Page 59

There was no way in hell.

“She won’t answer. Thanks to your little stunt, when we got the alarm that there was something wrong with your ankle monitor, she went into hiding with the kids.”

His eyes narrowed. “But surely she’ll come if her dear friend needs her the night before the wedding. Maybe tell her you got cold feet, you need her to help you figure out what you should do.”

“You don’t think she’s going to be a little suspicious of that? An hour ago I couldn’t wait to get married, then all of a sudden I’m calling saying I’m about to skip town? Oh, and it just happens to be when there was indication that you were messing with your ankle monitor. Hmm, I wonder if she’ll be suspicious about that at all. I wonder if maybe she’ll go to the police. I wonder if maybe you’ve underestimated Marilyn for way too many years and she’s never going to put herself in a position where you have control over her again.”

Bree spit the words out and finally got some real emotion in his eyes. Anger.

“I’m not afraid of you,” she lied with a steady voice.

But she was. He had a gun. And she might know some self-defense moves, but most of them weren’t going to do much good against someone determined to shoot her.

Jared shook his head. “Marilyn used to be a lot more like you when I first met her. Feisty. Wanted to fight back. But eventually I taught her to heel. She’s very well trained now. Which is why I am, in fact, going to need you to call her and get her to come over.”

Bree stood. No matter what he threatened, Bree wasn’t going to allow Marilyn to put herself back in this man’s clutches. “Even if she would come, which I don’t think she’s stupid enough to do, I won’t do it. I won’t call her. You’ll have to shoot me.”

For a second she thought he was actually going to do it, but a knock on the door stopped him.

“Bree, it’s me. I couldn’t leave you on the night before your wedding.”

Bree’s eyes met Jared’s cold ones.

It was Marilyn.

Chapter Twenty-One

Tanner walked into Micky’s, one of the two bars in Risk Peak. He’d had his first legal drink here when he turned twenty-one. It was only right that he’d have his last drink as a single man here also.

Noah would be buying him both.

“Marilyn and the kids okay?” he asked Noah as his brother joined him at the booth. “Can’t blame Marilyn for being nervous after everything that’s happened in the last week.”

“Yep. Kids were sound asleep.”

Tanner took a sip of his beer. “The way Marilyn looked when that alarm went off about Jared’s monitor... I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d taken the kids and fled the country.”

“I’m trying to give her whatever she needs to work through this at her own pace.” Noah spun his beer around between his fingers. “But believe me, it’s only out of respect for you that this situation hasn’t already been completely handled.”

“Let the justice system work its process.” But Tanner grimaced even as he said it.

“What was that look for?”

“In some ways I would totally approve of you handling it yourself. I got the case files. I know Marilyn told us some about what Ellis did to her, but it’s bad, Noah.”

Noah stared down into his beer. “She’s told me a little. Sick stuff. The physical abuse was what got him arrested, but the other stuff he did to her...” He trailed off. “And I don’t even think she’s told me all of it.”

“Then I’m sure most of it isn’t in the police report either. But hell, what is in the report is bad enough. Jared should be looking at eight to ten years.”

Noah shook his head. “Not long enough, if you ask me.”

“It’s too bad we can’t pin the stuff in the wilderness on him. Whitaker is still looking into that. He’s gotten warrants to go through Paul Wyn and George Pearson’s phone records and texts. If he can tie it to Jared, you know he will.”

“Good. Accessory to attempted murder is going to hold a much longer sentence, I’m assuming.”

“Yeah, and that would be much better because I really don’t like how Oscar Stobbart seems so confident about the case. That Jared won’t see jail time.”

“That’s his job, right? Hell, someone who’s as good at this sleazy lawyer stuff as he is knows that the appearance of confidence can get them a long way.”