Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 58108 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58108 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
He’d finally let me go.
I waited for more tears to come, but they didn’t. I’d cried myself dry.
I scrubbed a hand over my face. It was time to stop wallowing in self pity and figure this situation out. I needed to take Burns down. My father, too. I didn’t feel even a twinge of remorse for my thoughts.
My dad had used me. More than once. Even as a kid. I hadn’t known better then, but I did now. And I’d fallen for it.
He didn’t care about me. Not at all. I doubted he ever had. Had that been why my mother had left? She knew about his selfishness?
Burns probably had a buyer lined up for the blade. If I could somehow get the scoop on that and intercept it–notify the local authorities where and when it would be–I might be able to get myself free of this mess. Put Burns behind bars. He might throw me to the wolves at the same time, but over the last few hours, I’d decided it was worth the risk.
This wasn’t the life I wanted for myself, and I’d rather be behind bars and disgraced than live as a criminal. As a patsy.
I called my dad’s phone.
“Meggie. Where are you?”
“Spokane.”
“So, you are coming.” He sounded relieved. Jesus. He really was harboring some fantasy about the two of us joining forces for evil.
“Yes, I’m coming,” I snapped. “I want my cut.”
There was a pause on the line as my dad digested my new tone.
“Since apparently you and Burns were in on this together, I’m guessing you’re getting a cut for getting me to do the job. And since I’m the one who did the job, I figure that cut belongs to me. All you did was get drunk and get beat up.”
“Well…yeah, okay,” he muttered. “Fair enough. I did the background work, but you pulled the job. We can split my share. Of course, hon.”
I had to grind my teeth to keep from railing at my dad.
“Do you have the money?” I was fishing, but I couldn’t be overt about it. My dad wasn’t going to trust me with information about the business dealings. Not yet.
“No, but I’ll have it tomorrow.”
“Cash?”
I needed to know how the transaction would work–whether it was an electronic transfer, cash or crypto. Because he wasn’t giving me anything until he had his cut.
“Yeah, cash.”
That was good. That meant there would be a physical meeting.
“I’m coming to the meet. I want my share.” I tried to sound greedy. It was the way my dad thought, so it should ring true to him.
“We’ll discuss it when you get here.”
I relaxed. That probably meant the meet was happening in Spokane. There was still time to figure this out. Possibly fix it.
I frowned. Probably not, but I had to try.
I ended the call and looked at the phone. Realizing Hayes probably had the capability of tracking me if he wanted–not that I believed he’d want to–I dropped it on the floor and stomped on it until it broke. I’d buy a burner phone tomorrow.
It was time to leave everything about my old life behind. That meant Hayes, Sparks, and the happiness I’d found there.
HAYES
“She did what?” Mrs. L asked.
The pot roast had been in the crock pot all day. The last thing I wanted to do was sit down and eat it when I wanted to take an AR-15 out into the back forty and shoot up some shit. But one look from the woman, and I had my butt in one of the dining room chairs.
I’d been so grim she wanted to know what was wrong. “Don’t tell me it’s security business. No one else at this table looks like their puppy got kicked.” She gave me a kind look.
So, I told her. It wasn’t Alpha Mountain business, and it was far from classified.
I repeated myself. “She stole a Viking dagger from Lucas Straight.” I took the bowl of mashed potatoes from Kennedy. He kept the spoon and dropped a huge dollop on my plate for me.
“The actor?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Mrs. L blinked as she held a bowl of peas. “You’re telling me that Megan Hager, the deputy who looks like a beauty pageant contestant, stole from Lucas Straight?”
“Yes.”
Ford took the bowl from Mrs. L and spooned some on his plate.
“How? It wouldn’t be like her to ever use her looks for any kind of gain.”
I frowned. “She climbed up the rock chimney, went through a skylight and broke into a glass case.”
“While Straight and his wife were sleeping,” Kennedy added.
I glanced at him, and he looked impressed, almost full of parental pride. I wanted to punch his face in.
“Megan Hager?” Mrs. L asked again.
“Gram, I’ve never seen you so surprised before,” Ford commented.
“I… well, I guess I shouldn’t be.”
“Why’s that?” Taft asked then shoved a piece of pot roast in his mouth. Nothing was messing with his appetite.