Page 54 of Aviator
Fuck me sideways.
And I just walked right up and delivered myself on a platter. Thank fucking God Kenna is safe at the lodge. Maybe I can manage to sneak out without drawing his attention.
That’s what I think until a gun presses into my temple. “What do we have here?”
Lawrence glances up and blanches when he sees me. I see the man next to me out of the corner of my eye and recognize him instantly. He’s the man who shot Kenna.
I narrow my eyes at him. “You’re going to regret that,” I say in a low voice.
Lawrence sighs and wipes sweat from his forehead. “Bring him in, Tommy. Take that gun away, too. We don’t want him getting trigger-happy.”
“You got it, boss.” Tommy jabs the gun into my back and says, “Drop it, bitch, unless you want to eat a bullet.”
I loosen my grip on the gun, and Tommy takes it, tucking it into his waistband. “Move,” he orders and shoves me forward.
“I’m sorry it’s come to this, Dean. I’ve known your family a long time, and your grandfather has been a close, personal friend for years. Trust me, if there was another way. . .” His voice trails off as he wipes sweat from his flushed brow.
“So that cook spot was yours?” I ask, my gaze narrowing on the other man standing nearby.
His presence sends shivers down my spine. He shot at Kenna during the helicopter and has been haunting my thoughts since. He’s got a cold meanness in his eyes that tells me he’s the kind of guy who gets off on the power of killing a man. All I can think of is not letting either of them get anywhere near Kenna. Even if I have to die trying.
Lawrence’s eyes flicker with guilt, but it doesn’t seem sincere. “I knew when you were going up there, but I couldn’t let you come back. And I couldn’t stop you without raising suspicion. That damn woman would have been relentless. I know the type. I’m sorry it has to be this way, but I can’t let either of you live.”
My fists clench at his words, anger and disbelief warring within me. This man, whom I trusted and saw as a mentor, was involved in a criminal enterprise that put my and Kenna’s lives in danger.
As Lawrence’s confession hangs in the air, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. The crash and the shooting were all his desperate bids to protect his own secrets. It had nothing to do with Jamie or his crazy conspiracies. I nearly laugh at the realization. That had just been a shitty coincidence. What fucking luck.
My chest tightens, anger and fear swirling within me as Lawrence’s words sink in. Kenna is still in danger, and I can’t waste another second. I step closer to Lawrence, my voice trembling with rage and desperation. Tommy jerks on my shirt, but I ignore him.
“If you think for one fucking second I’ll let you get near her, you’ve got another thing coming.”
“This fucking idiot,” Tommy sneers. “He’s got a gun to his head, and he’s still making threats.”
Ignoring him, I speak to Lawrence. “How do you expect to get away with something like this, Lawrence?” I have to think of a way to get out of here. I have to get to Kenna. Dammit, I never should have let her go in the first place. I knew it felt wrong the moment she pulled away.
Desperation makes Lawrence’s face slick with sweat, but his eyes narrow with impatience. It makes my skin crawl knowing I worked with someone like this and never had a clue. “I read up on you. About your team. Your buddy Callum’s brother committed suicide, didn’t he? Pathetic. But if it worked for him, it’ll work for you. It’s twenty-two that die every day, isn’t it? You’ll just become another statistic. Sad. But no one will care in the end. Not really.”
My blood starts to boil. “And Gramps? He’ll never believe I could commit suicide. He’ll know something is wrong.”
“He’s an old man who just had a stroke. Finding your body will be too much for him. Give the old man a heart attack.”
“You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?”
“I’m a desperate man, Dean. I’ll do whatever I have to.”
“And Kenna?”
Lawrence’s expression turns impassive, the coldness in his eyes chilling me to the bone. “Margaret is on her way to get Kenna,” he reveals, his voice disturbingly calm. “The trauma of the crash was too much for you. You’ll kill her and then yourself. Tragic. Tragic.”Fucking psycho.
I step even closer, our faces now inches apart. “And what happens to you, Tommy, and Margaret after all of this?” I demand.
Lawrence’s lips twitch in something that might be a smile, but it’s devoid of any warmth. “We’re disappearing, Dean. We’ve arranged everything to ensure we’re untraceable. By the time anyone realizes what’s happened, we’ll be long gone.”
Then the gun crashes into my head, and I black out.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
KENNA
