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Cigarette smoke drifts my way and I breathe as evenly as possible. I wait a few moments, facing the backside of the cabin. I can shoot him while he’s taking his smoke break and while he’s off guard.
Something crunches behind me, like footsteps over gravel, and I look back with a sharp gasp, just before bumping into the side of the house and causing a loud thump. My finger is wrapped around the trigger, so the gun goes off and a bullet flies through the trees. I’ve never heard a gunshot before, but it’s loud, and the gun rattles in my hand, causing me to drop it.
I stare at Jolene, just as the brawny man steps around the corner and catches us both.
FIFTY-SIX
JOLENE
“What the hell is—” Boaz steps around the corner with a cigarette pinched between his lips and a heavy scowl. Brynn is glued to the side of the cabin and her gun is only a few inches away from her feet. I bend down to pick it up, point the gun at Boaz, and shoot him.
My hands shake as I hold the gun. I don’t realize I’m staring at Boaz’s body—the first person I’ve ever shot—until Brynn runs around him to the back of the cabin. I chase after her as she enters through the back door and spot her standing in front of a bound and gagged Shavonne.
They both stare at me, eyes wide and panicked. I point the gun at Brynn and think about how easy it would be to get rid of her. But, unlike Dominic and Boaz, I’m a good person. And though all of this has caused me a major headache and has sent me on a downward spiral, I’m a woman of my word.
I lower the gun, and Brynn’s shoulders visibly relax. Shavonne breathes hard behind the thick layers of duct tape around her mouth.
“Keep her like that,” I order. I rush around them to turn off all the lights inside the cabin. The power is on, courtesy of an expensive generator Dominic ordered for this place. What exactly does he plan on doing with this cabin anyway? I can’t figure out why he hasn’t sold it and am starting to think he has some odd obsession with it. Why else would he have invested in a generator to give it power and light? It makes no sense.
I peer out the window and, on cue, a vehicle with its headlights off rolls toward the cabin. The women freeze behind me.
“Is that Dom?” Brynn asks. Hearing her say my husband’s nickname sends a prickle down my spine. It’s a sheer reminder that she was once intimate with him . . . but that’s beside the point now.
Brynn rushes next to me, peering out the window at the silver pickup truck. “His SUV is black, right? That’s not him.” Her eyes cut to me as the man in the truck climbs out and shuts the door. “Who the hell is that, Jolene?” she demands.
I finally look at her as the man approaches the house. Brynn’s eyes swim with a hint of panic and confusion, and by now, I’m sure she wants to strangle me because I didn’t tell her about this part of the plan. I couldn’t, really.
Still, I can’t help the satisfied smile that sweeps over my mouth as the man walks up the stoop and pounds on the door.
FIFTY-SEVEN
JOLENE
Six weeks ago
I wake up to the sound of running water. The sun stretches across the bed sheets, and I feel a delightful rawness between my thighs. I point my gaze to the bathroom of the hotel, where the door is cracked open, and spot Samuel Sanchez’s muscular back as he brushes his teeth. His hair is damp and wavy, and I can’t help my smile as I remember threading my fingers through his silky hair.
Last night was incredible. I’ve never been treated like such a princess, or like I’m the only girl in the world, but here I am with the Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina.
I grab my phone from the nightstand and as expected, no calls or text messages from Dominic. I’m not surprised. He doesn’t ask about my whereabouts anymore. That stopped a long time ago. Plus, with the campaign slowly spiking, he’s busier than ever.
“Oh, good. You’re awake.” Sam sits on the edge of the bed next to me, running his palm over my thigh. “I ordered room service.” He nuzzles the tip of his nose in the crook of my neck.
“Mmm. That’s good,” I whisper.
“The room service or what I’m doing to you right now?”
“Both,” I laugh.
He chuckles and lays me back, kissing me with his minty mouth. “We’ll also have visitors today. And before you decline, I want you to hear them out.”
I can’t help the frown that takes hold of me. “Visitors? What are you talking about?”
“They’re coming to the hotel.”
He sits up and I do the same, tugging the sheet up to cover my naked chest. “Who is coming to the hotel?”
Sam goes to his suitcase, taking out a pair of trousers and a button-down gray shirt. He pulls out the iron and plugs it in as I stare at him, waiting for an answer.
