Oh, crap.I spun to find Belinda pointing a gun at my chest. My heart slammed into my throat and I staggered back, the poker dropping to the floor with a clang. I quashed the urge to rush her. The woman looked way too comfortable with a weapon in her hand, so I figured it wasn’t her first time.
Belinda grinned like she’d read my mind. “Smart man.” The predatory look was far removed from the sweet somewhat naïve woman I’d taken her for. Belinda was no Florence Nightengale, and I’d misjudged her in the worst possible way.
“Afternoon, Nick.” She flicked a glance Austin’s way. “Timing, babe, timing. When I saw our friend here intended to follow you to the hut, I decided to wait and see what he would do.” She glanced at Chloe, then back to Austin. “Use her cuffs on him. She’s not going anywhere.” She kicked the poker toward Austin who put it on the table.
Austin grumbled, “I’m hurt, dammit.”
Belinda’s gaze narrowed. “Do I look like I care? Just do it. Did you check him for a phone? His car is clean.”
Austin began patting me down. “Like I had fucking time in-between getting my ribs busted and my balls slammed.” He removed my car keys and wallet from my jacket. “Just these.” He dropped them on the table and returned to cradling his ribs.
Belinda pocketed the keys. “No phone? How very inconvenient for you, and how convenient for us. No one knows you’re here, do they?”
I ignored the question, confirming her assumption, and I didn’t miss the gloat in her eyes. “I saw Austin leave you at the hospital.”
She tut-tutted. “See, now I thought you were smarter than that. My charge nurse had all but approved my extended leave over the phone. I didn’t need to talk to her. But I did need to show up and to leave our phones in my locker so that it looked like we were there much longer. It also kept this place off the radar. GPS tracking, right? Can’t be too careful. When I was done, I donned a hoodie and left by a side entrance the smokers use that doesn’t have a camera. All I had to do then was hunker down in the car and stay out of sight.”
And I’d fallen for it. “When did you clock me tailing you?”
“Not soon enough. Just down the hill from here, as it happens.” She was clearly disappointed in herself. “If I’d made you earlier, we might’ve avoided this little... wrinkle in our plan. But it is what it is, and it was too late by then to turn back. We have a narrow time frame, as I’m sure you appreciate.”
“You were watching me the whole time, weren’t you?” I played for time, waiting for any opportunity to turn things around, but Belinda’s gun remained unwavering.
She nodded. “Austin came ahead while I kept an eye on you. I saw you hide your car and debate with yourself about how stupid you were about to be. Because youarestupid, Nick. There’s no going back from this. You should’ve walked away and left us alone. You barely know the woman, after all.”
I ignored her words and redirected. “That’s why you used the Honda, isn’t it?” I leaned against the wall for support. “No GPS.”
She looked almost delighted. “See. Now there’s the smart forensic accountant finally showing up. Pity you didn’t listen tohim earlier. Yes, the Honda’s too old for all that GPS nonsense. Unfortunately, your rental is a different story, which means they’re going to trace you here eventually, and we’re going to have to clean the place top to toe. A pain in the neck timewise, but doable. Just as well we’ve been careful.” She waggled the gloved fingers of her free hand and then indicated Chloe. “Wrapped in the tarp from the townhouse to the bed and hasn’t moved since. But if the police come looking and only your prints are found—” She shrugged. “—that’ll confuse things and ultimately work in our favour.”
I eyed her with disgust. “So, you were in on his batshit plan from the beginning.”
Belinda looked affronted. “InonAustin’splan?” She chuckled and shook her head. “Oh no, Nick. I’m notinonAustin’splan. The whole thing was my idea from start to finish. And it’s not batshit. It was fucking brilliant, at least until you showed up. Do you really think Austin could come up with something like this on his own? Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy and a willing co-conspirator, but he’s hardly what you’d call... subtle or?—”
“Smart?” I offered with zero sarcasm.
“Shut your damn mouth!” Austin stepped forward and swung a wobbly punch.
I leaned back and it glanced off my cheek. Furious, Austin grabbed the poker from the table with his good arm and brought it down on my injured shoulder. A fire lit up my left side and my scream echoed through the hut. I fell to my knees, tears streaming down my face.
Belinda lifted my chin with the end of the gun and smiled down at me. “Aw, did that hurt?” Her smirk dissolved and she eyed Austin. “Did you get another lot of pills down her?”
He shrugged. “She was still under from the last lot. I only got one down her. She’s supposed to drown, not choke, right?”
Belinda’s gaze hardened on Chloe’s motionless form. “Yeah. It should be enough.”
I followed her gaze and dread crawled through my heart. Chloe’s chest barely moved as she breathed, her ghostly complexion edging into cyanotic blue. A light dress and underwear was all she wore against the frigid temperature. If I didn’t find a way to get her warmed up soon, she wouldn’t survive much longer.
Belinda kicked the bucket of cleaning items Austin’s way. “Get started. It’ll look suspicious if our phones are at the hospital too long. The quarry hasn’t been targeted yet, but who knows when that will change?” She glanced around the tiny hut. “Any blood?”
Austin shook his head.
“Good,” she grunted. “Don’t miss anything.” She flicked the gun from me to the bed. “Take a seat.”
I sat where she directed, using my hip to move Chloe’s freezing feet out of the way. “You’d kill an old lady for her money? You make me sick.”
Belinda moved so that she could watch me and keep an eye on Austin at the same time. “It is what it is,” she said baldly. “When Austin and I became a thing, I found out he had a bit of a gambling problem. Got himself into a whole lot of trouble.”
I did my best to look surprised. If Belinda cottoned on to how much Mads and I really knew, it could turn my bad situation into something infinitely worse. I needed her to think she had time and a chance to solve this little problem, which would hopefully givemetime to figure a way out of the damn mess I’d got myself into. “So that’s why you need the money.”
