Page 73 of Bitter Truth
“I have several contingency plans already in place. Your car, your home, that cute little restaurant that you’re using to launder money… Trust me when I say it will take much longer for you to discover all the little presents I’ve left for you than Janine’s patience will extend.”
“How do I know that you won’t trigger them anyway, once we leave here?”
“Because I don’t want—”
We both freeze, our attention shifting toward the front of the building in unison as a noise comes from outside. Garrett returns his eyes to me, holds a finger up to his lips with one hand while keeping the gun aimed at me with the other as he skitters backward, disappearing into the shadows by the door. A second later, it opens.
And just like that, all my hard work and effort and planning vanish in an instant. I no longer have the upper hand. I no longer have a hand at all. And Garrett knows it.
CHAPTER 38
My stomach clenches as if I’ve been kicked in the gut. The taste of bile coats the back of my tongue while a wave of horror sweeps over me as I realize how badly I’ve messed up. I don’t think I’ve ever loathed myself as much as I do in this moment.
Not during the years I spent trapped with my high school boyfriend, Matt, when his sheriff daddy made it clear what would happen if I ended the relationship. Not when I woke up in a serial killer’s basement because I foolishly rushed to question him on my own. Not even when I came home after twenty years and realized my grandfather had been murdered, and I’d missed seeing him one last time because of a cowardly fear of my hometown.
The look of relief on Jake’s face as he walks through the door is the direct opposite of what must be on mine. As we lock eyes, his expression morphs into confusion. It’s clear I’m not happy to see him. But he doesn’t know why yet.
I want to scream. Yell for him to run. But I know it wouldn’t do any good. He wouldn’t leave. Even if I could somehow convince him to, it’s too late for that.
“Cassie?”
I wince as he steps farther into the warehouse, silently begging him to stop. And he does. But only when he feels the barrel of the gun against the back of his head.
“Well, now. Isn’t this convenient? Here I was, thinking I might be in trouble and now Prince Charming’s come to my rescue.”
“This doesn’t change anything,” I say.
“Oh, I think we all know that it does. Unless you want me to shoot him right here so you can watch.”
“Whatever you had planned, Cassie, still do it,” Jake says.
Garrett jabs the gun into Jake’s skull so hard he stumbles forward. The sound of the slide as the man racks a round into the chamber echoes off the walls.
“Stop!” I shout, tears welling in my eyes. “Please. Don’t.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“What do you want me to do?” I ask.
“For starters, set one of the vials on that crate beside you.”
I do as he says.
“Roll the other one over to me.”
Jake gives me a warning look. Mouthsdon’t. But what choice do I have? I brought this on us. If something bad happens to him because of that, it will absolutely destroy me. I have to do everything within my power to buy the time to try to get him out of this.
Feeling like a fish that’s been gut hooked, sharp barbs tearing at my insides, I bend down, set the glass container on the floor and give it a push. The tube clattersacross the concrete, stopping several feet shy of its target. Keeping the gun aimed at Jake, Garrett steps forward and stomps on it.
“Now, then. Where do we go from here? Decisions, decisions.”
It’s clear from the gleeful smirk Garrett wears that he’s enjoying this.
“I think, to start, us guys are going to get out of here for a while. Give you a little time to cool off. But don’t worry, I’ll be back before you have a chance to miss me. It’s just too bad the same can’t be said about Loverboy here.”
My head’s shaking from side to side. My chest is so tight I can barely breathe. If I let that man leave with Jake, I may never see him again.
“You don’t—”
