She Can Hide (She Can #4)(88)

“Yes, I can rest easy now that my family is safe.” Ryland signaled. His men climbed from a nearby boat and collected the body. He handed them his gloves and the gun. Ignoring the sounds of wood creaking as one of his employees replaced a bloodstained board, Ryland turned back to the horizon. A few minutes later, the boat eased from its mooring and chugged into the bay. He followed the sight of the boat’s running lights until the vessel disappeared in the darkness.

He stood for a moment and stared out over the choppy water. For all the turmoil evident on its surface, what happened in its murky depths remained a mystery. Sometimes she hoarded her secrets like gold. Other times she tossed them onto her shores as if unworthy of her efforts.

Ryland had no worries. His men knew how to make sure Paul never surfaced.

Once Paul knew about Abby, he had to die. There was no way Ryland would put her in harm’s way again. Plus, the death would serve as notice to any other parties who were considering various ways to pressure him into submission.

Ryland would not tolerate threats to his family.

He walked down the dock and got into his car. Maybe Paul had forgotten how to take care of his own business, but Ryland remembered how things got done before he had men like Kenneth on his payroll. Sometimes if one wanted a task completed, it paid to do it oneself.




“Don’t move.”

Abby froze as instructed. She had to be hallucinating. She blinked hard, but the woman was still there. The gun-toting lady was in her midfifties, medium height with professionally styled dark hair and expensive clothes. She looked vaguely familiar.

The woman was giving Abby the same critical once-over.

“How did you get in here?” Abby asked.

The woman lifted a confident shoulder. “Every wife should learn to pick locks. You never know what your husband might be hiding.”

Where was Zeus? He should have barked. Abby spotted him in the next room, lying on his side. “What did you do to my dog?”

The woman rolled her eyes. “I gave him a couple of my sleeping pills. He’ll be fine. You should be more concerned for yourself.”

“What do you want?”

“You. Dead. It looks like if I want it done, I have to do it myself.” Her tone was disgusted. “Neither of the two men I hired could get it right.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Of course you don’t. That’s all right. You don’t have to be smart. You’re blonde, and you’re pretty.” Marlene snickered at her own joke.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Marlene Valentine. If you weren’t the illegitimate daughter of a whore, I’d be your stepmother.”

Abby’s lungs expelled all their air. She’d only seen Ryland’s wife in photos. “What? Why do you want to kill me?”

“He’s dying, you know.” From the gleeful tone of her voice, the thought didn’t distress Marlene. “He was diagnosed with cancer three years ago.”

The truth hit Abby. “When I was kidnapped.”

“You’re not as dumb as you look.” With every word, hatred poured out of Marlene’s mouth. “After that moron Faulkner botched your killing, Ryland went into remission. I let it go. But the cancer is back, and this time it’s going to take him. That means your reprieve is over too. He thinks I don’t know, that I’m stupid. Well, honey, I know everything. And not just about the cancer. I know all about the girls over the years. Your slutty mother. You.”

“I had nothing to do with any of that.” Abby took a step back. “Trust me, being born wasn’t my decision.”

“No, but now you have the power to take something that rightfully belongs to my sons.” Marlene pointed the gun at Abby. “I’ve invested thirty-five years of my life in that man. Do you know how many hours I spent on my knees making him happy? I put up with him coming to my bed smelling of hookers and dancers. I took the risk that he didn’t give me any horrible disease. And I did it all for my sons. They deserve to inherit his entire empire. They shouldn’t have to share it with a whore’s daughter.”

“I want nothing from Ryland.”

“Then why did you see him Friday night?”

“I thought he might know who was trying to kill me.”

“He doesn’t.” A self-satisfied smirk twisted Marlene’s mouth. “I’m way smarter than him.”

Abby eased back another step.

“You’re going with me.” Marlene gestured toward the door with the gun. “You don’t need a coat. You’ll be dead before you get cold.”

Abby walked barefoot across the tile. If she could get a little distance between them, she could break away. She went through the doorway that led to the living room and the front door and darted to the left.

“Get back here, you little bitch.” Marlene came through the doorway after her.

Yowl.

“Ah!” Marlene screeched.

Abby spun around. Sweetums was doing his back-arched, hissing routine at Marlene. Her expensive slacks were shredded. Blood seeped through the silky material at her calves. She pointed the gun at the cat. Abby raised her arm and brought her cast down on Marlene’s wrist. The gun clattered to the floor. Marlene spun and grabbed Abby’s hair. The cat hissed again, and Marlene kicked at him.