Page 98 of Enticing the Fixer

“Aunt Marge, stop being a worrywart.”

In the hallway, Marge wrings her hands together. “If she gets away, I–”

“She won’t get away.” Carla yanks a handgun out of the back of her pants. “I’ll take care of her.”

“You can’t shoot her.” Marge’s eyes widen in fear. “She must be alive for tomorrow’s board meeting.”

“And if she isn’t?”

Fuck.My breath catches in my throat. I wasn’t anticipating Marge coming to my defense.

“She must stay alive until tomorrow night. Once the business is sold, we can take the money and do whatever we want. No limits.”

“Now, you’re talking my language.” Carla unlaces the rope’s end and wraps the strand around my neck. Her eyes glow with excitement, and my stomach clenches. I’m not getting out of here alive. “I’ve studied Ms. Perfect. I’ve listened to recordings of her voice. I can pretend to be her if needed.”

“No!” I can’t let this be the end.

Carla twists the rope, and I gag. The fibers of twine bit into my skin as resignation fills my soul.How am I going to get out of here?

“Such a feisty one, aren’t you?” Her eyes twinkle as she steps into me. “Maybe I should call Lincoln and his friends. They love bound females….” She yanks tighter, causing me to choke and gag again. “And forcing women to submit. Is that your kind of thing?”

“I…” God, my throat hurts. I cough, but that only increases the pressure on my larynx. What am I going to do? She’s crazy.

Her smile grows more sinister as if she’s following my line of thought. “I’m calling him. This is going to be so much fun. Aunt Marge, bring me my cell.”

“I won’t.” Marge’s face is white as fear skates over her features.

Carla spins on her heel, yanking my head in front of her. “Yes, you will.” Tears sting my eyes as I lurch forward, too afraid to defy her. If I don’t follow her motions, I’m dead.

“I don’t like what you’re doing.” She rubs her hands together.

“Too bad.” Carla laughs and shoves me into the bathroom. “I’ll give you five inches to work with. The second you’re done, you’re back onto the chair.”

I stare at the toilet with trepidation. Not that I don’t have to go, but I wanted to go alone. I don’t want an audience. It’s going to be harder to sneak the toilet lid off the back of the toilet and smash it into her head if she’s watching.

Chapter Fifty-Two

Leo

“This is a bad idea. You need to wait for the police to arrest her.” Jagger taps his fingernails on the armrests as I step on the gas. The only reason I waited until the light turned green was because of the lifted 4x4 pickup that blew through the intersection as we approached the stop light. Mac is in the backseat with his snout between us, glancing from my brother to me.

“Would you leave your team in a compromised position while waiting for backup?” I don’t bother to take my eyes off the road. His answer is a given. He’d sacrifice his safety for anyone he served in the military with, and he had on more than one occasion.

“But you aren’t me.”

“I get it.” I flick the blinker upward and swerve around an SUV. “I don’t have military training, but I have a black belt in Karate, and I have 80 pounds on the woman. And her aunt is 65 years old.”

“The odds will be tilted in her favor if she has a gun.”

My stomach rolls over the possibility. “That’s why I’m not waiting. Kinsley’s inside her home. The police will need a search warrant to get inside. Or wait for her to come out. It’s not like she’s going to swing the door open and let them in. She’s wanted for murder and now kidnapping.” Kinsley is alive. There’s no other option.

“Leo, calm down.” Jagger squeezes my shoulder. “She’s going to be fine. As far as this woman knows, her identity is safe, and they need her for tomorrow’s board meeting. There’s no reason for anyone to have harmed her.”

“You’d better be right,” I growl between clenched teeth. My jaw feels like it’s broken and wired back together. “Sorry.”

Great.That sounds like I’m going to take it out on him if something goes wrong. The only person at fault in this situation is me. It’s my responsibility. There are so many things I could have done better. Should have done differently.

How could I have not suspected Carla? How did I not discover the relationship between Marge and Carla?

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