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‘I only told him what Jake told me! Why is that such a problem?’
‘You think I was going to waste all Caruana’s money on that scum?’
The penny dropped. ‘You were planning on stealing it! You were going to take your cut, and you’re mad at me because you got your filthy, fat fingers caught in the till. Don’t try to pin it on me.’
He growled. ‘I would have got away with it, too, if you hadn’t shot your mouth off. You owe me!’
She rubbed the wrist that still stung from his grip, trying to work out distance and angles, knowing she had to keep him talking if she was to have any hope of getting out of here before…
Oh no. She wasn’t going there.
He took a step closer and she knew she’d have to move soon. She wondered how long the bathroom door would last if she locked herself in, wondered if she’d be courting disaster to search for a decent knife in the kitchen drawer before she bolted. ‘You should have got away, little lady, while you could. When Millie finally told me you were down here in the cabins, it was almost too good to be true. She didn’t want to tell me, either. Dunno why.’
Fear snaked down her spine. ‘What did you do to her?’
‘She’ll live,’ he said with a leery grin as he rubbed his groin. ‘And don’t worry. I saved the best for you.’
She dragged in air, trying not to retch, looking for reason or an argument that might sway him. ‘Daniel’s going to be here any minute. We’ve got a meeting.’
He laughed. ‘Nice try. He’s in Townsville all day. Besides, he’s obviously finished with you if you’re down here by yourself. Did he decide he’d had enough and threw you out like yesterday’s leftovers?’
Her hands guided her as she edged along the bench top, fingers chancing upon something cane—the basket Millie had given her. ‘You don’t know anything.’
‘I know he only wanted you here because Fletcher was screwing his sister. An eye for an eye, a root for a root.’
His words hit some place she didn’t want to go, and she shoved them aside before they could do any damage. ‘You’re disgusting!’
‘And you’re a slut, but I’m not choosy.’ And then he smiled. ‘Didn’t he tell you he was the one who booked the Tropical Palms? Paid them a million in cold, hard cash to get you here?’
‘You’re lying.’
‘Ask him yourself, at this meeting.’ He laughed at his own joke and took another step closer but there was still a small dining setting between them and Sophie knew it was now or never. She grabbed the handle of the basket with one hand and flung her arm in an arc, letting the basket fly directly at him while she ran around the other way.
She saw a big, beefy arm go up to ward it off, and it bounced away, but not before raining down its contents on him. ‘Bitch!’
But she was already at the door, her fingers working at the lock, sliding the glass doors open. He slammed into her from behind and she crashed against the glass with a scream, her fingers losing the handle, clutching at the curtains, pulling them from their tracks with a crash as he dragged her back. ‘You’ll pay for that!’
‘Let me go!’ She struggled against his more powerful frame, caught a handful of his face and raked her nails down, drawing blood. The back of his hand smashed across her cheek, cracking her head back and momentarily stunning her.
He bundled her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom, throwing her sprawling on the bed. She landed with a whump, rolling over, scooting up to the headboard as far as she could and folding herself into a ball, her hand rubbing her aching jaw. ‘Jake said you were a bully.’
He snorted as he unhitched his belt, and she pulled her feet in tighter. ‘Did he, now? What the hell would he know? He was unconscious for months. Nobody knows nothin’.’
Fear sliced through her like the blow from a scythe, fear and a strange kind of horrific understanding. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Shut up.’ He moved around the bed and she scooted to the other side.
‘I’ll scream.’
‘Scream all you like, honey. Caruana’s other bitch did too, and it only made it all the better for me. Almost as satisfying as when your brother got lumbered with the blame.’
Realisation hit her with lightning-bolt force. ‘It was your baby! She went to my brother’s that night because she was pregnant with your baby and she didn’t know what to do.’ And, like a second lightning-hit, a more sickening truth hit home. ‘You raped her. The minute Daniel’s back was turned, you raped her, and all the years you let my brother take the blame.’
