Page 57
But now a man I know is dead due to violence, I ended up in a river, and a woman I adore has to be abducted from her own retirement home just to keep her safe.
And for what?
Is this really all about Mr. Prescott? Is he at the center of this, or is he simply collateral damage?
“Penny for your thoughts,” Ryker says, breaking the silence that’s been between us since we left Mrs. Marooney back in that garden.
I glance over, surprised to see he’s holding an actual penny in the hand not currently on the steering wheel.
Smiling, I take it from him and toy with it as I stare out the window. “This all just feels like the plot of a bad movie.”
“If I were a betting man, I’d place my money on the lawyer.”
“Roy or the lawyer Alec was talking about?”
“The latter. Do you remember what he said? Leon is the only one who would benefit from the passing of Mr. Prescott. So, if he was in the process of making changes to his estate, it’s entirely possible he would go to someone outside of his circle to make those changes.”
“Someone like Roy, who wouldn’t run in the same crowd.”
“Exactly,” Ryker says.
“But why? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Greed, Dahlia. People have killed for less.”
My stomach twists again. It all seems so surreal. “Then what do we do?”
“We get Mrs. Marooney out, and we get her to someone we trust.”
“Like Officer Leopold?” I question.
“Exactly like him.” Ryker glances over at me. “It’s going to be okay, Dahlia. I promise.”
“Thanks.” I take a deep breath. “I’m really glad that you’re with me,” I tell him truthfully. “I’m not sure where I would be if you weren’t.”
Except, I do.
I’d be dead.
Drowned in a river.
Would they have found my body? They still haven’t recovered my car. Would I have washed away right alongside it?
“Tell me about José. Have you ever seen him before?”
“Not that I can remember. But—” I stop speaking, trying to put my thoughts into words.
“But what?”
“I feel like I have. And I don’t think it was a good meeting, if that helps.”
“You looked scared,” he says.
“I certainly felt scared. It was almost like—”
Tires screech, and I look up as the truck in front of us veers into our lane.
Adrenaline surges through me, my heart hammering. “Ryker!” I scream.
