Beck’s lips quirked into a smile. “I’ve been thinking about Oscar’s body.”
My foot pressed harder on the accelerator as we wound down the path, heading toward the large imposing gates of Graeme’s estate. “You think Graeme was the one who took it?” I asked. We hadn’t spent a lot of time focusing on the fact that my brother’s body was literally stolen from his grave.
“It could all be connected,” I said, really considering it. “Maybe Catherine and Graeme dug it up to make sure no one ever discovered that Oscar was the product of an incestuous relationship.”
Beck’s hands clenched on his thighs. “Despite what Richard said, we still don’t really know if he was Graeme’s child with her or Huntley Senior. Could be either.”
I swallowed, trying not to gag.
The gate slowly opened, and I was thankful that I could finally get the hell away from this place.
“Do you have any thoughts on how to find out about Oscar’s body?” I asked.
Beck shook his head. “Only the dumbest fuck alive would keep the body close to them. Unless we can get one of them to confess, I don’t think we’ll ever figure it out.”
For a brief moment, I wondered if I could torture Catherine for information. Even though I hated her more than anyone else in this world, I doubted I could ever inflict pain like that on anyone. Something she’d no doubt view as a weakness, but for me, it was a hard line I had to draw. I mean, I did punch someone, so maybe I wasn’t exactly a pacifist. But systematic torture was a whole other sociopath game.
Graeme’s estate was on the opposite side of Jefferson to where the Delta estates were. It was very natural out here, lots of forest and trees lining the road. It was really dark out, and that was the main reason I didn’t notice the car behind me until it was basically up my ass.
“What the fuck?” I said, flicking my eyes to the rear view mirror and back to the road multiple times. “No lights…”
Its engine roared, and it was coming at us so fast then that I knew it was going to hit us. Luckily, this wasn’t my first high speed chase, and I managed to swerve to the side and miss the direct hit, thereby saving my baby Bugatti any damage. These bastards better not hurt her, or I would reevaluate the torture thing.
Beck was on high alert then, his head turned to watch the car as it dropped back, and I picked up the speed. “It tried to hit us,” I said quickly, my foot pushing harder and the engine really opening up.
A warning flashed up at me, and I eyed the small indicator. “Tires…” I said slowly before my attention was taken by the car behind again.
It was crossing two lanes in an attempt to come up beside me and smash me off the road. Not willing to give it that chance, I pushed my foot harder, and we jumped ahead.
“Graeme or the serial killer?” I asked Beck between gritted teeth, my focus almost completely on keeping us alive.
Beck didn’t answer, just withdrew his gun and lowered the window, cold air whipping around us.
I caught a glimpse of the other car in our taillights, only noting that it was black and sleek before it zipped up the side again. Beck opened fire, aiming right for the front windshield. It swerved and backed off, giving us some breathing room. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw the lights of Jefferson up ahead. Once we were back in the main population, surely this other car would back right off.
The Bugatti beeped at me again, and I remembered the tire warning which had come up before. “Beck…” I said slowly, just as I felt the car start to slide. At this speed, any loss of control was deadly, and I immediately lifted my foot from the accelerator.
“Beck, get the fuck back in the car,” I screamed reaching out for him. At the same time there was a huge bang from the back of the car, and I knew immediately that the tire had blown.Motherfucker!Someone had messed with the tires. A slow leak or something so I didn’t notice immediately. Then the high speeds would have heated them and if the pressure was low…
With both hands on the steering wheel, I struggled to control the car, sliding down an embankment. The moment we hit the edge, the Bugatti flipped over and over, my arms coming up to cover my face as I screamed. Flashbacks from my last crash filled my head, and I wondered if this time my luck would run out.Beck…
“Riley!” Beck roared, and that was the last thing I heard before my head slammed into the side of the car and everything went dark.
19
Beck
The moment our tires blew I knew we had been sabotaged by Graeme Huntley. That fucker wanted his files back; the accident was designed to incapacitate us but not kill. Only he hadn’t anticipated the speed Butterfly would drive at, delaminating those tires faster, and sending us out of control and tumbling down an embankment.
Bracing myself against the door, I managed to keep my head from smashing into anything, while holding Riley back as well.
Fear was not an emotion I felt often, generally I was uncaring about living or dying. I just did my fucking job and got on with the bullshit. But now that I had Riley, I had a lot to lose, and we were in the midst of a dangerous game.
When the car came to a stop, I shook off the pain, reaching across to check on my fucking soul who was in the seat beside me. Her pulse thrummed strongly in her neck, and I let out a relieved breath. She was unconscious, a cut on her temple and another on her arm, but I couldn’t see anything too life threatening in my quick examination. Reaching for my phone, I dialed Dylan.
“We’ve got a fucking problem,” I said immediately, and I knew I had his complete attention. “Someone sabotaged the Bugatti, and we crashed.” I gave him our location and told him to get the paramedics out here straight away.
I was desperate to get Riley out of her seat, but not knowing the extent of any neck injuries, I decided not to move her just yet.
