Page 133 of Trace of Doubt
Marissa lifted her purse onto her shoulder. “Shelby, you and Aria get into the back seat of the SUV. Eli’s driving.”
No point in arguing. I nodded at Aria, and we climbed out of the chopper and into the vehicle. Marissa slid into the front passenger side. Her door closed and both vehicles bolted toward the garage’s exit ramp. The chopper rose to the sky and navigated northwest.
How would anyone find us?
“Where to now?” I said.
“None of your business. I’m putting my gun here beside me. I won’t hesitate to use it. Understand?” When we nodded, she laid the firearm within her reach. “Want to know how I found out you’d drugged our drinks?”
“I assume a camera in an area I missed.”
She smiled. “Right above the refrigerator. I have them everywhere. Even in the bathrooms and closets.”
“Everything’s been a game?”
“Precisely. You were a worthy opponent until you came to Miami. I tried the suicide route, but you outmaneuvered me. I thought I could mold you into a solid partner. Looked like you’d gotten smarter in prison, but I couldn’t be sure. Once you were here, I had my eyes everywhere.” She cursed. “You sold me out. The clincher was the FBI’s release when I set you up to take the fall for Rudder. Your rear should still be in jail, which proves your agent boyfriend thinks more of you than his job. Doesn’t matter. Having you and Aria as hostages keeps my plan in motion.”
I’d viewed my sister in various moods, and I hadn’t discerned which one was the deadliest. What simmered below the surface kept her in a leadership position to bring in more money and eliminate opposition. Had she calculated every step since before Travis’s murder, possibly with Eli’s help? Poor Aria. If she survived this, her emotional and mental health might take a lifetime to restore.
My breathing came in short gasps, and my chest ached. Marissa pulled my inhaler from her purse. “Use it but give it back to me. In case you have any thoughts about trying something stupid.”
I took two puffs and returned it. What else was in her arsenal? “Really, Marissa? Am I to take the blame for another crime? Do you plan to put me and Aria in the middle of a firefight?”
“I’ve worked hard to build my operation, and no one will take it from me.”
I listened, reaching deep for restraint. “What’s your strategy?”
“Considering tomorrow is Aria’s birthday, I thought we’d enjoy some girl time before I leave the country.”
Eli whirled to Marissa. “Tomorrow is Aria’s birthday?”
“Are you stupid? Didn’t you hear me?”
He pulled onto the expressway and drove northwest. “Don’tcall me stupid when I’m the one who taught you the business. I’ve protected you for a lot of years, and most of the time you’ve treated me like dirt.” He banged the steering wheel with his palm. “Just did the math, and Aria’s mine, not your dead husband’s.”
I reached across the seat and took Aria’s hand. What I suspected held credibility.
“You’re a fool, Eli.” Marissa spat the words. “This is not the time to discuss Aria’s paternity.”
“Explain how we were together for the weekend, and you have a kid nine months later.”
“Took you a lot of years to figure it out.”
“Please!” Aria shrieked. “Is Eli my dad?”
Marissa twisted her body and slapped Aria’s cheek. “Not one more word. In fact, all of you keep your mouths shut.”
“Don’t you ever lay a hand on her again.” Eli’s words seemed to blow the roof off the car.
“Since when did you start caring about one of your kids?”
“For the record, you promised me a whole lot if I gave up my other three.”
“Worked, didn’t it?” She aimed her firearm at him. “Drive. I have someplace to be.”
We stopped at a gas station with an accompanying McDonald’s long enough to switch the SUV for a Toyota and fill it up with gas. I begged for a bathroom break, and Marissa insisted Aria go with us. Made me wonder if Eli might set her free. Inside, I looked for anything to write on or with, a way to let Denton know our location. Verbally alerting anyone invited Marissa to open fire.
Nothing.
