Briar lifted a brow as she shortened the distance between them. “I’ll kill you if youdon’tgive it to me.”
“No, you won’t.” Her phone started to ring, and her gaze flashed down.
“Answer it and I shoot your shoulder. Throw the phone over here.”
Dammit.
She slid her phone across the floor and watched as Briar stomped on it.
“Now,” Briar said slowly. “I just forced Deb to call Holden to get him out of the house, all so I could get into this house to search for that USB again. Of course, Deb started asking too many questions, so I killed her. I’ll kill you, too, without so much as blinking.”
Clara’s breath stalled. “You killed Deb?”
“Last chance, Clara.”
“You won’t kill me, because I’m the only one who knows where the USB is,” she said firmly, refusing to let her voice shake. “And I’ve already told Jesse I found it. He’s on his way right now.”
“You’re lying.”
Of course she was lying. Her lifedependedon not just lying, but lying well. “I’m not. He’s coming right now. You won’t have time to find it before he gets here, and if I’m dead, he’ll scour this house for the USB. He won’t stop until he finds it.”
Anger distorted her features, and she lunged.
Clara moved instinctively, grabbing the fruit bowl and smashing it over Briar’s head.
She cried out and fell, the gun discharging with a deafening crack, causing a wall tile to shatter.
Clara took advantage of the distraction and ran, sprinting around the island and toward the front door.
A growl followed by footsteps sounded behind her.
She grabbed keys from her hallway table, flung the door open, and sprinted outside.
Her hands shook as she opened her car door and slid behind the wheel. The engine was loud as it roared to life.
Briar appeared at the front door, pure rage in her eyes. But she didn’t shoot.
As Clara backed out of the drive, she watched in the rearview mirror as Briar sprinted toward her own car.
Clara’s tires squealed as she swerved onto the street, pressing her foot to the floor, praying she made it away in time.
CHAPTER 29
With one hand on Deb’s wound and the other gripping his phone, Holden tried Clara’s number. His heart beat so fucking fast it felt like it was going to punch out of his chest.
It was the fourth ring when he knew she wasn’t going to answer.
Fuck.
He tried again. Same thing.
He needed to go to her, but he couldn’t take his hand off Deb’s chest. Jesse might take too long, but maybe Becket was closer.
He tried her brother’s number.
“Holden, hey.”
“I need you to go to Clara’s house and check on her right now.”
