Without the use of her hands. She swallowed over the lump in her throat. What choice did she have? They were going to shoot her regardless. If she could divert them enough, maybe she could escape. She had Cal’s phone. If she could get far enough away and hide, she might be able to work it out of the pocket and dial.

She had to try.

The vehicle slowed, and Shawn cut the engine. Rain fell in thick drops to splatter the windshield. They picked up with frequency as the seconds passed. The headlights switched off. Darkness closed around them. Grace opened her door first.

“Get the flashlights,” she instructed Shawn as she climbed out. She stood at the door and waved the gun back and forth, gesturing for Lana to follow.

She gulped. The sound echoed in her ears. “C’mon, I don’t have all night.”

Shawn slid out first. Lana shuffled across the seats. God, if only she had on running shoes. Flats would be a challenge to outrun them in. She kept her eyes down.

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