Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 104185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Her face was a mixture of confusion and excitement, but it soured with distrust. “Like you did to me on the helicopter?”
She had every right to be skeptical of my promise. “Things have changed since then.”
Like the fact that we were having this conversation naked. And I was still inside her.
“L, I don’t want us to be apart any more than you do.”
“Okay,” she said quickly. “I’ll go to Germany, and you’ll come when Frey’s either dead or in custody.”
My brain went on high alert. Too easy.
“And,” she added, “you’re going to let me help you catch him.”
“No. The whole reason you’re going is to stay safe.”
“What about Zupan? I’m supposed to hide when I can do something that could help save him?” Her voice fell to a hush. “And my sister, what if she’s in danger? I might be able to lure Frey out.”
“No. He wants to kill you.” I gripped her face, letting my expression go as severe as possible, causing her to swallow hard. “Or worse.”
She looked determined. “If you want me to go, those are my terms.”
Her lips touched mine and then were gone, and she climbed out of my lap, collapsing into the bed.
I wanted to shake some sense into her. To yell at her about how foolish she was being. She wasn’t just risking her life now.
Instead, I held my tongue, stood, and thudded into the bathroom. Hopefully, this whole plan was unnecessary. When I called Bill in the morning, Frey would already be in custody.
When I came back out, she was sitting upright and topless, the sheet bunched at her waist, and she was drinking my beer. The sight took my breath, and it made me wonder if I was ever going to get enough of her.
“I thought it tasted like swill.”
She gave me half a smile. “It’s not so bad. I might like it after all.”
My brother leaned against the doorframe of the hallway, lingering within earshot while Laurel sat beside me on the couch. She looked as nervous as I felt. I pulled the pre-paid phone out and dialed, then put it on speakerphone and set it on the coffee table.
Let it be over already.
It rang with a dull electronic trill.
It rang a second time, and I tried not to hold my breath. On the third ring, a familiar voice answered.
“Marshals office,” the woman said.
“Caroline?” This was the last person I’d expect to answer Bill’s phone.
“Dunn? Where the hell are you?”
“Around,” I lied. “I need to talk to Bill.”
“You need to talk to . . .?” There was an odd rustling noise, and then her voice fell to a hush. “Jason.”
Cold dread poured into my chest. She’d used my first name.
“Bill’s dead,” she said. “You need to get your ass back here now.”
Laurel didn’t make a sound as she pressed her hand to her mouth. Shawn straightened, tense. In all the scenarios I’d considered, this wasn’t remotely one of them.
My brain refused to function.
“Are you still there?”
“What the hell happened?” My voice was hollow.
“It looks like a home invasion gone bad.” Her voice stayed hushed. “But several of us have questions.”
Bill was dead. There wasn’t any doubt this was a result of the investigation, or because he’d helped me and Laurel disappear. Maybe both.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“No, not really.”
He’d brought me to Chicago, took me under his wing, helped me get through my partner’s death, and then managed to salvage my career after Nelson. He was a tough, direct man who led by example and earned the utmost respect.
So no, I was not okay.
“Do you know where the Hayward girl is?”
I fought back my emotions, trying to even myself out. “No.” Another good person was dead because of Frey. Trying to come up with any other thought was nearly impossible. “Did you find the sister?”
“No, our focus is on Zupan. Look, I don’t know what happened between you and Bill, but you need to come back. Everyone’s stretched thin, and we need all the help we can get.”
“I can’t.”
Laurel’s eyes were wet with tears, but she blinked them back and set her hand on my arm. I knew what she wanted, and with Bill dead, we were out of options. But I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
“You can’t?” Caroline’s voice was angry. “Why not?”
“Because he’s protecting me,” Laurel announced.
I was so angry we’d been forced into this, I considered putting my fist through the glass coffee table. But it’d frighten Laurel, and she didn’t need that right now.
“So, I guess he does know where you are after all,” Caroline said. “What’s the plan, Dunn? You bringing her in?”
“No, she wants to go back to her life.”
I pictured her face on the other side of the phone, wearing the expression she made whenever she heard something ridiculous. “Did you fail to mention to her that was a bad idea?”