Her heart thudded with astonishment. As much as she hated his touch, she let him hold her hand a few seconds longer before tucking it back inside the quilt. “Maybe after the wake, we can start packing?”
“I would like that more than anything.” He stood and helped her to her feet. “In case you haven’t figured it out, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
He sounded so much like the man she’d initially fallen for that she felt like weeping. “I underestimated you, James. And for that, it’s my turn to apologize.” She made a show of gulping down what little was left of her tea.
“No need,” he returned tenderly. “While you get dressed, I’ll get the vehicle ready.”
She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but she didn’t waste time asking questions. Using the wall for support, she hobbled to the bedroom she’d been staying in. Before the effects of the tea took over, she dropped the quilt on the floor and hurried into the adjoining bathroom. She made herself throw up, then shoved her head under the faucet and drank until her belly was full. With any luck, it would dilute what remained of the sleeping agent in her system.
The suitcase James had brought along for her lay open on the dresser in the bedroom. She hadn’t botheredunpacking. It creeped her out that he knew so much about her dimensions, right down to her sock size.
She rummaged through the suitcase and found a black cocktail dress. It was an off-the-shoulder, body-hugging sheath that wasn’t something she normally would’ve worn to a funeral, but her options were limited. It was the black dress, a gauzy formal gown, or a red sundress that was way too short for her taste.No, thank you!
She prayed while she was dressing. “God, give me strength.” She needed the strength to stand and walk; and if the opportunity presented itself, she would need the strength to run. Since she was supposed to be dead, anyone who recognized her would know something was terribly wrong.
Halle could feel her blood pumping through her sluggish limbs. It was amazing how much a single drop of hope could do for a person. She did a few toe touches and arm stretches to work out the kinks. It was time to put her game face on.
She applied minimal makeup, knowing it was best for her eyes to remain red-rimmed and puffy. Her grief seemed to be the one thing that triggered James. She intended to keep pushing that button with him.
When she returned to the living room, he was waiting for her. He sucked in a breath, gazing in unchecked admiration at her outfit. “Wow!”
His reaction to the cocktail dress was weird. Very weird. He acted as if they were going on a date instead of attending a wake for eleven people whose deaths he’d had a hand in.
He crooked an arm at her.
She took it, allowing him to escort her to a dark navy SUV awaiting them outside. As he opened the backpassenger door for her, she glimpsed a few flecks of silver around the doorframe. Had it been recently repainted? If so, no one would be looking for him in a navy SUV.Not good.
As she climbed inside the vehicle, her heart sank to a new low at the sight of the steel-enforced vinyl cord draped across her seat.
“I’m sorry, Halle, but I can’t afford to take any chances with you today.” He looped the cord around her wrist and tightened it to just shy of painful. “I lost you once. I’m not going to lose you again.”
It was difficult to watch the man she’d once been engaged to spiraling into utter lunacy. “You won’t,” she murmured, faking a yawn as she clasped her seatbelt. The cord around her wrist would make escaping him that much harder. It was tethered to one of the silver bars holding up his headrest. She gazed out in growing despair through the tinted windows, knowing she could see out, but no one could see in.
James took his place behind the wheel and reached for something on the seat beside him that turned out to be a black Stetson. He put it on and pulled the brim lower, making him look like nearly every other guy in Heart Lake. He was essentially hiding in plain sight—a bold move, but disappointingly effective.
She bit viciously down on her lip, hating how cleverly he’d planned their jaunt into town. Each detail was designed to keep her captive.
He started the vehicle, and they rolled forward.
“Thank you for doing this,” she murmured, trying to sound humbly grateful and sleepy at the same time.
He met her gaze through the rear-view mirror. “Like I said, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
Except let me go.
She tipped her head against the seat cushion and faced the window. Something in the reflection caught her eye. Something she hadn’t expected to see. It was the outline of suitcases resting on the floorboard behind her—proof that James had lied to her yet again.
They weren’t attending the wake after all. It was simply the line he’d fed her to trick her into getting dressed and walking to the SUV without a fight. They were leaving town.
The darkness of defeat washed over her, threatening to pull her under. One thing she wasn’t feeling, though, was drowsy. A faint ray of hope fingered its way through the darkness, reminding her how crucial it was to keep playing her role.
“What did you put in my tea?” she groaned, even though she wasn’t the least bit tired.
“Something to help you sleep,” he returned smoothly. “You’ve been through a lot. You need your rest.”
She pretended to fight sleep and then pretended to lose the battle. As her eyelids fluttered closed against her cheeks, she saw him adopt a self-satisfied look.
What a loser!For the life of her, she didn’t remember what she’d ever seen in him.
