The Protector (Game of Chance, #1)(78)

“And Tommy and I laughed about it,” Susie said, her smirk turning cruel.

She was deranged. Carlise couldn’t think of another explanation for why Susie would act like this, why she’d do anything she’d done.

“But then you disappeared, and I couldn’t have fun anymore, and it pissed me off! It’s a good thing you called when you did because I was all set to have a little chat with your mom . . . use a little physical persuasion to find out where you were hiding. I was actually in her parking lot when you called.” Susie flashed another evil smile. “But when you were saying all that ridiculous shit and sounding so happy? Well . . . I couldn’t have that.

“I need you to suffer, Carlise. Like you made Tommy suffer! I tried to get you to come back to Ohio, but you were too damn stupid. So I did what I had to do . . . and here I am. Now—get that fucking piece of paper!”

Susie emphasized her point by pulling the trigger on the gun and firing at the floor.

Carlise jumped so badly at the loud noise, her entire body immediately began to shake. Her mind, though, was still frozen. Still thinking of everything she’d just heard.

She couldn’t believe her best friend had actually planned on torturing her mom.

Baxter growled in the bathroom. Loud, vicious growls that made the situation all the more terrifying.

“Now!” Susie screamed.

Moving quickly and trying to figure out how the hell she could get out of this, Carlise went over to the pad she used to take notes while translating books and tore out a sheet. She held it out to Susie. But her former friend merely shook her head.

“Write,” she ordered. “I’ll tell you what to say.”

Carlise didn’t want to, but at the moment, she had no choice. So she picked up the pen that was next to the notebook and began to write as Susie dictated.

She was crying by the time she’d finished.

When Riggs read the note, he was going to be pissed. But not at her. She had no doubt that he wouldn’t believe anything on that piece of paper. They loved each other. Truly and deeply. There was no way he’d turn his back on her because of a note.

Not to mention, as soon as he reviewed the cameras, he’d learn what had happened.

She hadn’t been so sure about the cameras, had thought more than once of taking him up on the offer to turn them off . . . but she trusted Riggs. And now? She was eternally grateful for them. If Susie hurt her, Riggs would know what had happened—and who was to blame.

“Now pack,” Susie ordered. “And hurry up. We need to be off this godforsaken mountain before that asshole returns.”

With little choice, Carlise began stuffing her things into the backpack she’d worn when she’d first set out into that storm. When that was full, she put the rest of her things into the suitcase his friends had brought to her after finding her car. She was crying nonstop now, not sure what to do, how to escape.

Susie. She never in a million years had suspected her friend was the one who was terrorizing her. Now, it made glaring sense why she’d never been able to catch a glimpse of her stalker. Hell, she’d told Susie everything she was doing, where she was going . . . how badly the messages and gifts were scaring her.

And the person she’d thought had her back was actually laughing behind her back the whole time. Enjoying the fact that she was frightened and constantly looking over her shoulder.

Now she had a loaded weapon pointed at her—and seemed to have no problem using it.

Had she ever really known Susie? Apparently not.

“Now what?” she asked tonelessly when she’d finished packing.

“Now we leave,” Susie said.

“And?”

Her former best friend smiled again. A grin so malicious, it made the hair on Carlise’s arms stand on end.

“You’ll no longer be Tommy’s problem,” Susie said. “And he and I can live happily ever after. I won’t have to worry about you being a pain in my ass or coming back to try to seduce him away from me. Now move. And don’t even think about going anywhere near that bathroom door. I’ll put a bullet through that dog’s head before he can get close to me.”

Baxter was still losing his mind inside the small room, his snarls and growls loud and continuous. The thought of him being killed was more than Carlise could bear.

As she shuffled toward the front door with her suitcase and backpack, she took a deep breath, and her tears stopped flowing. She needed to clear her head if she was going to survive whatever Susie had planned for her. And it sure wasn’t bringing her back to Cleveland and pretending none of this had ever happened.

She had to get away. She’d watched enough crime shows to know that if someone bent on doing harm got you into a car, you were done for. And they both knew Susie couldn’t navigate the snowy winding roads and keep the gun pointed at Carlise at the same time. As soon as she was in the SUV, it was likely Susie would shoot her and find a place to dump her body in some desolate forest area on the way to Bangor to catch her plane back to Ohio.

Anger swam through Carlise’s veins. No. She’d just found Riggs. She didn’t want to leave him. Leave Baxter.

She wanted to get to know JJ and Bob and Cal. And find out what the deal was between April and JJ. She’d seen the look Riggs’s friend had aimed at the administrative assistant when she’d almost fallen in the snow, and it definitely wasn’t one of mere concern.