“Steven never lied. Not once in the whole time I knew him.”
“He promised me half the company. Said we’d be equal partners. Fifty-fifty. I worked, slaved for this company, and what do I have to show for it? A lousy thirty percent. I didn’t know Steven had changed his will, leaving everything to you. I didn’t care that he left you the house and even the money. But he promised—he swore—I’d get Dawkins, Inc. If I’d known about his change of heart, I would have forced him to change his will back before I had him killed.”
Suzanna’s whole being frozen as Donald’s admission sunk in. He’d killed Steven? How was that possible?
“Donald?”
“Don’t look at me like that with your big puppy eyes. You married him for his money. I know it, everybody always knew. Why else would you even look at him twice? No, you connived and twisted him around your little finger, until he took everything that was rightly mine and handed it to you on a golden platter.”
“I didn’t do anything. I never knew Steven changed his will to leave me the company until the will went into probate. We never talked about it. I knew I’d have income coming from it, shares and dividends, to keep me comfortable once he was gone, but that wasn’t supposed to happen for many, many years. I swear, I don’t want Dawkins. I don’t know how to run something that big.” She glared at him. “I’d much rather have my husband alive and well than all his money.”
“Glad to hear you don’t want the company, Suzanna, because we’ve got a plan to help you get rid of it.” Elizabeth’s smile didn’t reach her eyes, the hardness of her face making her look older than her years. While Donald had been talking, Elizabeth laid out papers on the dining room table, stacked into neat little piles, like soldiers awaiting orders.
“You are going to fix Steven’s mistake. We all agree Dawkins, Inc., should be mine. This will simply make sure I get what’s coming to me.”
“What do you want from me, Donald? Steven’s will should be coming out of probate soon. Unless the judge invalidates the will, Steven’s decisions will stand. There’s nothing I can do about that.”
“Actually, there is.” Donald walked around her chair, picking up the knife as he did. She swallowed past the gigantic lump in her throat, her eyes never leaving him. There was a sinkingfeeling in the pit of her stomach that whatever the Blackthorns planned, she wouldn’t be alive at the end.
“I’ll do whatever you want. You want me to sign over the company to you? Done. Give me the papers, and I’ll put my signature on there so fast, you’ll see a smoke trail. But promise me you’ll let me go. I’ll leave. Not just Texas, I’ll leave the country. You’ll never see or hear from me again. Nobody will know what you’ve done, I swear.”
Donald reached forward and cupped her cheek, his touch surprisingly gentle. “Of course, my dear. Once you’ve signed all the paperwork, you’ll be free to go about your life. I do like that you’ve offered to leave the country. I think that’s a splendid idea. Go find a tropical island someplace, maybe the South Pacific, where you can spend your days lolling around on the beach, having cabana boys bring you fruity drinks. Doesn’t that sound nice?”
She nodded. She’d promise him anything he wanted if he let her walk out that door. Except she was no fool. There wasn’t a chance on earth, after he’d admitted to killing Steven, they’d let her live. Yet, somehow, she knew that Gage was coming. That he was looking for her, knew she was in trouble.
Please, Gage, please find me. Figure out what Donald and Elizabeth have done. I know you’re looking. You’ll figure out what they’ve done, and come and save me. Please, Gage, I don’t want to die before telling you I love you.
Her eyes widened with the realization she loved Gage Newsome. But more than that, she was in love with him. Over the moon, deeply and completely in love with Gage. How had that happened? She’d been attracted to him from the first moment she laid eyes on him, in that skanky bar in New Orleans, but never in a million years had she expected to fall for the man. Now, she might never get the chance to tell him, and the thought chilled her to her bones.
“Are you listening to me, Suzanna? I need your full attention here.” Donald tapped the long blade against her chest, and she leaned as far back as the wooden chair allowed, holding her breath.
“I’m listening. I told you, I’ll do whatever you ask.” Her heart was racing in her chest, and she wondered if she’d have a heart attack before she could do whatever Donald wanted from her. Somehow, she had to stall, because she knew deep in her soul help was on the way. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but she was convinced and wouldn’t allow doubt to sway her. Help was coming.
“Donald, we need to hurry.”
“I know, my love. Come here, by my side. We need to do this together, you and I.” Elizabeth shot him a loving look and walked to stand in front of him. “Look at Suzanna. See the terror in her eyes? That’s real power. We hold it in our hands. We might not have plunged the knife into Steven’s chest ourselves, but we were responsible. We held his fate in our grasp, and now we hold hers.” He nuzzled his cheek against hers. “Turn around, and see what real power looks like.”
Elizabeth spun around, and Donald pulled her back against his chest, and for the first time Suzanna noted that he’d slipped on a pair of latex gloves. He hadn’t had those on earlier. Sliding an arm around Elizabeth’s waist, he pulled her close against his front and she moaned. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the knife onto the table, and reached behind him, whipping out a 9mm pistol, placing it into Elizabeth’s hand.
“It’s time, my love.” Wrapping his hand over hers, he slowly brought her hand up. Suzanna squeezed her eyes shut, knowing the bullet was coming. Her body tensed, knowing the hot lead projectile would tear through her flesh, and at this close range, they wouldn’t miss.
The discharge of the pistol sounded, and Suzanna jerked but felt nothing. Opening her eyes, she saw Elizabeth slump to the floor, the side of her face blown away. She screamed and screamed, her throat raw. Blood coated the front of her shirt, and she felt warmth trickle down her face.
“Stop screaming right now or you’re next.”
Drawing in a ragged breath, her whole body shaking, Suzanna stared at Donald. He’d just killed Elizabeth. Shot her in the head. Why? It didn’t make any sense. She was working with him, had drugged and helped kidnap Suzanna and possibly killed Ranger. Why murder Elizabeth?
“You killed her!”
“Of course. She’d never have been able to keep her mouth shut. Don’t get me wrong, I loved her—in my own way—but she could never do what was necessary. When we decided to kill your husband, she got cold feet. Wanted to back out, give him a chance to do the right thing. Like I hadn’t been trying to get Steven to do what he’d promised for months. Years. Everything was perfect until he met you. Tell me, Suzanna, how did you manage to bewitch him? He’d been oblivious to women, faithful to his precious Mary, until he met you. Are you that good in bed?”
“We loved each other. Steven was my best friend.”
“Yeah, well he was my best friend for years, and look where that got me. Pushed aside for the latest blonde bimbo willing to crawl between the sheets.”
Struggling against the duct tape, she felt the tiniest bit of looseness, and prayed Donald wouldn’t notice. Not that it helped much, it would take forever to work both her arms and legs free. But something was better than nothing, and the feel of Elizabeth’s blood on her face was driving her crazy. Bile rose in her throat, and she swallowed, praying that she didn’t throw up.She had the feeling that would infuriate Donald, which was the last thing she needed to do.
“What do you want from me, Donald?”
