The Atonement (The Arrangement, #3)(37)

She looked at me one last time, then turned on her heel and made her way to her car. The officers pulled down the driveway slowly, one by one, none of them bothering to look at us. Peter waved at them like a politician, a giant grin on his face.

“What did you do?” I asked him through gritted teeth. I didn’t care who saw how angry I was. It was impossible. It was also my last idea. I had no idea what I was going to do now.

Once the cars were gone, all except the two unmarked cars driven by Detective Burks and another detective, an excavator was driven down the side of our yard and around the curve of our driveway. Finally, the detectives pulled away, leaving us standing in silence, the weight of what just happened hanging in the air between us.

I’d failed.

I’d failed miserably.

“What did you do, Peter?” I demanded again.

“Looks like I just saved my own ass, doesn’t it?” He chuckled. “Did you honestly think I’d leave them where they were, knowing you tried to kill me? I love you, Ains. But I’m not stupid enough to trust you. Not anymore. You ruined that.”

“Where are the bodies?”

“Looks like I’m the only one who knows.” He shrugged, walking toward the end of the driveway. I followed him. “And if you’d like to keep it that way, I suggest you do as I say.”

“Where are you going?”

He rounded the corner, peering down the portion of the driveway that was concealed from the house. “Checking to make sure they left. Wouldn’t want to walk into another trap.” When he turned back to me, he cracked his knuckles. “Now then, where were we?”

Thinking quickly, I spun around on my heels, tearing down the driveway at breakneck speed. He rushed to keep up, lunging at me with his hands outstretched. He grabbed my arm, and I jerked forward. I tried to swipe the keys from his hand, but he held on to them tightly, tugging me into his chest and wrapping me up with both arms.

Using all my strength, I pulled his wrist to my lips, sinking my teeth into his skin with so much force, I tasted blood in seconds. I bit down harder until I felt a chunk of skin break free. He jerked back, cursing at me and dropping the keys. Fighting against the urge to vomit, I spit the piece of skin onto the ground and dove for the keys.

I scooped them up and scrambled to my feet, sliding inside while he cursed and kicked and spun in circles with pain. When the car started, he was jarred from his pain-filled trance. He hurried forward, but he was too slow.

I stomped on the gas and the car flew down the driveway in reverse, narrowly making the turn. I silently prayed that the police would still be there. That they’d see him chasing me, but I knew they’d be gone. They weren’t wasting time with us, and I couldn’t blame them.

This made twice now that Peter had bested me, but it wouldn’t happen again. He was getting smarter, I’d give him that, but I’d always been—and would always be—able to outsmart him. I’d just have to learn to play by the new rules of the game.





CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR





PETER





Ainsley had tried to turn me in.

First, she’d tried to kill me. Then, when that hadn’t worked, she’d tried to turn me in. She wanted me to go to prison. To pay for what I’d done—what we’d done, someone should remind her. If I hadn’t had the foresight to move the bodies—what was left of them, anyway—I might never see my children again.

Ainsley had believed she’d won.

It sickened me…realizing that was why she wanted to meet me. She was keeping me occupied. Keeping me out of the way. Then, she let me drive us straight into the trap without a single care. How could anyone be so heartless? So cruel?

Luckily for me, once again, I’d outsmarted her.

I was getting good at that.

Now though, I was home without a car and a chunk of skin missing from my wrist. I doused it in cool water, patting it with a gauze pad.

What an animal she was…

Before I wrapped the wound, I picked up my phone to snap pictures. If she was going to try to take me down, I would do the same. No judge could see pictures of this abuse and think she could be a fit parent.

I didn’t want it to come to that, but if it had to, it was better to be safe than sorry. Ainsley had already proven she’d stop at nothing to win. I’m not sure why I expected anything different.

I positioned the phone’s camera over my wrist and took two pictures, one from farther away and one up close. You could make out the teeth marks plainly, and the way the skin around the wound had already begun to bruise.

My phone buzzed, interrupting my thoughts, and I looked down.

Well, well, well…

I didn’t really have time to answer, but I couldn’t resist. After all, why would Gina be calling me? Ever since our unfortunate encounter with Mallory during my arrangement with Ainsley, things had been awkward between us at best and cool at worst. Today’s conversation in the office hadn’t exactly left me expecting to hear from her again.

“Hello?” I kept my voice calm, cool, and casual.

“Hey, is this a bad time?”

“No. Not at all.” I braced the phone between my shoulder and ear as I carefully wrapped my wrist, wincing from the pain. “What’s up?”

“It’s none of my business, but I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation with Beckman today. About the divorce.”