“No!” Her hand tightens on my arm. She looks stricken.
“Amy, the longer I stay, the more I increase my chances of getting caught.”
“Please don’t go,” she begs.
“Amy, don’t you listen to him!” Graham roars.
I cup her face. “I love you too. I love you with every fiber of my being. It took almost losing you for me to realize that.”
A voice splinters the silence following my declaration. “Well, well, how cozy. Not quite how I pictured this would all turn out.”
69
KANE
––––––––
I freeze, recognizing the voice instantly.
“Marius!” Graham cries. “You could’ve told me about your trap. You almost arrived too late. Untie me.”
“In a minute, Graham,” he says coolly.
I stare at the man stepping into the study. It’s Andries, but Graham called him Marius. Andries or Marius or whatever his name is smiles at me, a 9mm Beretta pointed straight at my heart. “Surprised?”
A fissure opens in front of me, and I fall into the darkness of it.No way. Not possible. And then, on the heels of that,I couldn’t have made such a terrible mistake.
“Throw me your weapon, Kane, or else I’ll shoot the woman you claim to love.” He angles the barrel of his Beretta in Amy’s direction.
I step in front of Amy and toss him my weapon. “Andries, what’s going on?”
“It’s Marius.”
My heart gives a sickening thump. I scour through my last conversation with Andries—no, Marius—the one that left me with the niggle something wasn’t right:“Do you know if Graham’s contacted the police?”I asked, and Marius replied,“He hasn’t. It appears your bluff was effective.”
Realization strikes me like a gut punch. I never told Marius I wore a police uniform to Graham’s house. I never told him that was the bluff I used to keep Graham from going to the police. Marius never asked. Now I know why. Graham fed him that information.
The question is, did Graham know? Judging from his stunned expression, it looks like Amy’s father had no idea he’d been played.
“Marius?” Graham asks sharply. “What’s going on? How do you know this man? And why aren’t you untying me?”
“Always the scientist, Graham,” Marius says, pocketing my weapon. “Always asking annoying questions.”
Amy grips my arm. “Who is this man?”
“A liar,” I answer grimly.
Marius gives an unapologetic shrug. “What I told Graham was the truth. For the most part. I am head of security for SAMP—Secure Advances in Medical Progress.”
“And I’m guessing PAMS is a front organization,” I say bitterly.
“Your guess is correct,” Marius confirms.
“What’s PAMS?” Amy asks.
“The Prevention of Animals for Medical Science,” I explain as I stare at Marius in cold contempt. “SAMP. PAMS. You must have had quite the laugh.”
“A proud chuckle now and then, all right,” Marius replies.
