Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Betsy’s body ached from slamming back and forth against the side door of the Gladiator. For the past five minutes, the ride had been ragged and rough. One gravel road and then another, winding across the back of the back of the hilly backcountry acreage.
Thankfully, James had left one of her hands free when he’d strapped her other wrist to the crossbar.
Being able to brace herself had helped, but her other wrist had been mercilessly jerked as they drove.
This guy didn’t know the first thing about driving in open terrain.
Cared even less that he might break her wrist. She’d finally been able to pull the seatbelt over and snap herself in.
“Lady, don’t play dumb with me. You know where the two million dollars is hidden,” James said. “Just give me that and I’ll let you go.”
“I think you’ve got the wrong person.”
“You’re Betsy Peyton, formerly Carrington, formerly Peyton, right?”
“Yes.” She needed something to make this more personal. “You know my name. What’s yours?”
She’d been in tricky situations before. Years ago she'd started carrying mace, sometimes even her gun. Today, she had nothing. Just her words and her brain.
“As Mr. Partner said, you can call me James. Now where’s the damn money?”
“I don’t know anything about any two million dollars.” She weakened her voice, let it tremble as if she were scared to death, which was only partly an act. “Tell me why you think I have it. Maybe that’ll help me remember what you’re talking about.”
A crazed look overtook the man’s eyes as he squinted against the blinding sunlight angled right into their faces at this time of day.
He held one hand in front of his face as if to protect his eyes from the glaring sun.
“Don’t mess with me, lady. And don’t think for one second, I believe Papa C when he says he lost the money gambling. He’s smarter than that.”
“Did that Mr. Partner actually have my dad killed?” Breathing had suddenly become heavy for her.
“He sure did.” James snapped his fingers. “The boss makes decisions on a second’s notice when it comes to his business or his life.
“Why? Why would he kill my dad?” Her insides were raging. Her brain was screaming. Her emotions plowed into her soul. And there wasn’t anything she could do but keep asking questions.
James grabbed hold of her loose wrist and jerked her toward him. “Because Papa C tried to turn on Mr. Partner’s business. Tried to turn on the family, so to speak. The boss found out Papa C had become an informant for the FBI. Had been talking to Agent Link Peyton.”
“My dad?” Betsy swallowed hard.
“Yeah. Partner exploded.” James snapped his fingers once again.
“You see, your dad had a good reputation for crime solving. Even worse, your dad was honest. Honest to the core. Everybody in the whole region knew Link Peyton couldn’t be bought.
So, Mr. Partner decided he’d just have him killed.
Paid someone to shoot him there in Jefferson City—in public, and in broad daylight—to send a message. ”
She couldn’t breathe. Tears poured down her cheeks. The land stretching out before her blurred into panic. James shoved her back across the seat and released his hold on her wrist.
“You mean you…you…” For the life of her, she couldn’t get the words out.
All she could think of was Cain. Cain and her. Cain and life. Life they might never have at this rate. She needed to get past the shock of what James had just told her. Needed to strategize. What would her dad have told her to do? What would Cain tell her?
Stay alive. Do whatever you have to do to survive. But bottom line. Stay. Alive!
“I heard you were that DEA dude Cain Connery’s woman.” The killer reached over and touched her hair, then wrapped a handful around his fist, pulling her head in his direction. “That right?”
She stared straight in front of her.
He yanked. “I asked if you were Cain’s woman?”
Unsure of what to say, she shook her head.
“Don’t lie to me. I saw you two together.” The man shoved her aside, putting his hand back on the steering wheel. “You know, most men would be willing to trade anything to get their woman back. Of course, Cain’s known to be another one of those good-reputation agents. Honest to the core.”
What should she do? Say? Lie. Lie like her life depended on it. “We used to be together. But we had an argument.”
James reached over and touched her hair again. “That works, too. I’ll just keep you and the millions all for myself.”
She flinched. “I swear I don’t know where it’s at.”
A few rabbits skittered across the open ground.
James jerked the Gladiator to the right.
The truck tilted slightly off the ground on two wheels.
"That's a problem, lady. In fact, why do I even need you? Why should I even keep you alive? You see, all I want is money. Without the two million, the boss man won’t pay me my million for the hit on Phillip and the million he still owes me from before over twenty years ago.
So I'd suggest you think a little harder and come up with the money?”
“What do you mean the hit on Phillip?” she asked.
“Nothing. You’re hearing things, lady. I didn’t say anything about Phillip.”
She knew what she’d heard. Exactly what all did this guy do for Mr. Partner? What all had he done? And how did Papa C figure into all this? Had Papa C been involved in Phillip’s death? James had also said two million dollars. Where had the other million come from?”
“You said the other million you're still owed" Betsy couldn’t stand not knowing. "Are you the one who killed my dad?”
“No!” He looked away from the horizon and glanced in her direction. “But I killed the man who’d pulled the trigger.” He laughed. “I’m the one who cleans up afterwards and I get a million for that, also.”
“Did you—”
“Shut up. You ask too many questions. Where’s the money?”
Realizing there were no morals or scruples running through him, she considered all her options.
Cain was the one that kept coming forward in her mind.
If this didn’t work, then she’d just be putting Cain in danger.
Even if it did work, she’d put Cain in danger.
But, for some reason, that seemed like the right thing to do.
Like what Cain would tell her to do. Without the danger, there’d be no way to stay alive.
“I gave it to Cain.” Her voice loud and strong, Betsy lied. “We plan to move out west and buy a ranch.”
“I knew you were lying earlier. You’re Cain’s woman. It makes sense that you gave it to him.” James stopped the Gladiator and jumped out. “That’s even better.”
He yanked the passenger door open, released her seatbelt, pulled a knife from beneath the seat and sliced the zip tie on her wrist free from the crossbar.
He yanked her out so fast, she fell hard on the packed dirt.
Lashing out with her legs and feet and free hand, she plowed her foot into James’s knee.
He buckled but caught himself and yanked her arm.
She aimed for his crotch with her second kick but missed when he rolled away.
He came back with a vengeance and shoved his gun in her face. “You try that again, I’ll shoot you where you lay.” His upper lip curled into a fierce sneer as he shoved her back. “Don’t think for a second I was joking when I left you that message on the mirror.”