Page 121 of Fortune's Control
I blanked. “No one. I didn’t figure it out until you showed up.” My voice quivered. “I remembered Sandy arguing with her ex-boyfriend once and asked about him.” Who did I tell about the voice difference? Shane knew, didn’t he? Did I notice before and forget? If that happened, Shane might remember and figure it out.
“Did you tell my partner?”
“Detective Moore?” Dread filled me because this question had a correct response. Answering him would trigger them into killing me, or… what?
If I stayed, they would kill me. I’d known that since leaving Atlanta, even without a name or motive. Enough time had passed, so Shane knew they had me. He’d get help for Aiden, who tried to protect me, and then he’d track me down, but that required time I didn’t have. He’d alert the local sheriff and every person in town to find me.
None of that mattered, though, because they would kill me first, which meant I needed to free myself.
I lifted my right leg, crossing it over my knee. Nelson licked his lips and pressed a hand to my thigh. My skin crawled from his finger’s insect-like touch. “My ankle is twisted. I’m not sure I can walk anymore, so you’ll have to carry me.”
They both laughed, and I knew what that meant.
“You could use me as a hostage.” The words fell out of my mouth without any thought. A hostage for what?
“Are we done talking now?” Nelson’s knife appeared back in his hands. He fingered the tip and glanced at me. “You promised I could do this.”
“Not here. Outside, so we can dump the body in the river. Then I go back to Atlanta, and you disappear, like we planned. Take a break, Nelson. I can’t protect you if there’s another one.”
“Now. There could be people outside,” Nelson screeched, not responding to his brother’s cautious words.
“You said the other cabin was clear.” Davis raised his voice at the end.
“I lied. Who cares?”
Their fight escalated, and one tiny moment at a time, I lifted my body from the chair. My lungs and heart stopped as I planted both feet on the ground and waited. Neither glanced in my direction.
Nelson slashed at his brother, who dodged the knife. Sensing my chance, I leaped up and ran for the door.
I managed a few steps before someone slammed into me, and a whistle stopped their argument.
42-Shane
“I know where she is. Jack, I need you.”
Detective Moore grabbed my shoulder. I shrugged it off.
“If you run in without a plan, people might get hurt. Wait until your sheriff arrives, and let them handle it,” he said.
“I don’t wait for others to make my decisions.” I stared down at him, glaring until he looked away. “Right now, I have questions, and you’re going to answer them. Jack, you know where my gun safe is?”
“On it.” He headed to my office.
“You can stay here, or you can come along and be useful. I don’t care which. I want my wife back, and I won’t wait for the sheriff’s department to drive halfway across this county so I can ask their permission. He’s your partner. Do you really want to sit here while he kills another woman?”
Moore drew back at my question. “You think I let him do this?”
I kept silent.
The ambulance left, and the sirens faded into the distance.
I wanted to be gone before local officials got in my way. “Jack!”
“Two shotguns and a box of shells.” Jack looked down at Moore with an amused expression. “Are you coming along?”
I didn’t care. Aiden was on his way to the hospital, and my wife needed me. “Jack, you drive,” I said, and tossed him my keys.
Jack started the ignition while Moore stood on the driveway like a goddamn idiot who couldn’t find the difference between right and a rancid boil on his ass. He dived towards us, opening the back door, and leaping so that he ended up sprawled across the back seat. “I’m only here to stop you two from doing something illegal.”
