Page 28

One day later…

T hat son of a bitch was going to get his ass handed to him, Blake thought.

Blake knew he would have gotten Lily back if that fucking dog hadn’t been there.

Of course, getting through the bodyguard would be a challenge, but he had plans for that. He glanced at the handgun he’d bought online several months ago and took another swallow of bourbon.

He’d been out on bail for a few days now and had time to stew over everything. If Lily hadn’t pissed him off that day by threatening to leave, none of this would have happened.

Essentially, this was her fault and he was going to teach her a lesson. After he took her from Seattle. This wasn’t the place for them and she had the money to move them out of here and far away.

After the one day, he’d only been able to get a thousand dollars, but that combined with what he had squirreled away over the past year had been enough to buy a nondescript four-door sedan for the road. He’d even packed their stuff.

Now, he just needed to get his hands on Lily.

The only thing was that Sara hadn’t been back to work the whole fucking week because of Thanksgiving. Max had been in and out of the house, fixing the front door like husband of the fucking year. And that dog had been there. He owed that fucking mutt a bullet to the head.

The apartment doorbell rang and he shoved to his feet. Reaching the door, he yanked it open.

“Hello, Blake.”

“Hey…”

That was as far as he got and then words ended with a slice of pain when a knife cut his throat open.

He grabbed at his throat, staring wide-eyed. Gasping, trying to formulate a thought, trying to grasp what the fuck had just happened.

Toppling backward, the man stepped inside the apartment and kicked the door shut.

The dark figure loomed over him and Blake stared upward, his mouth gaping over and over like a dying fish.

Why?

“She’s mine now.”

The stalker.

“Good fucking riddance. She’s too good for you.”

And in the moments before Blake lost consciousness, he hoped if there was a God that Max would keep Lily safe.

Poor Sara.

Was there a heaven? Was there a hell? Blake knew which one he was going to.

An eerily whistling tune filled the air.

It was the last thing Blake heard.