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Instead, a grin broke over the man’s normally placid face.“Sure, son. You know I can’t get rid of them. We’re all old men now. I needsome youth. I want to live up to my reputation and start running this placelike Yellowstone.”
He didn’t know why Mr. Barnes would run his ranch like anational park, but as they joked, he felt himself relax.
Maybe, just maybe, it would be okay.
* * * *
Childswood,Oregon
Eight years later
Nora Holloway stared at the body, the visionnot quite reaching her brain. It wasn’t real. Because if it was real, then herhusband was dead on the floor.
The idea of his death didn’t spark sorrow because he was anabusive asshole she planned to divorce.
Don’t think you can leave, Nora. You have nothing. I’llruin you.
He’d already ruined her.
He’d ruined her the day he’d married her and brought herinto his hell.
“Micah?” His name came quietly out of her mouth as thoughshe didn’t want to wake him. She didn’t. He was sleeping. Or maybe she was andthis was a dream.
Micah’s body didn’t move. He was face down on the livingroom floor, a pool of blood forming around his body.
How was this a shock? She’d always known he would come to abad end, but somehow she’d thought she wouldn’t be here to witness it. Shewould either have found a way out or he would have killed her.
“Damn, but you are a lovely woman,” a deep voice said. “Evenstanding there over my brother’s dead body, you still manage to look hot.”
She turned, fear coursing through her. If there was oneperson she feared more than Micah Holloway, it was his older brother, Ted. Tedstood in the hallway leading to the magnificent foyer of the McMansion Micahhad first brought her to three years before. He’d carried her over thethreshold, and a few weeks later he’d smacked her for the first time. Thisbeautiful house had become a cage. Ted was taller than Micah, his featuresdarker. He was the head of the family, though his father was still alive. He’d takenover the family company and ruthlessly pursued money and power. His wife was ashell of a woman who knew how to smile without a light in her eyes, when to nodand agree.
Nora had known that was exactly who she would become if shestayed, but now she feared she’d waited too long.
Or maybe he would be reasonable. “I don’t know whathappened. I walked in and he was here. I was out having dinner with friends.”
A brow rose over Ted’s dark eyes, and he looked far too calmfor a man who had found out his only brother was dead. “Were you? See, I don’tthink you were. If you were out with friends, then you would have an alibi forthis mess we find ourselves in. But if, say, you were out at the lake housepracticing with the .22 you bought illegally, then no one would know becauseyou didn’t want anyone to know.”
Her heart threatened to seize. She’d been quietly takingself-defense classes, and she kept the gun in a locker at the gym. She’d run itby before coming home because she didn’t trust Micah not to go through herthings. “How do you know that?”
One big shoulder shrugged. “Because I had someone followyou. That was how I knew the timing was right. You see, my brother has been aliability for a long time, and now he’s run up debts with some nasty people,and I’m fairly certain the feds are about to come after him.”
Her breath caught as she realized he was holding a gun inhis gloved hands. A familiar-looking gun. “You killed him.”
“I did what I had to in order to protect us all,” Ted said,coming into the light for the first time. He looked neat and tidy in histhree-piece suit. Like a man who’d merely stopped by after a long day at work.“And by us, I do not mean you.”
The implications twisted through her brain. “You’re going totell everyone I did it? How did you get my gun? I just left it.”
“Yes, there will be footage of you walking into the ladies’gym roughly twenty minutes after Micah was killed by a .22 caliber pistol.” Heheld the gun up. “This one, but the cops will find yours exactly where you leftit, and they’ll discover you’ve fired a pistol in the last twenty-four hours.”
Her hands started to shake. “Why are you doing this?”
“What—killing Micah? Because he’s a dumbass. Or setting youup? Because cops like a neat and well-explained crime. You’ve been talkingabout leaving. You’ve whined about Micah hurting you to whoever will listen. Sohere’s what I’m thinking. You could try to tell the cops I’m the one who spentmonths setting you up. I have an ironclad alibi, by the way. Good luck sinceyou’ll be dealing with a public defender. No more money for you, honey. Or youcould decide to plead self-defense and again, good luck with that. Eitherchoice you make, no one’s looking my way and the feds no longer have a target.”
“I’m not letting you do this to me.” Outrage sparked throughher, but she had to also remember he was a dangerous man. How easy would it befor him to say he walked in on her and she attacked him like she had hisbrother? He had to take her down.
“Or, you could take the bag sitting on the bar, get intoyour car, and run.”
“So you can hunt me down?”
