Page 52 of Silent Menace
What was she supposed to do? Was this the kind of pressure Wesley had felt? A twinge of sympathy for her late husband tried to wriggle its way in, but she pushed it aside. Wesley had gotten himself into that mess. She’d done nothing wrong.
Did Mr. Luque know about Wesley? It was quite possible. In fact, if he’d looked her up online, last year’s news articles would have come up on the first page of search results. Was that whyhe’d decided to pull her in—because he thought she shared her late husband’s tendencies?
Almost on autopilot, she shut down her computer and gathered her things. But even after changing back into her disguise, she couldn’t make herself leave just yet. She wanted to give Alessandro Luque enough of a head start that their paths wouldn’t cross on her way out. After waiting another ten agonizingly long minutes, she headed out.
When the elevator doors opened on the first floor, she glanced around. Once again, the darkened businesses loomed like specters. The main bathroom door was propped open with an industrial mop bucket, indicating the janitor was doing his rounds. No one else was in sight, and she hoped that meant she’d given Alessandro Luque and his men enough time to be on their way. He didn’t seem to be the type to slink around in the shadows. But then again, she hadn’t pegged him for a money launderer either.
Her eyes landed on the security office, and her steps slowed. She had an overwhelming desire to tell Peter what was going on. He already knew part of it, but this was so much bigger than she’d dreamed. Would Eukaria’s CFO consider that an act of defiance against his order not to tell the police? Peter wasn’t a cop, but he was almost law enforcement. She couldn’t risk it. Not here where she could be seen or overheard. Even if Mr. Luque was gone, she wouldn’t put it past him to have slipped the janitor money to keep his ears open. She frowned. That seemed far-fetched. Was she just being paranoid now?
As she continued across the lobby, the door to the security office opened. Peter stepped out, a hopeful look on his face. But when he saw her expression, it faded. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head and glanced toward the mop bucket. “Nothing.”
He drew closer to her and lowered his voice. “You’re white as a sheet. Did something else happen?”
“Everything’s fine.” She spoke at a normal volume and tried toinfuse cheeriness into her tone. “Just worked a bit late and kind of in a hurry now. Miguel is waiting for me.”
He didn’t look convinced, and she couldn’t blame him. A flicker of movement drew her eyes back toward the bathrooms. The janitor emerged, appearing focused on his duties as he backed into the lobby. But was he?
An idea struck her. Before she could talk herself out of it, she blurted, “I’m sorry for forgetting those suits you were interested in. You sure you don’t mind swinging by my parents’ house to pick them up in the morning?”Just play along, she begged him silently.
Peter’s eyebrows drew together in confusion, but he said, “Of course. No worries at all.”
“Oh good. Well, I’d better be going.” She stepped around him and hurried out the door without looking back.
Once in her borrowed car, she lowered her head to the steering wheel and took several deep breaths. Had she done the right thing? Peter was already planning to show back up at her parents’ house tomorrow, but she hoped she’d gotten the message across that she needed to talk to him, just not right now.
But could she tell him what happened? Would she be putting him in danger? Putting Jenna or her parents in danger? She could hardly bear the thought. Maybe she shouldn’t tell him. She could still change her mind before tomorrow morning. Tell him ... something. But then what? She was in way past her depth—had been for days. She needed someone to help her figure out what to do before she had to choose between her integrity and her daughter’s life.
“God, I don’t know what to do,” she whispered.
28
The plateleft my handand shattered against the wall. Its blue and white shards rained down on the floor, joining the remains of yesterday’s therapy session.
Despite the controlled destruction, I felt no relief. I’d spent all day trying to figure out how to get rid of Hailey without risking exposure, and I’d come up with nothing.
Frustration welled in me. Climbed my throat, begging for release. How had I missed her yesterday? After making up my mind to act, I’d headed to the 1798 Building and arrived in time to see her and that security guard leave. I’d followed them to her house. They’d spent just long enough inside to give me time to get into position. I’d had her in my sights—riddled the vehicle with bullets—and somehow she still escaped. The woman must have an army of guardian angels, though I didn’t believe in such a thing.
My phone rang, and I snatched it from the counter. “What?”
“You need to get out of there.” Barely restrained panic laced the voice coming through my phone.
My body stiffened. “What’s happened?”
“He knows. There are men at my house. I can’t go back.”
No. There hadn’t been any more emails, and Hailey hadn’tsaid enough in the first one to warrant this. We should have more time.
Sweat broke out on my forehead, but I managed to keep my voice calm. “Where are you? Are you safe?”
“For now. I saw their vehicles in my driveway and kept going. I don’t think they saw me.” He paused. The faint purr of a car engine drifted over the line. “But you aren’t safe. If they’re in my house, it’s only a matter of time before they discover the link between us. You need to leave. I’ll be tossing my phone after this call. Meet me at our place in Tennessee.”
“Got it.” I hung up and slumped in my chair. But only for a moment. He was right. If Alessandro Luque’s men were at his house, that meant the jig was up. Luque might not realize yet that he hadn’t acted alone, but I had no doubt he’d put two and two together once he uncovered my identity. And he’d stop at nothing to make us pay.
I jumped to my feet. I couldn’t afford to sit here any longer. There was no telling how long I had before men showed up at my door too. Might be an hour, might be a day—but theywouldbe coming, and I needed to be far, far away from here when they did.
Rushing into my bedroom, I made a beeline for the closet. I pulled out my largest suitcase and threw it on the bed. I opened my wall safe. There wasn’t time to sort through what I’d need, so I removed everything and tossed the whole mess of documents, jewelry, and cash into the suitcase. That couple grand I’d tucked away would be all I’d have access to for a while.
