Chapter 41
41
COLLINS
My phone comes to life with the signal, alerting me that Mark Tanner has been in a fight and is en route to Portland General Hospital for medical intervention.
Finally…
Racing to the bedroom, I throw on some of my preselected clothes, strap my holsters to my torso and leg, and unlock my guns from the hidden lockbox.
It’s go time.
And there isn’t a cell in my body that won’t rejoice in seeing Tanner take his last breath as I steal the life out of him.
Grabbing my keys, I race out the door and into the elevator.
Hopping into the rental car that I’ve had sitting idle and ready to go for weeks, I shift it into drive and pull out onto the street.
I use the GPS tracker on my phone to see the exact location of the transport vehicle that has Mark Tanner inside. He’s just a few miles out from the prison, following the pre-discussed route and taking his time to allow me a chance to bypass his path.
Everything is coming together like clockwork.
Using the call feature on my dash, I give Graham a ring. We haven’t talked in days, and we definitely haven’t reconciled over Penny, but my loyalty still lies with the Hoffmans no matter how much they see me as the one who betrayed them.
“It’s time,” I say into the speaker.
“Penny’s missing.”
My stomach twists. “What do you mean missing ? Isn’t she at the charity event?”
“She must have left.”
“How long do you think she’s been possibly missing?”
“I don’t know…”
“I need a ballpark,” I say frantically.
“Hmm, maybe about forty-five minutes. I’m not sure.”
“Did you track her?”
“Nic and I never found the need to be that intrusive since we hired you,” Graham bites out. “And she made us promise to give her some space while she recovered.”
Recovered?
He’s making her sound like an addict, when it’s me who is addicted to her.
“Did she actually leave the event?”
“We’re not sure.”
I feel sweat beading on my forehead, and my fingers are sticking to the steering wheel as I maneuver the rental onto the streets. “Maybe she’s on a different floor or got sidetracked? Did you look in the restrooms?”
My mind races with all the possibilities. If I was there, I wouldn’t have let Penny out of my sight.
I know she would have felt obligated to help out at her dad’s charity—especially right before he retires—so it doesn’t make sense why she would leave early.
“We looked everywhere here,” Graham says. “Hold on.”
I hear chatting on the other end of the phone and Nic’s voice.
“Graham,” I say into the speaker, “don’t leave me hanging here.”
“Okay, so Nic just informed me that two security guards confirmed they remember her exiting the building in a very distraught state.”
“When?” I snap.
I hear a muffled discussion happening in the background, and it’s only causing my blood pressure to rise.
“At least an hour ago.”
Fuck.
How did no one notice she was gone for that long?
And how am I going to do my job when I’m so worried over Penny?
We might not be together, but she will always consume my thoughts.
“Why didn’t you inform me the moment you noticed she went missing?”
“Because you’ve hurt her enough.”
I let out an angry sigh. This has gone on too long. I fucking miss her. I’ve only ever wanted Penny to soar. And now I broke her heart by not fighting for us. The truth is, I also hurt myself in the process by not fighting for us.
Flipping through my phone, I pull up the trackers I have on her shoes, hidden in her phone, and on numerous pieces of jewelry. I sift through the list of potential ones, hoping to see movement on at least one of them. I also check the ones I have on her new car.
“Her car is still parked in the garage.”
“That wouldn’t stop her from hitching another ride.”
I’m all too familiar with that scenario. Hell, I sure hope she is using some self-preservation skills at the very least.
I should have had eyes on her despite being apart. I wanted to give everyone space from me so they could calm down and hopefully come to terms with what transpired between us. Time can heal a lot of things, but maybe that’s not what was needed at all. Maybe I should have verbally professed my desire to be Penny’s man, regardless of those who opposed it.
Looking at the screen while still driving the car toward where Tanner should be, I discover Penny’s current location.
“She’s on her way north. The tracker keeps moving.”
“Toward Seattle?” Graham asks in disbelief.
“Yes, probably. Her phone must not be working or is out of battery.”
“Do you think she’ll admit herself back to the facility?”
“I would assume so.”
And as soon as Tanner takes his last breath, I’ll be going to get Penny and make her see that I’ve always chosen her even when I was going through the motions to make her brothers happy. They just need time to see that Penny belongs with me, and that I’ll fight until everyone accepts that we are together.
I’m done doing what others want.
I have my own life to live, just as Penny made it her life’s mission to do the same.
Now she’s possibly going back to the very facility she fought so hard to leave. And she’ll be there alone.
This is a major slip in her forward progress.
“She’s probably at least one hour away.”
I hear Graham talk to someone, telling them to try her phone.
“Nic keeps trying her phone and it goes right to voicemail. How close are you to your destination?”
“Five minutes.”
“I’m going to grab Nic and head up to Seattle.”
“You need to stay at the charity event where there’s news crews and digital proof of your alibi. You are in the perfect location to have witnesses to verify your hands are clean from this mission.”
“Fine. But as soon as this is over, I’m going to go get my sister. This ends tonight.”
“I’ll say it again. I want what is best for your sister, no matter how much you still view me as the villain.”
“You are sixteen years older than she is,” Graham chokes out.
“And I have the experience and the restraint to give Penny what she needs, even if it’s not easy for you to come to terms with what that is. Would you rather have her pissing around with some asshole who has a statistically higher chance of hurting her or have her be with someone who can give her everything she needs physically, in addition to financially and emotionally?”
“I’m not doing this over the phone.”
I steer the car, gripping the wheel with white knuckles. “Well, you haven’t been up for having a man-to-man conversation with me about it either. You just wanted to pound my face in and hope I move on without a fight.”
“I know what’s best for my sister, Collins. So you better get that straight.”
“I’ve only ever done what is best for your family. Falling for your sister was a byproduct of getting to know her. I couldn’t help myself.”
“You stay the fuck away from her. Do your job and take the payout. I’ll triple it.”
“This has never been about the money, and you know it.”
“We had a contract in place,” he snarls.
“And I honored the terms of said contract. I’ve always kept Penny safe and went above and beyond doing so.”
“She’s not safe from you !”
His words sting. I’d much rather him beat the shit out of me than listen to him anymore. I might have fallen head over fucking heels for the girl who stole my heart like a thief, but I’ve only ever wanted to make sure she was happy and cared for—that’s it. My entire purpose for joining forces with the Hoffmans was to figure out who drugged Penny.
I put her first then, and while she doesn’t see it this way, I’m also putting her first now.
It’s just that now I need to tie up this one last part of the whole operation and eradicate Penny’s mind of the evilness that still lurks there by eliminating Mark Tanner.
It’s always been about Penny.
It was Penny who was first drugged, and it is Penny who we all want to see well.
Killing Mark Tanner will ensure she stays well.
“I know you think I’ve been disloyal, and I guess in a superficial look at the situation, that would appear to be true. But I love your sister, Graham. I’ve only ever wanted what’s best for her.”
I turn off the highway and exit onto the off-ramp, trying my best to maintain a clear head for the mission I’m about to do. But I can’t.
I want things to go back to how they were but with Penny as my girl. I don’t want to hide, and I don’t want to feel guilty for loving who I love.
If I have to grovel to the two men who gave me my life back, so be it—just as long as they don’t snatch it away again.
I am prepared to beg.
“I know about the sex contract.”
Well, damn. “What? How?”
My mind goes through all of the scenarios on how this could even be possible. Did Penny tell them about it? Very few people know about the dynamics of my lifestyle and how I conduct relationships like business transactions. I just never thought I would be having this conversation with Graham of all people, and especially not now.
“I had a copy arrive at my residence a few days ago.”
“Something’s not right…”
“That’s the understatement of the fucking century,” he snaps. “Of course, something’s not right.”
“Did you read it?”
“No. Well, not any details.” He grinds his teeth together. “But I saw enough.”
No wonder he’s so adamant about getting me away from Penny.
“It was consensual,” I say, but my words fall flat even to me.
“She was coerced.”
“I assure you, she wasn’t.”
“How could you put in writing what your intentions were with my sister? One hundred days? Are you fucking kidding me? She’s my baby sister!”
“She’s a woman, Graham.”
“Stay away from her.”
“I will for now. At least until this mission is over…”
“Penny’s roommate is acting super suspicious too.”
Luke? “How so? I had him checked out multiple times and there were no red flags.”
“He is convinced that Penny thinks Nic or I have hired him to spy on her.”
I allow that perspective to roll around in my head. “Well, that would make sense.”
“Except we didn’t.”
“She was supposed to have a female roommate, and then Luke showed up.”
I can hear Graham’s exaggerated sigh. “But we didn’t hire him. Nic and I both agreed to be less intrusive than we have been in the past. That’s why we hired you to be the source of her safety without providing us the unnecessary details. And we both know that was a bad decision.”
“Whatever, man. At some point you’re going to need to see things from my perspective and acknowledge that I’ve kept your sister safe when she was under my care.”
“So Luke’s not on anyone from your side’s payroll?”
“No.”
“I can’t think straight.”
I glance at the GPS, feeling very uneasy. My instincts never lie, and everything about this entire mission feels like it’s about to blow up in my face.
It feels like I’m about to be set up.
Going to prison would be one way to keep me away from Penny—permanently.
No.
It doesn’t matter how mad Graham and Nic are at me, there’s no way they would try to put me behind bars.
“And at some point, you’re going to have to come to the realization that Penny is no longer a kid.”
“I’m done talking about this.”
“And at some point you’re going to have to quit avoiding the conversation.”
“Let me know when Nic and I can get on a plane to get to Penny.”
After several long seconds of silence, I sigh. “Okay.” Then I end the call.
Gripping the steering wheel tightly, I take a sharp right onto a side road. I’ve run through this entire route and scenario every day in my head since the plan was set.
But something seems off.
I can’t tell if I’m about to be the hero in this story or suffer as the victim.
I’m just hoping that I’ll be alive to share my side regardless of what goes down here tonight.
* * *
I cut the engine to the rental, glancing at the GPS on my burner phone just to make sure the transport vehicle is stopped in the exact location that was previously agreed upon during the initial discussions.
Grabbing my mask, I pull it over my head, concealing my hair and any distinguishable facial features.
I roll on my leather gloves and wiggle my fingers to increase dexterity in their movements.
I’m sweaty and my nerves are getting to me.
With my gun loaded and ready to go, I get out of the car and take off running in the direction of Mark Tanner.
I arrive in three minutes. Nestled between tall trees is a little dirt road where the transport vehicle idles. This particular path is used for service vehicles coming and going from a landfill.
But there will be no one showing up at this hour of the evening.
I make my way closer to the van, seeing the driver leaning against the window with his head turned from me.
I knock on the glass to get his attention, but he doesn’t budge.
“Hey, you hear me?”
Pulling on the handle, I watch in shock as his body falls to my feet.
Turning him, I see the knife sticking out of his chest and fresh blood soaking into the fabric of his shirt.
Fuck.
What the hell happened?
Extending my gun out in front of me, I carefully move around to the back of the vehicle where Mark Tanner’s body should be bleeding and in need of medical attention.
Pulling open the heavy doors, I choke on the heavy pungent smell first. Then my eyes search for the body of Mark Tanner, who is sprawled out on the metal floor face-down, covered in bodily fluids.
Hopping into the van, I flip him over.
But it isn’t Mark Tanner that I find without a pulse.
It’s a fucking imposter.