Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 120186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
He heaves a sigh that makes his shoulders rise and fall before gesturing with one sweeping arm for her to step inside. She throws her hands into the air again and says something that makes him shake his head before he follows her in.
Good girl. Pride is about to make my chest explode. Nobody would know she’s crumbling inside. Or that she was almost run off the road last night.
The thought makes me pay closer attention to the cars parked nearby. If those guys really work for Lowry, they’ll want visual confirmation that Allie was here today. I sit back and wait either for her or for the two of them to appear.
It’s the two of them I see first, approaching the sheriff station with coffees in hand like they were expecting this all along. Did the sheriff tell them he was bringing her in? It makes sense. Lowry’s probably on the phone with him day and night, pumping him for information, telling him what to do next. He’s not difficult to manipulate. My family should know.
They’re trying to blend in the way they did last night, and they might do so to someone who isn’t on the lookout. There’s nothing remarkable about either of them, nothing that stands out or would make a person give them more than a glance before moving on. Nothing besides the way they study everything and everyone like a pair of aliens sent on a recon mission.
Good. Let them feel comfortable. I don’t want them to be suspicious.
Time drags on forever. I wish like hell I could be in there with her if only to watch her strip the sheriff of every ounce of dignity with that sharp tongue of hers. One song after another plays on the radio, and it’s not long before I lose track of time while the world keeps moving. Those two men stay where they are, almost like they’re guarding the building.
Oh shit. I should have realized sooner. They want her to see them. This is all intimidation. They are the symbol of her missing fiancé and his wealthy father. They want her to crack and reveal something. They don’t know she has me in her corner.
I breathe easier when I see her again. She almost bursts out of the station, calling back over her shoulder before letting the door close with a bang. She looks genuinely pissed—is this acting, or did he say something to set her off?
She doesn’t notice the men. Instead, her gaze sweeps the street until she lands on me. The corners of her mouth twitch, but she doesn’t react any more than that. She heads for the café instead of her car.
“No, don’t do that,” I whisper, calling her burner phone.
She picks it up on her way across the street. “Don’t say anything,” I warn her before she has a chance. “Pretend you just got a call from somebody you haven’t talked to in a long time. You’re happy to hear from them. Do it.”
Her mouth falls open. “Oh my God! Hi!” She says it loud enough to make a woman walking nearby flinch in surprise. She is good. “I thought you forgot I existed! How are you?”
“Good girl, now listen to me. I want you to go back to your car and get in, but don’t head home yet. Got it?”
“Why?” she asks through a laugh. Once she reaches the sidewalk, she comes to a stop, which makes things awkward for the two men trailing her.
“Do not react,” I warn. “They’re behind you. The guys from Utah.”
“You’re kidding!” She even sounds like she just got good news. I’m so proud of her.
“No. Get in the car and drive to Saint’s house. Don’t go home. They’ll want you to lead them there.” I don’t want Emma involved in this until I have a plan in place. This is too delicate to risk her seeing them before we know how to explain things away. Or to make sure she’s sure as shit on the right side of things.
She sets off for the car at a quick pace. “What are you planning to do?”
“Don’t worry about it. Just act like you’re heading to visit a friend and let me take care of the rest. Okay?”
“Sounds good.” It’s been too much for her. Her voice cracks at the end, and I hate the sound.
I hate waiting even more. Waiting for her to reach the car she parked at the far end of the block. Waiting for the two of them to climb into a black SUV—they must have switched vehicles.
Then I wait for her to pull out and for them to follow. I fall in behind them, keeping my distance, calling Calder once an idea takes shape in my head.
“What’s going on?” he asks when he answers the call. “How’d the fence look this morning?”