Page 51

51

JAMIE

I stop in the guest room to dress and grab my gear. Then I get Allendale’s keys from the kitchen drawer where I spotted them earlier. When I don’t find a skeleton key for the locked cabinet on Allendale’s key ring, I grab a paper clip from his office and go to work in the master bedroom. Antique locks aren’t exactly high security.

Inside the secretary cabinet, there are two burn phones and a laptop. Here we go. I plug in my jiggler device to copy the computer’s hard drive. Next, I suck phone data from those.

Rummaging through the cabinet’s drawers and cubbies, I take photos of everything in case there are trophies hidden among his junk. Giving the jewelry box the same treatment, I move quickly. Then, I stalk back out to the hall and look in the yard. Allendale’s unconscious and hasn’t moved. Alcohol and the drug have finally kicked in.

“Jamie?”

Turning, I spot Sawyer standing at the top of the stairs. Christ, I need the rest of the pool water to drain from my ears. She’s wrapped in a towel, looking pale and pensive.

Jogging up the stairs, I join her. “Hey, Sauce. He’s out, but lock yourself in your room while you pack.”

“So, we’re leaving tonight?”

“We are, yeah.” I guide her to her bedroom. “While you pack, there are a few other places I’ll check for hidden evidence stashes. Won’t take long. Then we’re out.”

She nods.

“You all right?” I ask.

Blowing out a slow breath, she shrugs.

Taking her face in my hands, I give her a kiss. “You saved my life, huh, Sauce?”

“Yes. I did.” Her soft voice is slightly bemused. “Still can’t believe that happened. That any of this is happening.”

“I know.” Hauling her against me, I wrap my arms around her. “It’s tough, but you’re going to be all right.”

Her grip on me tightens. “Hope so.” The steady voice impresses me. She’s holding it together better than most people would.

After kissing her temple, I release her. “Right. Let’s finish and go.”

Drawing in a deep breath, she turns and walks away. Once she’s in the bedroom, I confirm the door’s locked before I head downstairs.

After this is over, I’m going to give that girl the fucking world.

* * *

SAWYER

I dress in sweats and am putting clothes in my suitcase when I hear the door’s lock click open. I whirl around and discover my dad in the doorway, wearing his bathrobe and holding a handgun. My breath catches in shock. What the hell? I had no idea there was a gun in the house.

He’s pointing it in my general direction and looks very unsteady. Even if he doesn’t intend to shoot me, he might by accident.

Becoming very still, I watch him. “What are you doing, Dad? Can you lower that please?”

Moving the gun’s barrel toward the wall, he shakes his head. “He’s using you, Sawyer.” His voice sounds thick and slurred. “Do you know why he’s dating you? It’s to get access to this house.”

“What are you talking about?” Trying to sound as innocent as possible, I hold up my hands in an “I surrender” gesture.

Dad narrows his glazed eyes. “He’s trying to kill me.”

“Jamie? No, he’s not. Why would he?”

“Your brother owed him money and couldn’t pay. That’s why they killed him. And now he’s threatening to do the same to me. He tried to drug and drown me. That’s why I was trying to push him in the pool. I needed to do it before I passed out, and he killed me.”

My stomach plummets, and for a split second, I consider whether he could be telling the truth. But no. If Jamie drugged him, it was only to search the house. “He didn’t try to kill you.”

“He would have. If you hadn’t come out. He would’ve pushed me in the pool and made it look like an accidental drowning.”

“No, that’s what you tried to do.”

“In self defense.”

“You just happened to have a narcotic pain patch ready to drug him? Where did you even get it from?”

“Leftovers from Mom’s cancer treatment. I’d forgotten all about them until I found one in the sink from his rifling through the medicine cabinet.”

It’s true that Mom had pain patches. Because of the gastric cancer, she couldn’t eat or drink much at the end, so it was hard for her to take medications by mouth.

For a moment, I consider whether my dad could be telling the truth about the reason Brad was killed. Could this all be about money Brad owed the C Crue?

No, it’s ridiculous. If that was really the truth, when my dad suspected Jamie had poisoned him tonight, he would have called nine-one-one. Not try to murder the college student hitman the gangsters sent. It’s insane.

Also, there was Jamie’s brother’s picture of the signet ring. And the Catholic medal in the jewelry box, which couldn’t belong to anyone in our family. Am I supposed to believe the entire pedophile story is an elaborate ruse? No way. Using me would just make things messier. I can’t see members of an organized crime syndicate involving innocent people unnecessarily.

“If you thought he was here to kill you, why not call the police? Who decides to drug someone with a pain patch?”

“These people are above the law. Who knows what cops and judges they have in their pocket.”

Wow. He’s a very good liar.

“In Connecticut? Jamie’s from Ireland. His family lives near Boston.”

He nods. “I figured you’d take his side. He’s a good-looking kid… with seemingly good prospects. Do you feel lucky, Sawyer, to have gotten his attention? Because you’re not. He’s playing a game. At the end, he’ll drop this. Drop you.”

“If he does, he does. That’s not a reason to kill anyone.”

“You’re right.” He tucks the gun into the pocket of his robe, which still seems dangerous. “But let me show you something. Proof. ” He gestures for me to come with him.

My mind races, and I hesitate. I don’t trust him. “Get it and bring it to my room.” While he’s gone, I can sneak downstairs to get Jamie so we can leave.

“Can’t. It’s on the work computer. My office. Come downstairs.”

I don’t want him behind me. At least on the main floor, we’ll be closer to where Jamie is. “You first, Dad.” I gesture for him to go, and I’ll follow.

He exits the room and I trail after him, leaving plenty of space between us.

Once we’re downstairs in his office, he boots up his work laptop and clicks on a folder. When he backs away, I walk over to look at the picture on the screen.

I’m confused. The picture is of Jamie and Ash with two little boys. The dark-haired one who’s sitting on Jamie’s shoulders looks three or four years old. The blond toddler in Ash’s arms is a little younger. He has the exact same blue eyes as the two of them. In the background, party decorations hang around the dining room, and helium balloons bob against the ceiling.

“What does this prove?” As I start to turn, something wraps around my throat and cinches tight.

Oh, my God!

My fingers claw at the braided cord, but it’s so tight I can’t get underneath it. My body bangs backwards into my dad, trying to get him to release me.

I try to scream, but I can’t even speak. My mouth opens and closes as I try impotently to call for help. My dad is killing me!

The world starts to blur as I gouge at my throat, trying desperately to loosen the cord. There’s no way to grip it. A searing pain in my neck radiates up and down. I can’t breathe.

Reaching behind my head, I scratch his face. He jerks back, and the pressure on my throat is even tighter. It’s digging into my flesh. I can’t stop him!

My fingers scrabble over the surface of the desk, knocking over the desk organizer. The contents spill out, and as my legs start to buckle, I snatch the letter opener. My falling causes his grip to loosen, and my lungs manage to drag in a partial breath.

As the cord cuts into my neck again, I stab backward into his flesh. He squawks, losing his grip, and I land on the floor. While he crashes to his knees, I gasp for breath and try to scramble away.

Rolling onto my back as Dad lunges toward me, I manage to get my knees up to block him. My hands cover my neck protectively as I pant and kick at him.

Suddenly, he’s hauled backward, and Jamie’s behind him. As I’m gasping, the cord jerks free of my dad’s hands, and Jamie wraps it around Dad’s neck.

The deadly blue of Jamie’s eyes fills my own vision.

Dad falls to his knees, grasping desperately at his throat, his eyes bulging. He can’t free himself, and I watch in horror as he experiences the same thing he just did to me. His hands reach down.

The gun.

As he starts to pull it out, I spring forward and knock the gun away. His hand gets a grip on the letter opener, but Jamie shoves him forward so he lands face down on the floor with the letter opener trapped beneath his body.

“Close your eyes, Sawyer.” Jamie’s voice is calm. Shockingly so.

My gaze locks with his, which is still full of cold determination.

Listening to him is the right call, but that’s not something I can force myself to do. Instead, I scramble backward into the corner until my back hits the wall. As I watch, my dad’s face turns purple, and his eyes bulge.

“Cranberry Sauce, don’t watch.” Jamie’s voice is gentle but firm.

My gaze darts up to his face. “You promised not to kill him.”

Jamie’s expression hardens. “Sawyer?—”

“You swore to me.”

He loosens his grip, and my dad gasps for breath. He’s not conscious yet, but his body shudders, trying to rouse.

I rub my sore neck, feeling the cord’s bloody groove. Jamie has a knee planted on my dad’s back, so he can’t rise.

“I don’t care anymore if you kill him, Jamie.” Our eyes meet and hold. “I just don’t want you to get caught.” Licking my lips, I nod for emphasis. “It’s you I don’t want to lose.”

“Right, understood.” His accent comforts me. It’s the voice I’ve come to trust more than anyone else’s. Jamie’s hands tighten the curtain cord once again. “Be a good girl, and close your eyes for me, Sauce. Do it now.”

Licking parched lips, I allow my lids to drop closed. I can’t understand why tears seep out from under them. It’s not because the only parent I had left is dying. About that, I’m not even sorry.

Monsters don’t deserve to live.