AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I thought that if I couldn’t have the fame, the glory, I could at least have his happiness,” Jim continued, his voice tinged with regret. “So, one night, when I saw him on a date, I . . . I saw him so happy. I decided he didn’t deserve a pretty womananda rodeo career.”
The words died in his throat, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. I watched him, my mind reeling. He had killed the woman my father was with . . . I didn’t even know Dad had been dating someone.
The puzzle pieces started to click together. This strange man. This story . . .
“Hank wanted to punish your father,” he continued, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips. “For leaving Nightfall. I was killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.”
A cold dread sunk into my bones. “And now, her son is out for blood,” I murmured, my heart pounding in my chest. “You killed Declan’s mother. All because she was on a date with my father.”
There was so much to process I could barely think.
“Didn’t realize her son would grow up to be a cold-blooded killer.”
I swallowed. “Are . . . are you going to kill me?”
“You’re nothing more than a worm on a hook. Bait,” he grumbled, snapping me out of my reverie. “Although it would make meveryhappy to punish your father even more, I need you alive to get what I want. As long as you do as I say, no one has to get hurt.”
My mind was a whirlwind of confusion. Why would Jim Harlow want me as insurance? My stomach churned with a mixture of fear and confusion. It felt like I was on a collision course with my past, and I had no idea how to steer clear.
“I’m leverage. You’re going to use me to draw out Declan,” I croaked.
He was silent for a moment, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. “That’s right,” he said finally. The calmness in his voice contrasted starkly with the trembling fear I felt.
“I’ll kill him, just like I killed his mother. And if you obey, I’ll let you live.”
The realization knocked the wind out of me. “Where are you taking me?” My voice was a shaky whisper, the lump in my throat making it hard to speak.
“Get comfortable, Clover.” Jim’s voice was malicious, unsettling in its calmness. He didn’t look at me this time, his gaze fixed firmly on the darkened road stretching out before us. “We’ve got a long ride ahead.”
A shudder coursed through me at his words. The uncertainty of what lay ahead, the dread that clung to each passing moment, it threatened to consume me. But I knew I had to stay strong, had to hold on, for Declan . . . for myself.
DECLAN
The air in the dimly lit room hung heavy with the scent of stale cigarettes and tension. I took a seat at the worn-out wooden desk, my heart pounding in my chest like a caged beast. Anxiety coursed through my veins, fueled by the knowledge of what I had done, the gas line I had cut. Time was running out, and Hank’s den could go up in flames at any moment.
I’d get my answers.
Hank would get a meeting with the devil.
As I settled into the chair, my eyes involuntarily drifted to the objects on the table beside me: a pack of cigarettes and a silver lighter. It was a simple, innocent setup, but it held the potential to ignite disaster. If Hank reached for those cigarettes and flicked open that lighter, the entire place would go up in a fiery inferno.
The horror of the suspense weighed heavily on me, the knowledge that my life teetered on a fragile balance. I had to be careful, keep Hank occupied, and prevent any careless movements that could trigger the catastrophe waiting to happen.
Hank’s arrival shattered the uneasy silence, his heavy footsteps echoing through the room. His eyes were cold, devoid of any mercy or compassion. He took a seat across from me, a sinister grin curling his lips as he surveyed the table.
We couldn’t smell the gas leak.
Yet.
But it would quickly fill this entire room.
A risk I had to take.
“The judge, his wife, and the trail guide,” Hank said, his voice low and gravelly. “Are they all dead like I asked?”
I met his stare, my expression impassive. “They won’t be troubling you anymore,” I replied. With a swift motion, I reached into the waistband of my jeans and dropped Judge Mathis’s bloodstained gun on the table.
Hank’s eyes narrowed, his attention fixated on the evidence before him. A twisted satisfaction skipped across his face.
