Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61427 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61427 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
That whore.
She’d slept with the cop. At the start of the evening, Patrick had tried making excuses for her. She was just being nice. A friendly neighbor. But he was all out of excuses.
Marley had slept with another man.
His Marley had let another man touch her.
Patrick drew his arm back and sent it smashing into the wall.
A frightened gasp sounded from the bed, where Lydia White lay in fear.
He ignored her, didn’t even feel the pain in his hand. Nor did he pay much attention to the neat hole he’d just punched in Lydia’s drywall. The acidic taste of betrayal burned in his mouth, making him want to unleash another upper cut at something else. Mainly the jerk who’d just had sex with his girlfriend.
Releasing a strangled shout, Patrick edged toward the canopy bed and sank down on the ugly flowered bedspread. His heart thudded, each sharp beat vibrating with rage and desperation.
“How could she do this to me?” he demanded, staring at Lydia. “Everything I’ve done the past few months was for her. Do you think I like hiding out in this shit hole, staring at your wrinkled old face? I could have left the country months ago!”
But he hadn’t. He’d been getting cash together, calling his contacts in South America to help him disappear, arranging for new identities for him and Marley.
And instead of being patient, instead of trusting that he would take care of her, she’d gone out and slept with the first guy to come knocking at her door. Ungrateful little bitch.
Patrick dropped his head in his hands. Rubbed his aching temples.
“I can’t let her get away with this,” he mumbled.
Lydia let out a muffled yelp, beginning to struggle against the duct tape binding her hands and legs.
“Shut up,” he snapped. “Just. Shut. Up.”
How could Marley betray him? How could she?
Patrick slowly uncurled his fists and took a long, calming breath. Fine, so she’d screwed around on him. Big deal. He’d get over it.
But first…
First he had to make Marley pay for what she’d done to him.
CHAPTER 9
“THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA,” Marley said, shooting Caleb a smile that made the drive to Coronado worth the traffic they’d encountered on the way.
Caleb watched as she dug her bare toes into the soft warm sand of Coronado Beach. After leaving the Kincaid house, he’d suggested coming to the beach in order to give AJ enough time to take care of the security cameras. His partner had said a couple of hours, but Caleb didn’t want to risk bringing Marley back too early. He’d raised the beach idea on impulse, but now that they were here, he was glad they’d come. The tranquil turquoise water lapping against the shore a few yards away soothed him, making him feel more relaxed than he had in months.
Still, he remained vigilant, just in case Grier had followed them.
“I can’t imagine growing up here,” he admitted, looking out at the water. “It’s so different from the east coast.”
“Yeah, I don’t think I’d like it over there,” Marley said. “I would miss the Pacific Ocean too much.”
“The Atlantic isn’t bad,” he protested. “Just a little cold.”
She snorted. “A little cold? Tell that to the passengers of the Titanic.”
She slid a hair elastic off her wrist and tied her hair up in a messy twist. Wavy strands framed her face and Caleb reached out to tuck some behind her ears. She smiled, then took his hand, interlacing her fingers with his.
“Thanks for coming to my dad’s today,” she told him as they moved closer to the water.
They’d taken off their shoes and left them on the sand, and the warm water splashed over Caleb’s toes. The late-afternoon breeze felt like a soft caress on his face, the scent of sand and salt bringing a wave of serenity over him. Yet, even as his muscles loosened and his face tipped up to soak in the sun, in the back of his mind he couldn’t stop thinking about how Marley would react when he told her who he really was.
On the drive out here, he’d considered not telling her at all. Just packing up and taking off, letting another agent handle the stakeout and the hunt for Grier. He knew Marley would be hurt, sure, but better a minor broken heart than another major dose of betrayal. But now, as he watched her smiling at a squawking seagull that swooped by, as the warmth of her fingers seeped into his palm, he knew he couldn’t leave without telling her the truth. After all the lies Grier had told her, she deserved honesty.
“My dad likes you,” she said. “Sam does, too, but he probably won’t admit it.”
“He’s just being protective. I’m sure they were both pretty shocked and pissed off when they found out about Patrick.”
Marley dropped her eyes. “Yeah, they were. But I don’t think anyone was as shocked as I was.”