Page 34 of Dangerous Affair (The Phoenix Three #2)

H ad she overreacted to Liam’s reaction to learning about her trip?

Maybe. Okay, she had, but his questioning her was a trigger from her time with Aiden.

She’d learned to be defensive whenever Aiden started on her about her job and travels as if her career wasn’t important.

Even now, years later, those old wounds put her on the defensive, thus reacting the way she had.

Harlow would be here to pick her up in a few minutes, and Quinn decided to wait downstairs in the lobby to avoid talking to Liam.

Pretty immature behavior on her part. He didn’t deserve the way she’d treated him.

Not that she’d changed her mind about their time together being more than a fling…

maybe. The idea of a possible future with him if they could come to an understanding about her career had already been hovering in the edges of her mind.

She should’ve stayed and talked to him, and that thought had her returning to the elevator to go back up and do just that.

He would understand when she explained that she’d heard Aiden’s voice in her head telling her that her pictures weren’t important.

Just as she pushed the button, someone walked up behind her.

“We’re going to quietly walk out of here, Miss Sullivan.”

She gasped as she spun around, her eyes widening at seeing the man invading her space.

“One sound out of you, and it will be the last one you’ll ever make.” He turned his hand up, showing her the knife he held. “Don’t for a minute think I won’t cut you and leave your body for your boyfriend to find if you don’t do exactly as I say.”

Deputy Dog! She hadn’t liked the vibes coming from him as he’d stared at her in the conference room.

She should have paid attention to her instincts.

“You’ll regret this if you make me leave with you.

Those men upstairs won’t stop until they find me, and when they do, they’ll make you sorry you came anywhere near me. ”

“Stop talking.” He put his arm around her and pulled her next to him. “Feel that?”

“Yes.” He was pushing the tip of the knife into her side hard enough to hurt. How could she get out of this?

“Start walking or I really will cut you.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

He pushed the tip of the knife into her hard enough to pierce her skin. “Ow. That hurt.”

“That’s nothing compared to what I will do if you don’t start walking.”

Did she have a choice? It had been stupid of her to come down to the lobby by herself, but she’d thought she was safe as long as she stayed in the building, which she’d planned to do until Harlow arrived.

She’d just been so angry at Liam that she hadn’t been thinking about anything but getting away from him.

It had been misplaced anger, and now she was paying the price for overreacting.

When Deputy Dog poked her again, she started walking. Maybe Harlow would drive up when they stepped outside. She wasn’t that lucky. When they reached his car, he pulled her hands behind her back and handcuffed her. “Is that necessary?”

“Can’t have you trying to jump out of a moving car.” He pushed her onto the seat, then belted her in.

She wouldn’t hesitate to jump out when she thought she could do it without killing herself, but now that she was handcuffed, she couldn’t open the door. “Where are you taking me?” she asked as he drove away from the safety of The Phoenix Three.

“Someone wants to talk to you.”

“Who?”

“Just someone.” He glanced at her. “Why aren’t you scared? You should be.”

“Are you planning to kill me?”

“Me? No, but you should still be scared.”

She wasn’t because Liam would find her. He had before, and he would again. And knowing that, the truth stared right back at her. Liam wasn’t Aiden. How many times had he told her he wasn’t, but she hadn’t been able to quite believe him. “My bad,” she murmured.

“What did you say?”

“Just talking to myself, calling you vile names.”

He laughed. “It’s too bad we met under these circumstances, Quinn. I have a feeling you and I could’ve had some fun together.”

In your dreams, Deputy Dog asshat. And really, not even then. What she could do was get information that would help them expose what the mill was doing. “So, is Sheriff Lamott involved in whatever this is?”

“That Boy Scout?” He snorted. “The good sheriff won’t even take a free doughnut. What were you and your boyfriend doing in Hope Corner?”

“I assumed you rode down to Myrtle Beach with him,” she said, ignoring his question. “Where does he think you are right now?”

“Obviously I didn’t ride with him, and I had some time off due me, so I’m officially on a beach vacation.”

“Could’ve fooled me, since it appears we’re leaving the beach.

” If she had to guess, he was taking her back to Hope Corner.

That was the first place Liam would look for her.

Oh, how could she forget? He’d put a tracking app on her phone, so he’d easily find her…

as long as Deputy Dog didn’t take it away from her.

What if someone called her? That would remind him to take it away from her.

She was surprised he hadn’t already. Please, no one call me.

“Are we going back to Hope Corner?”

Clearly losing his patience, he scowled at her. “Anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?”

“Nope, my friends love listening to me. So, who made that anonymous phone call about me to the sheriff? I bet it was you.”

“How about you shut up.”

“No problem. I don’t like talking to you anyway.” It was him, she just knew it. Why? So he could find her? That had to be it.

What she didn’t understand was why they—whoever they were behind this—didn’t think that if she did have the thumb drive, she wouldn’t have made copies. Or shown it to someone. They had to have considered that, so why were they kidnapping her? What was their end game?