Page 9

“Unfortunately,” I repeated. “You seem disappointed.”

“Wouldn’t you be if you were in my shoes?”

“In your shoes,” I said, “I would have chosen a weapon that would have made sure the job was complete.”

Her expression did not change before she spoke. “I was improvising.”

“I noticed.”

Behind me, one of Declan’s men shifted his weight and stepped on a stick in the process. Sutton’s eyes flicked there and back and I saw the cogs in her head turning in real time. She was still trying to determine things that could help her escape and what it would take to do so. I was impressed because survival had not made her reckless. It had made her disciplined.

“Get in the car, little lamb. You’re coming home with me.”

Her eyes widened slightly before she caught herself and clamped her emotions back down again. “And if I say no? By the way, I told you not to call me that.”

I remembered when she had but I didn’t bother to respond to that part of her comment. “You have already answered that question.”

For a moment, I thought she might test it anyway simply because being told she had already made a choice would offend her on principle. Instead, she held my gaze another second too long. Then she moved past me toward the rear passenger door. One of Declan’s men opened the door for her and she got in without looking at him.

That bothered me more than if she had fought.

I shut her door myself and shifted so that I could get back into the seat I occupied just moments ago. By the time I slid back into my seat, she had already arranged herself in the rear corner behind me. She was sitting straight up as if a rod had been inserted into her spine. Her eyes didn’t meet mine as I stared her down.

I waited a beat before I turned to my driver. “Drive,” I said.

The motel disappeared from our view within minutes. It marked an end to a chapter and I preferred endings when I was the one writing them, which was usually the case.

For the first ten minutes, no one spoke. My driver kept his eyes on the road while my gaze drifted to looking at Sutton once more. Funny how that kept happening.

I wasn’t completely surprised to find her still awake. Even if she was tired, I’m sure there was enough adrenaline pumping through her that would make falling asleep impossible. Not to mention, she probably trusted her last boyfriend more than she trusted me.

Good. Although that would change with time.

This was also why I decided not to sit next to her in the rear seat. I suspected she thought I would and I still wanted to keep her on her toes. Plus, I didn’t know if I would be able to control myself if I sat next to her right now. The urge to show her just how I felt about what she did was strong, but I kept myself in check.

I made the decision about taking my private plane before we reached the first intersection. Even at this time of morning, the streets contained too many variables. It could be anything from traffic, construction, gas stations, and cops who noticed expensive vehicles and decided to start asking questions. There would be too many opportunities that would be handed to Sutton on a silver platter. I did not build my businesses by offering unnecessary chances to people who understood how to use them.

Sutton still hadn’t said a word since she entered the SUV. That, more than her running, confirmed what the last few days had done to her.

I was confident that under normal conditions, she would have asked where we were going, why I had waited, how long I had known, whether I had enjoyed the show she’d put together. This version of her was slightly unsettling as it seemed she refused to give me anything.

But it was also very fascinating and a new piece to her that I needed to learn more about. That would all happen in time.

Sutton didn’t say a word even as we entered the private airfield where my plane was parked. The facility sat off the main road behind a gate that opened before my driver had fully stopped. There were two hangars that had no commercial traffic and no unnecessary personnel. It made it the perfect setup to get in and out as quickly and efficiently as possible.

By the time the SUV rolled to a stop beside the jet, the crew was already in position. They knew better than to stare, and better than to ask questions they had no right to answers to. Efficiency and discretion were two of the few virtues I rewarded consistently.

I exited the vehicle first and before one of Declan’s men could, I opened Sutton’s door. She stepped out on her own before I could offer a hand. Her hand gripped the bookbag like it was a lifeline and that she would die without it. Whatever was inside that bag mattered to her more than anything right now and I would allow that, but that would change. I would find out what was in it eventually, but for now, I let her keep it.

The crew member at the cabin door said nothing as we approached. He gestured for Sutton to follow him and she boarded without needing to be directed twice, moving to the seat the crew member indicated near the cabin door. She sat with her bag on her knees and her eyes already fixed on the window as the door sealed behind us.

I took the seat across from her, instead of what I instinctively could have done. I wanted to be close but chose not to sit beside her on purpose. There would be a time for us to be in very close proximity, but sitting across from her gave me an opportunity to study her more openly than I was able to just from images, videos, and when I caught her.

Sutton jumped slightly when my pilot started the engines, but she recovered quickly. The reaction was small, involuntary, and when she glared at me as a result, I knew that she hated that I’d seen it.

I said nothing because it was the best move. She didn’t know what I was thinking. Instead, I waited to see what Sutton would fill the silence with.

She gave me nothing. Not a word was uttered before or after we listened to the instructions or when my pilot announced that we should prepare for takeoff. The silence stretched on between us as she turned her body to watch the tarmac fall away beneath us because my plane took off.