by Rebecca Deel
Grace lost her balance and cried out as she fell on the bruised side of her rib cage. If she survived this ordeal, Grace knew she’d be bruised from head to toe.
“On your feet,” Clarice ordered. “It’s cold out here and we have business before I deal with you.”
Sounded as though Devin’s wife had a permanent solution in mind. Stall. She needed to stall. “I need help. My balance is off with my hands tied.”
An exasperated sigh. “If you’re so helpless, what on earth does St. Claire see in you? He needs someone more like me, a capable, strong woman.”
“Hey,” Ron protested, a scowl forming on his face. “I don’t want you thinking about him that way. The only man you need is me.”
“Of course, sweetie.” Clarice patted his arm, the pat one you’d give a puppy. “I didn’t mean to insult your male ego.”
Grace struggled to sit up, biting back the groans wanting to escape. Giving away how much pain she was in wasn’t smart.
She watched the other two interact and wondered if Ron realized Clarice patronized him. The adoration in his eyes as he looked at Devin’s wife told Grace the lawyer was in over his head and didn’t have a clue he needed rescuing. The other woman was using him.
“Bring her along to the cabin.” Clarice turned and strode toward the log structure.
“Let’s go.” Ron lifted Grace to her feet and clamped a hand over her arm.
Too bad. She’d debated whether or not she could run into the nearby forest and escape. With Ron’s hand gripping her arm, Grace didn’t stand much chance of wrenching free. “What does she want with me? I don’t have anything of value.”
A snort. “On the contrary, sweet cheeks. You and your sister have shares in G & N Chemical as well as a great deal of money.”
Grace stumbled over a rock in the darkness and would have gone down if not for Ron’s painful hold. “That’s not true. Mrs. Bowen left us money. The stock shares all belong to Devin. That’s his company now, not ours.”
She jerked to a halt as a thought formed in her brain, whipped her head around to look Ron in the face. “She’s going to kill Devin, isn’t she?”
“For a smart woman, you’re slow, baby. She already tried, would have succeeded if you hadn’t interfered.” A sneer curled his lips. “Clarice is going to exact her revenge on you for spoiling her plans.”
“Tell me something I don’t know, like why she believes Nic and I have shares in G & N. We don’t. Mr. Randall made that clear.”
“He didn’t tell you if something happens to Devin, you and your sister inherit G & N. Mrs. Bowen didn’t want the company to pass out of family hands.”
So Clarice had made a desperate gamble and grabbed Grace. Whatever plan she’d hatched had to involve Nic. It wouldn’t be enough to kill only one of the sisters. Cold chills surged up her spine. Clarice was going after Nic.
“She’s crazy,” Grace said flatly. “Mason is watching over Nic. Clarice doesn’t stand a chance against him.” The construction worker seemed very protective of Nic. There was definitely a romance blooming between the couple. Whether it was enough to win Nic’s heart was another story.
“And what about you, sweet Grace? Doesn’t your SEAL think you’re worth the trouble?” He huffed out a laugh. “If he’s still alive. By the time anyone finds him, he’ll probably be dead, bled out on the cold, hard ground, wondering why his favorite nurse didn’t help him.”
Grace hung her head as if defeated, worried Ron would see the truth on her face. She wasn’t a good liar, a good thing in most circumstances. Not this one. If she gave away the knowledge that Trent was alive and coming for her, Trent and Adam would lose the element of surprise. Plus, Clarice and Ron would know Grace had somehow managed to get a message out. If one of them searched Grace, she’d lose her cell phone and her connection to Zane.
That phone was her lifeline and the only way for Fortress to track her location. Trent’s friend was pinging her cell phone signal to keep tabs on her. If she was separated from her phone, her chances of survival dropped dramatically.
Shoving her into motion, Ron forced her toward the cabin.
“You won’t get away with this,” Grace said. “You can’t kill eight people without anyone connecting the murders and coming up with you and Clarice.”
Another harsh laugh. “Not eight, honey, seven. Poor Devin is going to be the fall guy now. Since you saved his pathetic life, Clarice decided to use that to our advantage.”
“But that doesn’t make sense. Devin doesn’t have motive to kill all of us.”
“Oh, that’s the beauty of Clarice’s plan. It seems old Devin has been skimming from the company, and you and Nicole found out along with your boyfriends and the Randalls. He had to cover his tracks.”
“It won’t work.”
“Already is. Clarice owns a few shares of stock herself, a gift from her mother-in-law. No one questions her when she comes to visit Devin or some of the others in the company. She has her husband’s passwords and shares them with a friend of hers, one who learned some interesting skills that aren’t entirely legal. Let’s just say he’s magic with numbers and accounts.”
“That’s why G & N is short of money. Clarice has been stealing it. Where is the money going?”
“Offshore bank account in the Caymans. No one asks questions in the islands.” Another laugh. “We’ll live well the rest of our lives. I’ll enjoy living on the beach somewhere and not having to work another day.”
“What about all the people who work for the company?” Outrage filled Grace. “They’ll lose everything, their livelihood, their pension and insurance. Devin stands to lose more than the rest. G & N is his legacy from his mother. He’ll lose the business and go to prison for years.”
“So?” Another shove.
“It’s not fair, Ron. Devin is innocent. He hasn’t done anything wrong except fall in love with a black widow.” She sent him a pointed glance. “They eat their mates. You might be the next man to miscalculate her true motives, you know.”
Uncertainty clouded his gaze for a moment, then he shook his head. “She loves me. Clarice would never hurt me.”
And Ron thought she was slow and stupid. Clarice Bowen didn’t love anyone but herself and the bundles of money she’d stolen from G & N. “Why doesn’t she divorce Devin instead of framing him for murder and fraud? Would have been simpler.”
The lawyer shook his head. “Can’t. Devin forced Clarice to sign a pre-nuptial agreement. If she divorces him, she gets nothing.”
And neither did Ron if Clarice didn’t inherit. “And if he dies?”
“Everything goes to you and Nicole. If, however, Devin goes to prison and you two are dead, Clarice would have control of the company. She hates everything G & N stands for. You don’t understand what she’s been through. Devin’s not a good husband, Grace, no matter how he appears on the surface. He’s controlling, abusive physically and mentally. She’s a virtual prisoner in her own home, even if the cage is a gilded one. Clarice can’t take any more pressure. I’m afraid she’ll crack under the strain.”
Good grief. Clarice did a masterful job sucking Ron into her delusions. If there had been physical abuse in the Bowen home, Zane would have unearthed that information pretty fast. According to Trent, his friend had seen nothing in Clarice’s medical records except two visits to the hospital, once for pneumonia, then for a sprained ankle. If there had been ongoing physical abuse, chances were good X-rays would have shown fractures or broken bones.
Ron Satterfield was a lost cause. Nothing would convince him of the truth except his lover’s actions. Grace almost felt sorry for him. Almost. The two of them had killed the Randalls and tried to murder Grace and the others. Ron and Clarice deserved whatever punishment was meted out to them.
The lawyer propelled her up the wooden porch steps and into the house. A quick glance around showed the vacation home was decorated in the typical heavy log and leather furniture of rustic dwellings. The wood floors were cover
ed by large area rugs and pictures decorated the mantel. Clarice and Ron beamed at her from the snapshots.
Shew. Guess Devin hadn’t been out here or he might have objected. If Grace had been cozied up to another man in photos like this, Trent would have been furious. Thinking of the man she loved cause a keening deep in her soul for the SEAL who was essential to her. She wanted a lifetime with Trent St. Claire. To reach that goal, she had to survive the next few minutes.
Ron shut and locked the door, then pushed Grace toward the kitchen. Clarice waited, leaning against a counter, a drink in her hand. She motioned to the chair in the center of the room.
“Sit, Grace. Let’s talk.”
Talk. Right. That’s why there was a plastic sheet on the floor under the chair. She swallowed hard. How far away were Trent and Adam? Lacking any choice in the matter, Grace sat.
“Tell me what I want to know, sign your shares over to me, and I’ll let you leave.” Clarice smiled although her eyes were cold as ice. “Nothing could be simpler.”
The other woman was a stone-cold liar. “What do you want to know?”
“Tell me where your sister is. I need to talk to her as well. Once we come to an understanding about how things should be, you’ll both be free to get on with your lives. If your boyfriends don’t have any better taste in women, they deserve the two of you.”
Free to get on with their lives? Another lie. “I don’t know where Nic is.”
Anticipation lit Clarice’s gaze. “You’re not telling me the truth. Did I tell you there’s a penalty for lying to me?”
Grace shook her head. Oh, goodness. This was going to be bad. Hurry, Trent.
She set her drink aside and lifted a knife from the counter, the blade gleaming in the overhead light. “Ron and I are a great team, Grace. He’s very strong, always working out at the gym. He used to be a boxer in college. My man knows how to inflict the most painful damage without killing you. I, on the other hand, enjoy working with knives. I’ve very good at it. Of course, you won’t look the same when I’ve finished with you. Your handsome man will be looking for other female companionship.”
“Ron said you hated G & N Chemicals and I suppose you hate your husband as well. If you’ve already been taking money from the company, why don’t you clean out the accounts and disappear? You’re smart enough to escape before the feds are on to you. You wouldn’t need to play this game with Devin or the rest of us.”
Laughter spilled from Clarice. “Please, this is so much more fun. Watching G & N implode will devastate Dev and thrill me. I hated Gayle and everything she stood for just like she hated me. Nothing will make me happier than to destroy the very thing she loved the most along with her precious son. And you’re going to help me do it. What irony.”
While Clarice droned on about her cleverness, Grace took in the large room, trying not to be obvious. A door to her left led outside. No way to know if the door was locked, but at least she didn’t see a deadbolt. If only her hands weren’t bound. Right now, she was hampered and off balance. If she fell, Ron and Clarice would be on her in a heartbeat.
Clarice sighed. “You aren’t paying attention to me, Grace.” She flicked a glance at Ron who twisted and backhanded Grace.
The momentum behind the slap sent Grace tumbling to the floor. Tears stung her eyes. Man, that smarted. With one eye swelling, she had to protect the other one so she could see if she had a chance to run. The lawyer picked her up and dropped her back on the chair.
“Let’s try this again.” Clarice sipped her drink. “Where is Nicole?”
“I don’t know. Did Ron tell you he hurt Nic?”
The glass thudded on the counter. “Is that true?”
“An accident,” Ron said. “She wouldn’t come willingly. The broad fought with me and lost her balance. She fell down a flight of stairs.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.”
“Her broken arm needed surgery to repair.” Her sister was lucky she wasn’t hurt worse.
“So she’s in the hospital?” Clarice’s eyes brightened.
“She might have been released by now. If the doctor think she’s strong enough, it’s possible he released her.”
“Where would she go? To the hotel?”
How much longer before Trent arrived? “We took our belongings with us when we left the hotel.” Grace eyed Clarice and Ron in turn. “There was never a fire at the hotel, was there?”
“Very good. Took you long enough.”
So she didn’t think like a criminal. At least Trent and Adam had suspected the truth as soon as the alarm blared. “If she left the hospital, I don’t know where Mason would have taken her.”
“Call her or her boyfriend.”
“I don’t have my phone. It’s in Trent’s SUV.” She prayed they didn’t see the lie on her face.
A scowl from her captor. “What woman leaves her purse behind?”
“The kind who wants to keep her boyfriend from dying.”
Clarice shrugged. “No matter. I’ll find her. I always get what I want.” She straightened from the counter and motioned toward the breakfast bar. “The form to sign over your shares to me is there. Hurry up. I have other things to do.”
“Untie me.” Grace stood. Although loathe to put her back to Clarice, she needed her hands free. “I’ll sign if you don’t hurt me anymore.” Griped her to have to beg Clarice for mercy. She reminded herself that every minute she stalled, Trent was one minute closer.
“That’s more like it.” The other woman picked up the knife again.
So much damage that blade could do. Grace held her breath as Clarice approached, expecting to feel the cold bite of steel in her flesh at any moment. After a slight tug, the only thing she felt was the zip tie falling away from her wrists.
She sucked in a gulp of air as blood flow returned to the inflamed joints, her tendons aching from Ron’s rough treatment. Ron shoved her toward the bar. A pen lay beside the single sheet of paper.
“Sign it and all this will be over. You’ll be a free woman.”
Grace glared at Devin’s wife. If she escaped, the form would be invalid since she was signing under duress. No. When she escaped. Snatching up the pen, she signed the paper with a flourish.
In her peripheral vision, she noticed salt and pepper shakers by her hand. She might not have a gun or a knife, but pepper in the eyes and nose was painful. Better than nothing. So who should be the recipient of the pepper? Ron, she decided. He was the stronger of the two of them. If she had to defend herself against Clarice, she could always use the screw driver. Not much defense against a knife.
She laid down the pen and slid the form across the smooth surface. “Since I’m free to go, may I have a drink before I start walking out of here?”
A snort from Ron.
“Something cold, please,” Grace clarified. “I don’t like tap water or warm soft drinks.”
Clarice’s eyebrow rose, but she turned toward the refrigerator.
Grace leaned on the bar, using her body to block the sight of her hand curling around the pepper shaker and unscrewing the metal top from Ron. The moment Clarice opened the refrigerator and peered inside the appliance, Grace snatched the shaker off the counter and chucked the contents of the shaker into Ron’s face.
She raced the few steps to the door, flung it open, and ran.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Trent answered his cell with a whisper. “Go.” The cold air nipped his skin, the sun’s rays too weak yet to offer heat. He and Adam had opted to run the last quarter mile to negate the possibility of Satterfield and Bowen hearing their approach to the cabin and possibly hurting their hostage. Surrounded by woods, the two Special Forces soldiers were moving fast, closing in on Grace’s location. The desire to sprint to her side without regard for his own safety was a drumbeat in Trent’s blood and took every bit of his training and discipline to quell the urge. He’d be no good to his girlfriend if he was dead.
“Grace escaped, but Satterfield and
Bowen are chasing her down.”
His heart lurched. If they caught her now, Trent would be too late to save her. He couldn’t let that happen. “Location?”
“Sent the tracker coordinates to your phone. You have your pack?”
“Copy.”
“Good. She’s running full out toward a cliff. If she doesn’t see it in time to stop, Adam may have to rappel down to her.”
A cliff? Trent pushed himself faster. “Drop distance?” He fought off the weakness threatening to stop him in his tracks. If he gave in, Grace would die. Trent knew he needed blood and fluids, the hot ache of his body telling him a round of antibiotics was in his future as well. As soon as his wife-to-be was safe he’d seek medical attention, not while danger stalked at Grace’s heels.
“Not so far that she wouldn’t survive a fall as long as she landed right. However, the cliff face is almost straight up, too steep for Grace to climb out on her own. One more thing. Bowen’s next target is Nicole. I’ve already notified Rio. He’s on his way to Dumas. He’ll take over the watch at the hospital although the doctor’s notes indicate he’ll release Grace’s sister later this morning.”
“Copy that.” He checked the coordinates, then shoved his phone into his pocket, and summarized Zane’s information for Adam who ran easily beside him.
“Split up?”
A nod. “Take the left.” Trent’s jaw tightened. “Grace is heading for a cliff. If she falls, we’ll have to rappel down to get her. Z says the pitch is too steep for her to climb up unaided.”
With a nod, Adam slipped into the still mostly dark forest. Not even a leaf stirred at his passing. Soon, the Marine was out of sight.
Trent veered to the right, hand wrapped around the grip of his Sig. Training and instinct guided his steps through the rough terrain. His Grace didn’t have the skill to navigate this race through the early morning light without injuring herself, another thing to hold against the two killers on her trail.
He’d capture them alive if possible. If not, Trent wouldn’t lose sleep over it, though he’d likely be spending a long time answering questions from the Dynamic Duo. As long as Grace was safe, he’d endure anything he had to.
