AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Eric pauses, turns slightly and glances down. “Much better.”
My gaze zeroes in on his perfect cock and my throat goes dry as memories of last night invade my thoughts. Reminders of how he filled me up so thoroughly.
“Ivy?”
“Hmm?” I hum, looking up to see the amused expression on his face.
“I appreciate the concern, but you seem to be looking in the wrong place.” My cheeks heat up and he chuckles. “Don’t get me wrong. I like it.”
“You’re incorrigible,” I chastise him.
“Wash up and meet me on the back porch for coffee,” he says and turns to head down to the guest bathroom. He takes his time, though, and I clench my teeth together, fighting the urge to reach out and grab his firm ass cheek.
Dropping back down on my back, I let out a shaky sigh.Eric Finn is going to be the death of me.
Cause of death: endless orgasms.
But what better way to die?
With a dreamy sigh, I slip out of bed and go into the attached bathroom. After quickly relieving myself, I splash some cold water on my face and reach for the extra toothbrush Eric gave me, lost in my thoughts. What am I going to do with that man?
The moment I wander back into the bedroom, my phone buzzes with a text message. It’s still on the nightstand where I left it last night and I pluck my cell up, look down at the screen and see a message from “unknown.”
With a frown, I open the text and pull in a sharp breath. My heart pounds hard as I re-read it again:We want the SD card. Bring it to this address in exactly 30 minutes or someone you love dies. We’ll start with your new boyfriend. Then it’ll be your sister. Don’t tell anyone and come alone.
Oh, God.No matter how many times I read the words on the screen, I’m at a loss. Going alone would be suicide. But if I don’t give these guys what they want—the evidence of Sharpe’s murder—then they’re going to hurt Kennedy or Eric.
I can’t live with that kind of guilt and I care about them both way too much to put them in a bad situation. But how stupid would I be to trust that they’d let me walk away after handing over the card? I’m contemplating how to tell Eric and bring on the Slater team to help when I get a second message. And this one is an attached picture.
Finger trembling, I slide the bar over and open the newest threat: it’s a picture of Eric sitting on the back porch, a coffee mug in hand, and I immediately know someone is watching us right at this very moment. My stomach sinks, heavy with dread, and I’m frozen in place, gripped by a raw terror.
Then the message pops up:You have ten minutes to leave the house or he’s dead. Say a word about this and we blow his head off.
My heart is hammering so hard in my chest that it’s becoming hard to breathe. Now is not the time to panic. My gut says they aren’t bluffing and I need to get the hell out of here. Now.
Racking my brain for a plan, moving on adrenaline, I throw my clothes on and tuck my phone in my jeans pocket, along with the damn SD card Ryan gave back to me. Outside, I hear music start playing and it sounds like The Beatles.
Even though I want to tell Eric, I can’t risk it and I will not gamble with his life. Especially if they have a gun pointed at his head right now. If these guys think I say something I shouldn’t, they’ll kill him. My gut knows it and I refuse to take that kind of a chance. Even if it means putting myself at risk and playing the stupid girl card.
If I go down that’s one thing. But taking Eric and Kennedy with me isn’t going to happen.
An idea hits me and I have precious little time before I need to leave in order to make the meeting. “You can do this,” I tell myself. Swallowing down my nerves, I pull my hair back in a ponytail and meet Eric on the back porch where he’s waiting.
“Here you go,” he says and hands me a mug of steaming hot coffee. There’s a record player on the table and it’s playing an old Beatles’ vinyl. It’s “Oh! Darling” from Abbey Road and my heart constricts.
“I love this song,” I say, accepting the mug, trying to be cool. But, inside, I’m a wreck. “Thank you.”Dammit.Why does he have to be so sweet? It’s wearing down my defenses and I take a sip, my alert gaze moving out over the land behind his bungalow, and I wonder where the shooter is hiding. I know the asshole is out there somewhere.
His gun sights trained on Eric.
Shit, shit, shit.
The disconcerting thought makes my stomach hurt and bile threatens to rise up the back of my throat. I dragged him into this mess and I can’t let him get hurt. I won’t.
But I need to get out of here now and ditch Eric first. Glancing over at him, I see he’s studying me over the rim of his mug. “What?”
His penetrating green-gray gaze makes me self-conscious and I instantly wonder if he knows that I’m up to something. No, that’s impossible. How could he?Relax, Ivy. He has no clue. Just get on with it.
You’re saving his life.
