Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Opening his laptop, he powered it on while staring at Holly. “Anything come to mind?”
She rubbed her hands on her pants. “Umm…”
“Did you track her phone?” Zach asked when Holly came up blank.
At Knox’s head shake, Zach began typing, doing his thing. “Asher, call Jade’s doorman. Ask him if he saw her leave and, if so, what direction she went.”
While Asher did as instructed, Holly tipped her head back in the chair and groaned. “I’m sorry,” she mouthed to Knox. “I’m trying.”
He put a hand on her shoulder. “I know. Relax and do the best you can.”
“Her phone’s in Yonkers. Unmoving on the Taconic. Theo must have tossed it out of the car, so we have a start on direction.”
“Oh!” Holly jumped up from her seat. “When we were younger, my father owned a cabin upstate! He’d take me and Theo there, and we’d go fishing and hiking. Mom never came because she didn’t like the outdoors. It wasn’t one of my favorite things, either, because it had an outhouse, not a bathroom.” She wrinkled her nose. “Dad left it to Theo. It was the only thing of value he had. I didn’t care and never asked Theo what he did with it.”
Zach’s fingers flew faster on the keyboard. “Theodore Matthews… county?” he asked.
“I think Putnam,” Holly said.
“According to the doorman, she walked out and headed north,” Asher said, shoving his phone into his back pants pocket. “Doorman didn’t see her talking to anyone.”
Zach continued to type.
“What’s he doing?” Holly asked.
“Probably cross-referencing Theo’s name with properties owned, looking for tax information,” Knox said.
“Hacking,” Asher stated. “Come on, come on.” He stalked behind the desk and stood behind Zach, staring over his shoulder.
Zach ignored him.
“Got it. Sending directions to your cell, Ash.” Zach hit another button on the keyboard and flipped the lid closed. “Let’s hit the road.”
Knox walked over to his sister. He put a hand on Holly’s shoulder. “Try not to panic. Wait here and I’ll let you know as soon as we’ve got her.”
He glanced at Celia, who still sat in silence, guilt all over her face. “Stay with her,” he told Holly, nodding toward his ex. He leaned close to Holly. “Be decent. Without her, we wouldn’t know about any of this.” He kissed her cheek and walked out behind Asher and Zach.
If his son-of-a-bitch half brother had laid a hand on Jade, Knox could guarantee Theo wouldn’t be walking out of that cabin in one piece.
* * *
Jade sat on an old bed in a smelly, secluded mountain cabin with no air-conditioning. Theo looked nothing like the man she’d been engaged to—a handsome, clean-shaven playboy with a twinkle in his eye and a perpetual grin on his lips. The guy in front of her wore wrinkled clothing, had shadows beneath his eyes, and his eyes were darting all over the room, as if someone would jump out at him any second. He clearly needed help.
She mentally went through her options. If she tried to reason with him by reminding him he’d cheated on her and she was now in love with Knox and carrying his baby, she could set off his temper. Given her present condition, she didn’t want to test that possibility.
She could pretend to go along with whatever he wanted, hoping he’d eventually drive them back to the city, except she couldn’t bring herself to kiss him or, God forbid, do more, in an attempt to convince him he’d won against Knox.
And she’d already decided running was out of the question. Not with that knife he kept in a sheath on his belt and the gun in his hand.
She was scared but not panicked. She’d come to the realization he wouldn’t hurt her if she didn’t argue or fight with him. At least, not right now. How desperate he’d get, though? That was anyone’s guess. He’d been muttering about losing everything and her being the key to fix his problems.
Theo had tossed her phone out the window on the way upstate. She just hoped Knox had realized she was missing and had called in the cavalry. She’d hate to think she was really on her own.
“Theo?”
He stopped his pacing.
“Did you stock this place with food? I didn’t eat breakfast, and I’m hungry,” she lied. She was too nauseous and nervous to eat.
The car ride had been long, and she’d already had to make do with an outhouse while Theo waited on the other side of the door. Her morning sickness had also returned in full force on the way upstate, and he’d had to pull over so she could throw up. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been lucky enough for the police to stop and see if they were okay.
“Shit,” he said. “I didn’t plan well, but we can get you something to eat at a diner a few miles away… if we get somewhere in our talk.”