Page 97 of Sweet, Sweet Jewel: A Sweet Treats Novel

“I don’t remember you being this chatty before.” Kross massaged his forehead. “Enough of this. Give me a minute so I can think.”

Jewel didn’t feel inclined to listen after he’d slammed her into the ground. In fact, now that she’d decided she had nothing to lose, she’d do whatever the heck she wanted.

“Even if you wanted to get your daddy’s attention, there were better ways to do that. Were you so insecure that you needed your own personal cheerleading section just to feel good about yourself?”

Quicker than a flash, Kross had her pinned against the headrest with his fingers around her throat. “It would be so easy to end you.”

“Then do it,” she croaked.

Kross tightened his hold.

She saw black spots dancing around her eyes.

Then he released her.

Jewel sucked in a deep dreg of air and coughed.

Kross cursed again. “Don’t test my patience or I’ll really call your bluff.” He started the car. It croaked and sputtered but sprang to life. Kross guided it back to the road and started driving.

She knew better than to say anything. His jaw was coiled tight and, from the way he’d choked her, she knew the next time he wouldn’t stop until she was dead. Jewel was prepared to die but now that she’d come seconds away from it, she didn’t really want to.

Especially if Kross was right and Finn was behind the sudden raid on the hideout.

Finn…

Jewel had mixed feelings about him. Compared to Kross, he was the lesser of two evils. To be fair, comparing anyone to Kross was not a great determinant of character.

Kross was matchless on the scale of evil.

Jewel slid her hand up her throat, reliving the moment when he’d almost choked her to death. Her fingers slipped against a gold chain. She paused, letting her hand glaze over the tiny wires.

She’d forgotten she was wearing this. What had Finn said when he gave it to her earlier? So much had happened that she had to shuffle through her mental cabinets for the answer.

As Kross pointed the car into a dirt path that led further into the woods, the memory exploded in her mind.

“Whenever you need me, you just need to hold this really tight. I’ll show up.”

Why would he tell her to do that? It was such a childish request. Like a father telling his daughter to wish on a star. She grabbed the pendant and squeezed it tightly.

Like anything would happen when I do this?

Jewel adjusted her wrists so the handcuffs didn’t hurt as much and sighed. She was completely at Kross’s mercy. It would be a miracle if she saw her friends or Finn ever again.

32

His phone chirped.

Finn tapped his Bluetooth earpiece as he scanned the buildings near Kross’s old hideout. “Nolan.”

“She activated the tracker!” Nolan yelled.

“What?”

“We’ve got a location. We found Jewel.”

Finn’s heart jumped. He ran to his car and climbed in. “Where is she?”

“Somewhere on the northern highway. I’m sending you the coordinates now. She’s thirty minutes away from your location, but there’s a shortcut you can take to get there.”

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