Carter Reed

Her eyes went wide, but I saw the thoughts flying in her mind. She was connecting the dots. It was a matter of time and when her eyes filled with renewed horror, I knew she had figured it out. The name Dunvan fell from her lips in a whispered gasp.

“I killed Jeremy Dunvan and his father has been looking for me. I think you can guess what he wanted to do with me when he got me.”

“Oh god.”

I waited. I needed to know what she’d do with all that information. If she went to the authorities, she’d be condemning me as well. Then a different thought came to me and I felt sick. The back of my hair stood upright and I looked over. Carter was in the doorway. I knew he was waiting like me. He needed to know how she would react now that she knew the rest of it.

When his eyes caught mine, darkness flashed in his depths.

That was when I knew that she wouldn’t get the chance to go to the authorities. Carter would ensure my safety, no matter the cost. I turned back to Theresa and hoped against hope that she would let it go because if she didn’t, she was going to die.

Carter would take her life to save mine.

“Stop asking questions.”

Our heads snapped up and over. Noah stood in the other doorway, fuming with fisted hands at his sides. He jerked forward into the kitchen as his eyes were latched onto Theresa. “I told you to stop asking questions. You have to stop now! I mean it, Theresa.”

She straightened in defiance. “And what if I don’t?” She rolled her eyes. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

A low growl wrung from him as he cried out, “Are you kidding me?”

She paused, caught in the headlights of his glare. Then she swallowed tightly.

“You’re in a safe house of a guy you know has mob connections and you’re being snide about seeing him kill another man?” His eyes flashed in fury. “What part of that sentence is ludicrous? The. Whole. Thing! Think about it, Theresa!”

She frowned at him.

“You’ve always known who Carter was to me. I owe him my life, Theresa. My life! But that doesn’t make him any less dangerous. He’s been good to me and I will always be grateful to him for everything he’s done, but you’re talking about him like he’s five. He is a killer and she’s spelling it out to you. She’s leading you down the damn road, but you have to stop and think about what she’s not saying.” Noah stepped closer to her. He begged her, “Please let this go. Please, Theresa. He loves her. He snapped Scott’s neck because of her. What do you think he’ll do to you?” He reached for her hands and gripped them hard. Her tiny hands disappeared underneath his. “He’ll make you disappear and the only reason I’ll know about it is because of this conversation, right here. He’ll do it when you won’t be expecting it or it’ll look like an accident. I have no idea, but I know he’ll do it and it’ll happen because you’re threatening her life. Don’t you get that?” He lowered his head so he eye-level with her. “Please get that, please, please get that, Theresa. Stop. Talking. About it. Just stop. That’s all you have to do.”

“But,” she opened her mouth as tears flowed down. Nothing came out. Her eyes jumped to mine, and I didn’t do anything. He was right. She needed to hear it. Then her mouth shut and she fell back into the counter. She would’ve fallen if Noah hadn’t been there.

He swept her up and turned to Carter. “She won’t say a word. I promise.”

Carter narrowed his eyes.

“I promise, Carter.”

He looked to me as if to ask if I should believe him. I didn’t do a thing. I couldn’t. I had no idea what Theresa would do or what she would think a month away, or even a year, or ten years, if she would remain silent. So I gave him no answer.

The corner of his lip curved as if to say ‘thanks a lot’, but his eyes were still flat.

“Carter?” Noah pushed.

He stepped back to let them through. That was the only response he gave to the unspoken plea from his friend. Noah’s shoulders sagged in defeat and he hurried them out the door. A car was outside.

When they shut the door behind them, I commented, “He thinks you’re going to kill the woman he loves.”

Carter watched me. “Should I?”

Twenty-four hours earlier and I would’ve been pleading for her life. She was innocent. She was pure. She meant no harm. But now I had changed. Theresa had become a friend, but everything shifted last night. Carter was my lover. He was my family. He was my only ally. And because of that, because she held a threat to his life, I told him, “I can’t lose you.”

Then I picked up the tongs again and turned off the stove. The bacon was burned by then so I removed the pan and left.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE