Page 100 of Enticing the Fixer

“Nice looking dog.” He nods but doesn’t move as if he’s sensing the tension in Mac’s stance.

“Thank you.”

Ding.Jagger’s message directs where everyone should go and when to move.

Chapter Fifty-Three

Leo

As we fan in different directions to surround the house, a dog from the house next door barks uncontrollably. I toss a handful of beef jerky over the fence in multiple directions to keep him busy for a few seconds. That should give us enough time to get by the side yard without alerting Carla to our presence.

The dog snorts as it digs along the ground, searching for food, but Mac pays no attention to the other dog or the treat as he pulls on the leash. “I’ve got you, Boy. Let’s go get her.”

The pickup on the street in front of the house on the right roars to life. Someone braces themselves between the door and roof of the car.

“Dude, this is a kickass car.” My brother’s voice is muffled by the engine’s roar and the muffler. “Thank you for starting it up for me.”

“You’re welcome. I’ve been working on it for the last two years.” I can’t see who’s inside the supped-up car, but it sounds like a young kid. Leave it to my brother to find a built-in distraction by thinking on his feet.

Hunter motions over his shoulder for me to enter the yard. The interior of the living room is bright with limited movement. Marge is seated in a recliner in front of the television. The image on the screen flashes, and the sound goes up as a commercial begins.

Where is Kinsley? Off to one side of the room is a door which likely leads to the kitchen. Beside the door is a wooden high-backed chair. It’s empty, but a strip of rope hangs down from the back of the chair, and another is wadded on the floor.

My heart skips a beat. Is that blood? As I lean forward, my forehead presses against the window. What is that? Her socks. Thank God. My shoulders sag forward. It isn’t blood, but she made her take off her socks which shows forethought. Another way to make sure she can’t run.

Chapter Fifty-Four

Kinsley

“I don’t know how you think you’ll get away with this.” I button my jeans and pad across the floor, snapping on the faucet. The stream of cold water splashes off the basin.

Carla jerks on the rope, causing me to lurch sideways. “Stop talking. You aren’t going to distract me.”

I’m not giving up. I might not have gotten her to leave me in the bathroom alone. And I might have had to pee in front of her. And I might still be lassoed like a horse, but I’m not giving up. This could be my one opportunity to get away.

Marge is listening to the television at top volume because she can’t hear a damned thing, and Carla is getting irritated because Lincoln, whoever he is, won’t answer her calls.

“Leo will figure out what’s going on. He–”

“He is not as smart as you think he is. He couldn’t figure out that I was behind the computer breach, and he missed that the video feed had been spliced thanks to Lincoln.” Her eyes narrow for the briefest of moments before all emotions are wiped from her features.

I snap off the water. Keep her talking. Keep her boasting. The longer I’m out of the chair, the more circulation I have in my lower body. “You’re right. You outsmarted him.”

“Thank you.” She beams, and I have my in. Flattery.

“How did you do it? I wasn’t ever good with computers.” I swipe my hands on the pink bath towel hanging beside the sink.

A drop of water slips off my palm’s blade and lands on top of my foot. She stole my shoes and socks. The bitch.

Ten Minutes Later

We’re standing in the middle of the living room as she describes detail-for-detail how she picked the virus, how she got into my office, how she installed the program, and what an idiot I was to never suspect anything.

And she’s right. I was a fool. I never thought she had anything to do with it. Hell, I thought Ethan was the one after the money. Was he involved? Or was he piggybacking on the situation?

“What did Ethan have to do with the sale?”

“From what my aunt said, nothing. He kept trying to change other members’ minds about selling the company. But with no one in his corner and my aunt’s plan to snowball you into thinking she was on your side; he didn’t see another option.”

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