AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I swear to god, if you hurt them—”
“Your mother is very pretty, Fox,” he says, stabbing every word. “And you know what I like to do to pretty women.”
“Don’t, please. Just…”I reel it in. I save it for when I kill this fucker. “You want a trade?”
“You and the file for them. Simple and clean.”
“Where?”
“It’ll take a few hours to get out there to corn cob country,” he mutters.
“There’s an old farm outside of Iowa City,” I say. “Look up Larry Clark, you’ll find it. Meet me at noon. Bring them with you or no deal.”
“Secluded.” He chuckles. “I taught you well.”
I say nothing.
“Sure, we can meet there,” he says. “Both of you. Together. I don’t want you prone in a tower somewhere with your rifle. That’s no way to treat your friends.”
“I won’t be.”
“Good talk, Fox.”
I slam the phone down and an officer eyes me as he passes by.
My concrete box will have to wait.
* * *
I drive back to Mrs. Clark’s farmhouse.
Dani steps outside onto the porch as I arrive. I spot Mrs. Clark lingering through the screen doorway behind her. Neither of them seems too happy with me. Hell hath no fury, as they say.
I walk across the driveway and Dani steps off the porch to meet me halfway. Her eyes are puffy and red, shooting a twinge of guilt through my gut. She stares at me for a moment in silence before reaching out and slapping me in the face.
I wince. The pain fires up my cheek, staying only for a moment before disappearing completely. “I guess I deserve that,” I say.
She doesn’t disagree. I’ve left her twice now without saying goodbye but, in my defense, I never thought I’d see her again both times.
Her hard eyes soften, and she lunges forward to wrap her arms around me. I smile as that faint apple scent invades my nose.
“Dani, I’m sorry,” I whisper. “Something’s happened…”
She raises her head. “What?” she asks, her voice breaking.
I wipe a tear off her cheek, though I know there’s more to come. “Mercer, he…” She stiffens and my heart breaks. “He has Bennett. And my mother.”
Dani’s eyes fill with fear. “What? No…”
“He said he’ll kill them if I don’t go back with the file.”
“Fox, you can’t…”
“I have to.”
She shakes her head and another tear falls. “There has to be another way,” she says. “Right?”
She looks at me like I have all the answers, like I’m a real man of action.
