Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
But drowning?
Drowning scared the shit out of her.
When she was twelve, she’d heard some of the older cops joke about waterboarding terrorists, and she’d even gone so far as to ask her dad about it after. John Finch wasn’t one to coddle his daughter, so he’d sat her down and explained how it worked. She’d had nightmares for weeks afterward, though she’d managed to stifle her screams so that her dad never knew.
Mae saw where her attention was, and her smile widened. “If it’s good enough for the US government, it’s good enough for you, don’t you think?”
“I’m ready to talk.” Anything to keep that water away from her.
“You’re just going to lie some more.” Mae sighed. “Though I suppose you can’t answer questions if you’re hacking up water. Okay, I’ll play. Let’s have a chat.” She grabbed a nearby chair and turned it around so she could straddle it, resting her chin on the back.
The woman looked so…young. Maybe even innocent. She was all smiles and big brown eyes—at least, as long as Charlie didn’t pay attention to the knife she’d set close enough to grab with ease. I’m in a nightmare. I’m going to wake up soon.
She knew it was a lie. This wasn’t some construct of her sleeping brain. This was real.
“How does a cop’s daughter end up engaged to Aiden O’Malley?” Mae picked up the knife and ran her finger along the edge.
Charlie debated lying, but she didn’t see much point in it now. These questions were a formality. If Mae knew who she really was, then she knew that Charlie never would have ended up with Aiden unless there was an ulterior motive involved. “He wanted my help bringing down Dmitri Romanov.”
Mae blinked. “What makes you so special?”
She’d been asking herself that for most of the time they’d been together. As time had gone on, it was clear he hadn’t needed her. Not really. He could have accomplished his goals without the charade of being engaged. It added a layer that didn’t make sense. But she’d been so blinded by her need to make Dmitri pay that she hadn’t cared about the inconsistencies as long as the end result remained the same. Then sex came into the picture and further muddied the waters.
Apparently, she’d taken too long to answer, because Mae swiped out with the knife, leaving another blazing trail in its wake, this time across Charlie’s thigh. “Hey, I’m asking you a question. If you don’t want to talk, we can skip right to the next event.”
Waterboarding.
She tried to swallow her fear, but it lodged in her throat. “I don’t know why he picked me.” There were plenty of women who would have jumped at the chance. Yes, she was qualified because she knew the world he moved in, at least in theory, but since he’d mostly kept her contained to the house, it wasn’t necessary knowledge.
“You don’t seem to know much.” Mae tapped the knife against her lip, leaving dots of Charlie’s blood shining against her red lipstick.
She met her gaze directly, and Charlie realized this had all been a game. She didn’t have any answers that Mae needed. The woman was playing with her the way a cat toyed with a mouse before ripping off its head.
“I know!” Mae cocked her head to the side, her expression brightening. “Maybe it’s because you’re John Finch’s daughter.”
“What?”
Mae continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “Yes, I think that’s it after all. You see, your daddy is a pain in the ass of every single family-run business on the eastern seaboard. So imagine my surprise when I discover that his beloved only child is fucking Aiden O’Malley.”
“I think ‘beloved’ child is going a bit far.”
“Do you?” Mae casually drew the knife across Charlie’s other thigh. “I think that John Finch is a man with no weaknesses—at least at first glance. You know what I also think?”
Charlie gritted her teeth, the pieces slowly coming together. This isn’t about Aiden at all. “I think you’re dying to tell me.”
“I think every single one of us—Eldridge, Romanov, O’Malley, and the rest—would cut off our own nose to spite John Finch.” She grinned, eyes cold. “Or maybe I’ll just cut off yours instead.”
I should have gotten in that car that Dad sent.
She’d been so incredibly blind. So sure of her righteous rage. So sure that her dad was wrong—about Aiden and about her. “What exactly are you hoping to accomplish?”
“I’ll settle with breaking John Finch’s heart.” She leaned forward and tapped Charlie in the chest. “When I’m done with you, I’m going to send him yours in a box. If that doesn’t break him, then maybe your daddy really doesn’t love you.”
It was a lose-lose situation. It didn’t matter if she protested, because Mae was going to do what she promised, if only to see how Charlie’s dad reacted. Would it break him? She didn’t know. Frankly, she was more concerned with getting out of this mess alive, but she didn’t know how she was going to accomplish that quite yet.