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)
“I really hope you can hear this,” she muttered.
She didn’t look down at her chest, in case Patrick was watching her from the window, but the transmitter taped inside her bra dug into her skin, reminding her of the danger she was about to walk into.
Caleb’s partner assured her that every word would be recorded and transmitted to the team’s earpieces in real time. They would know what was going on every second she was in the house. If she said the panic word, agents would storm the house in less than a minute. If she convinced Patrick she wanted to leave town with him, she would say the go word and the arrest would be made after Caleb gave her the signal to wrench away from Patrick’s side.
Taking a breath, she picked up her purse, which contained the two hundred thousand dollars. The agents had opted not to tag the money with dye, instead tucking a tiny GPS transmitter into one of the stacks, in case Patrick managed another great escape.
She slung her purse over her shoulder and got out of the car. Her legs shook as she stepped onto the gravel driveway. She took a few more seconds to breathe, to gather her composure, and then she walked up the path to the front door.
Her hand wavered as she knocked on the door. It opened instantly, and for the first time in three months, Marley laid eyes on the man she’d been engaged to marry.
He looked exactly the same. Brown hair cut in a neat, no-nonsense style, wiry body covered with a pair of khakis and a polo shirt. Only his brown eyes looked different. Wilder. Colder.
Patrick looked pleased as he peered past her shoulders and examined the deserted street. He also seemed completely unruffled by the fact that he was pointing a gun at her.
“You came alone. Good girl.”
She yelped as he grabbed her arm and hauled her into the house, closing and locking the door behind them.
“Where’s my dad and brother?” she demanded.
He ignored the question. “Did you bring the money?”
She nodded.
“Give it to me.”
She reached into her purse, pulled out the envelope, and handed it to him. Keeping his gun trained on her, he stuck a hand into the bag and took out the envelope. Opening the flap, he flipped through the thick stacks of bills.
Marley held her breath, praying he wouldn’t stumble across the transmitter. It was smaller than a watch battery, hard to find unless he diligently examined each bill, which he didn’t.
She exhaled slowly. “It’s all there.”
“I can see that,” he replied.
“Can I see my family now?”
“You don’t get to ask me questions.” He leaned closer and jammed the barrel of the gun into her side.
She stared up at him, shocked by the emptiness she saw in his eyes. How could this be the same man she’d fallen in love with? The last time she’d seen Patrick, he’d been playful and loving as he kissed her goodbye and left for a web-design convention that would last all weekend.
There had never been a convention, only an illegal gathering to distribute drugs.
He looked like a total stranger now. Those empty eyes. The effortless way he gripped the gun, as if holding someone at gunpoint was no biggie to him.
Marley blinked back tears. She pressed her lips together, forcing herself not to plead with him. She was anxious to make sure her dad and Sam were alive, but she didn’t want to push him.
Patrick’s hard gaze connected with hers, and the unrestrained anger on his face made her apprehensive. She suspected he might snap at any second, just go ahead and shoot her, but to her surprise, his features crumpled with anguish. “How could you cheat on me?” he asked.
This was it. Her chance to diffuse the situation.
“You slept with that cop,” Patrick continued, bitterness drenching each word. “You couldn’t wait three damn months?”
She tried to speak, but he cut her off, his expression suddenly wistful. “You know, I came back here for you, Marley.”
She feigned surprise. “You did?”
“Yeah.” A faraway note entered his voice. “I had it all planned. We’d head for South America, buy a little house on the beach, spend the rest of our lives lying on the sand, just the two of us.”
Marley was tempted to point out how delusional that sounded—he was a fugitive, for Pete’s sake—but she stayed quiet. She couldn’t blow this. She’d promised Caleb she could handle this, and antagonizing Patrick was not the way to do it.
“That sounds wonderful,” she said, smiling up at him.
“Then why couldn’t you wait for me?” he spat out. “Instead of having faith that I’d come for you, you went out and screwed the first guy you saw.”
She took a deep breath. “I did it for you.”
Patrick’s entire body stiffened. “What did you say?”