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“Tell me the rest. How you ended up here.”
“He had his men, his bodyguards, on me twenty-four-seven. But I slipped them a few times. I went to my girlfriends for help. He’d always find me, though. Immediately. It was like he had some kind of tracking device on me.”
“Probably your car. Cell phone, too.”
“Every time one of my girlfriends helped me—after he took me back—I’d hear that bad things had started happening to them.”
“Like what?”
“One of them had her car vandalized. Another’s dog was poisoned. It wasn’t long before they didn’t want to have anything to do with me. They had their own families to worry about. I can’t blame them. I feel horrible for the price they paid for trying to help me.”
“Did you ever go to the police?”
“By that time, Nicklaus came right out and told me—threatened me—that if I went to the police, my family would pay. I was afraid.”
“That’s when you contacted Cole?” He felt her shake her head.
“No. It was when I overheard Nicklaus talking about taking me back to England with him, making sure my passport was in his control so I couldn’t leave. He was talking to my father about a merger, saying that I was part of the deal. No Shannon—no deal.”
“So, what the fuck, Shannon? You’re telling me your father was trading you to this guy?” He felt her tremble and knew his words had been cruel, whether true or not. He rubbed her back. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. You deserve better.”
“My father loves me,” Shannon defended. “I know he does.”
The man didn’t know the meaning of the goddamn word, but he didn’t have the heart to crush her with that truth. “I’m sure he does, Shannon.”
She pulled back and looked up into his face, a pleading expression in her eyes. “We have to leave Lake Tahoe. Please, Crash. Take me away, before they spot me.
He swallowed, looking down into her eyes, seeing the terror there. Fuck, he was going to tear this guy apart, piece by piece, for putting that look on her face. His cell phone rang. He brushed the hair back from her eyes, and then pulled it out and looked at the display. Cole. “Give me a second, sweetheart.”
She nodded and stepped back.
He put it to his ear. “Yeah?” He walked out of the room, surveying the parking lot while he listened.
“Crash? Where you at?”
“Tahoe.”
“We got trouble up in Reno.”
“At the house?”
“Yeah. I’m headed up there now. Can you meet us?”
“I’ve got Shannon.”
“Leave her there. Pick her up on the way back.”
“I can’t.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“There’s shit she didn’t tell you. Th
is guy she’s running from? He’s not some kid, he’s an associate of her father. He’s powerful, and he’s got guys looking for her, Cole. They tracked us here. She spotted them.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.” Crash heard Cole blow out a breath.
