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“You owe me,” he said.
“I owe you nothing,” she grunted.
“I had those pretty pictures taken of you and gave you those beautiful flowers and everything.”
“You? You’re the one blackmailing me?”
“You’re smarter than you look, gorgeous.”
She fought against him. “Don’t call me that, you disgusting excuse for a man.”
The dog started barking again, and Milton tossed a coffee mug at him, missing him by a foot.
“Stay back, Lucky!” Adelia cried, worried he might cut himself on the broken pieces.
Milton twisted her arms tighter causing a stab of pain. “If you want me out of all of your lives for good, you’ll do what I say.”
“Why do I think you’ll never be gone from our lives?” she managed.
“Oh, I will.” He moved her to the living room and pushed her down to sit on one of the chairs. “I’m going to disappear.” Adelia’s phone started ringing again, and Milton groaned. “All you have to do is deposit two million dollars into this account.” He handed her a card with a bank account number on it. “After that, I’m out of here.”
“I thought you wanted a million.” She rubbed her sore wrists.
“My price went up after you ruined my plan with that article of yours.”
“Didn’t you already get enough money from the Schultzes when you sued Gus?”
Milton let out a wicked laugh. “That was a hefty sum, but unfortunately, I got into a bad business deal, and I owe some dangerous people an even bigger amount.”
“How do I know you won’t try to do this again in the future to someone else?”
“You’ll just have to trust me.”
“That I will never do.”
“It’s either that, or I take you with me and demand money from your parents.”
“Are you insane? Do you actually think you’ll get away with any of this?”
“Sure, I will. I always do.” He pulled a laptop from the backpack he’d brought in with him and opened it before her. “Now, make the transfer. And no funny business. I’m watching you.” His eyes were locked on the screen.
“Skylar was so right about you,” Adelia said as she opened her bank’s online website.
“What did she say?”
“That you have this way about you that charms the ladies and draws them in. I know I was drawn in when I first met you.”
“I miss Skylar. If she hadn’t been such a prude, we might’ve lasted.”
Adelia snorted. “You really are insane if you think you and Skylar ever would’ve worked. She’s way too classy for the likes of you.”
“That’s enough talking,” he snapped.
Her mind reeled, trying to come up with a way to get to her phone. She opened the login screen, knowing he was watching her. “I need my purse.”
“Stop stalling.”
“I’m not. I don’t have my password memorized. It’s in my purse, on my phone.”