“Now, back off or I’ll kill her and find my own way to my father. At least this way, once she helps me, I’ll let her go. And don’t send the cops after us because one hint of that and I’ll off both of us.”
Adam opened the door and forced April in ahead of him. He held the weapon on her as she crawled over the console into the driver’s seat.
The only thing keeping Clay from charging Adam was that gun pointed at April...and the fact that he’d be able to track them wherever they went. Adam believed April had told Clay where she was going, and he wanted to make sure Adam was still under that impression. Did April realize he’d tracked her car through GPS?
He wanted to give her some sign, but he didn’t want to reveal anything to her psycho brother—and he was a psycho. Had he really killed his own mother, as he’d implied?
Clay held his hands out to his sides. “If you harm one hair on her head, I’ll come after you, Adam. I don’t care if you’re in Mexico or Morocco. I’ll find you.”
Adam slammed the door and waved a hand out the window as April made a U-turn and rolled up to the intersection.
As he charged back to Meg’s car, Clay brought up the GPS app. He’d have to stay far enough behind them so that Adam wouldn’t catch a glimpse of him, but close enough so that he could help April if she needed it.
She needed it.
He got behind the wheel and gripped the top with both hands, ready to take off now. He had to take several deep breaths to keep still and not make any rash moves.
What Adam told him about April and Jimmy was a lie. Whatever April was, she wasn’t a cheat. Adam had wanted him to turn on April, abandon her. That would never happen.
He’d follow April to the ends of the earth. And when he got her back—he’d kill her brother.
Chapter Eighteen
As they barreled through the Sonoran Desert hell-bent for the border, April licked her dry lips and flicked a glance at Adam, still pointing the gun at her. They’d barely said two words to each other on the ride from Phoenix. Too many thoughts had been jumbling around her brain for her to give voice to any of them—until now with the border looming ahead of them.
“What did you mean back in Phoenix about killing another family member?” A sob escaped her lips despite her best efforts. “Did you kill Mom?”
“C’mon, April. You never suspected?” He tucked a long strand of dirty-blond hair behind his ear. “You always saw what you wanted to see when you looked at me—the little brother in need of rescue.”
“When I should’ve seen what?” She dropped her voice to a raspy whisper. “What Mom and Dad always saw?”
“That’s right.” He turned his blue eyes on her, more vacant than usual. “They were afraid, ashamed, to admit that I might have issues. So, they just shut me out and tried to punish the disturbed kid who liked to set fires and kill birds.”
“The pecan grove by the Dillons’ house?”
“Yeah, that was my handiwork.” He took a swig of water from the bottle in the cup holder. “Old news.”
“It’s not old news to me. Why’d you murder Mom?”
“Money, mostly.” He rolled his shoulders. “Of course, you got the big bucks, but I always figured I could get more out of you than Mom.”
“And Dad? Why did he run if he didn’t do it?” Her gaze dropped to the gun leveled at her midsection. Maybe if she kept Adam talking, the gun would slip and she could get away from him.
She scanned the vast, empty desert that stretched before them. She wouldn’t be able to get away from Adam unless she killed him. “I actually admired Dad’s get-rich-quick schemes, but he did wander into illegal territory. I was tracking his activities. I knew exactly what he was involved in—and I hate to shatter your illusions, but he was dabbling in the drug trade.”
“That doesn’t explain why he ran, why he took the rap for Mom’s murder. He must’ve known he was a suspect.”
“He did. The drug dealers who killed Mom made sure of it.”
“You killed Mom. Why did Dad think drug dealers got to her?”
Adam flicked his fingers in the air. “I made him think that. You may be the one with the college degree in the family, but I was always smarter than you, April. My IQ tested off the charts.”
“Deviousness is not intelligence.” She grabbed her throat. “The threats. The threats I got regarding Clay. That was you?”
“I couldn’t have my own sister married to a Border Patrol agent. That would seriously put a crimp in my activities. I had to keep you on my side. I knew Archer could turn you against me.”
“But you weren’t in Paradiso the other day when I got that note.”
“I still have friends in Paradiso, very loyal friends. This particular friend even followed you home from dinner and shot out Archer’s tire.” He chuckled with no humor. “Larissa always was a good shot.”
“Larissa? The waitress at the Paradise Café?”
“I told her to keep an eye on you two and let me know if you were together. I knew it would be trouble if you ran to Archer—and I was right.” Adam curled his leg and bashed his foot against the glove box. “He found evidence in the trunk of your car, didn’t he? Evidence that he must’ve had tested to prove Jimmy was the one bleeding and in distress, not me.”
“Clay was telling the truth? You murdered Jimmy?”
“Hey.” He patted his chest with his open palm. “I thought you’d like that one. Jimmy never got physical with you, but he probably would have. He was a scumbag. I would’ve saved you from him even if you hadn’t figured out his true identity.”
“Why?” She held out her hand. “Never mind. You
