Page 70 of Too Broken to Love

Nathaniel’s comb-over slipped as he shook his head. “I’m sorry. Vivian is just …please. I need your help.”

Hudson leaned back an inch. His head spun with how fast Nathaniel flipped between self-serving righteousness and desperate self-preservation. “Did you put the listening device in my ring and the bug in the house?”

Splotches of color flared on Nathaniel’s face. “So, you found those. You’re not the only one with contacts.”

Hudson growled at his smug tone. “But I’m the only one in this conversation who knows how to kill a man a dozen ways with his bare hands.” Hudson cracked his knuckles. “Why did you spy on me?”

Nathaniel eyed Hudson’s clenched fists. “I couldn’t be sure Vivian’s inheritance would be enough to cover my debt. I need the Project V contract to keep my company afloat. I heard you’d been tapped to join the program and utilized the resource.”

The implication of Nathaniel’s actions blasted into Hudson like a bullet.

Tessa thought she, by way of Frank, had been the cause of Pop’s death.

She had it all wrong.

Project VIPER was the reason.

I was the reason.

Hudson sprang forward and grabbed Nathaniel by the shirt. His control stretched to the breaking point. “What you meant to say was you killed my grandfather because you’re a selfish bastard who tried to use me to cheat like a spineless coward.”

“It wasn’t cheating. It was a strategic business move.” Nathaniel huffed. “The listening device was a waste, though, because it didn’t work at your meeting today.”

“I found it, you moron.” Hudson shoved Nathaniel back onto the couch. “Do you know why the enforcer from Passage tried to abduct Tessa?”

Nathaniel rubbed the back of his head. “No. I swear.”

“What about the explosion at her house?”

“Nothing about that either. Just…please help me.”

Hudson’s pilot buddy called his name again. He ignored the greeting as he pulled his phone from his pocket. He needed to call the General. As he looked at the screen, his heart stopped.

Tessa’s red dot wasn’t in the ladies’ room.

Fry Jack pressed the gun concealed under his leather vest into Tessa’s side as he dragged her down the stairs. The warmth from the deadly weapon penetrated her gown in a silent promise of the consequences for trying to escape again.

Biting back a whimper, she fought to ignore the throbbing in her scalp where he’d grabbed her hair minutes ago when she’d emerged from the restroom and tried to run from him and his gun. The scream nobody heard and the struggle nobody saw behind the closed ballroom doors burned in her throat.

Thank God she hadn’t given Hudson her ring. He’d be here any moment to…

To what? Get shot? He wasn’t armed. They were at a ball for Christ’s sake. She had to figure something out. Hudson didn’t stand a chance if he charged down the steps and into a bullet.

Frank’s voice infiltrated her panic. She clung to his instructions like an anchor.

Assess your surroundings.

Keep your eye on your target.

The ballroom was three floors up. Fry Jack had already dragged her down to the street level. A sign for the loading dock pointed to the right beyond the open door. If he got her into that hallway, she’d be one step closer to being the next victim they smuggled to God knows where.

She called on Frank. A list of his favorite distractions played in her mind.

Fake an injury.

Pretend to pass out.

Throw up.