“There are bear out this way.”
“Shut up.”
“I’m not kidding. A bear took out my bird feeder last fall, and I only live two miles outside the village.”
She hoped she could trick him into giving up their position. Damian didn’t take the bait.
“It wasn’t a bear. Walk, or I’ll squeeze the trigger and let the coyotes make a meal out of you.”
They descended a ridge. Damian kept looking around, as if he’d gotten lost. Raven stayed attuned to the trickling creek. The water lay straight ahead. Damian had veered left.
“So what’s the plan? Shoot me, then put a ransom on Ellie’s head?”
“Something like that.”
“How will you pick up the money?”
Damian glared at Raven.
“What do you care?”
“The cops will set up surveillance and take you down. You can’t trust them to hand over the money. And even if you pull it off, you’ll be on the run for decades. Ellie saw your face.”
“Mark and I have it handled.”
“So you intend to shoot Ellie too.”
“Why would I kill her? She’s a friend.”
“A friend who wants you arrested.”
She spied the uncertainty on his face.
“I could handle the pickup for you.”
“Fat chance, since you’ll be dead.”
Raven stopped. He turned on her with a threat in his eyes.
“Untie my wrists and let me go. Tell Mark you shot me in the woods, then I’ll take him down from behind. With Mark out of the picture, you can keep all the money, and I’ll pick it up for you.”
“You want me to kill my best friend?”
Raven laughed.
“He doesn’t act like your best friend. The way Mark calls the shots and talks down to you, he thinks he’s running the show.”
Damian jammed the pistol into her temple.
“No more talking. I see what you’re doing.”
He shoved her from behind and got her moving again. Now he paced behind her, and she worried he’d look down and notice her hand slipping out of the ropes.
“All I’m saying is he doesn’t respect you. You’re the brains behind the operation, Damian. Mark runs a lousy gym, and you’re a market analyst. In my book, that makes you the smart one.”
“That’s another thing. I don’t appreciate you snooping around and digging into my background. Sadie put you up to this, didn’t she?”
Raven talked over her shoulder as she stumbled between the trees.
“Can’t blame her for being careful. Anyhow, you won’t need Sadie’s money. Not after you snatch Ellie Fisher’s inheritance. I can’t believe her grandmother left her fifty-thousand.”
Damian froze. Raven walked several steps before she realized he wasn’t behind her.
“No…no.” He yanked his hair. “Ellie Fisher is worth a million dollars.”
Raven turned to face him, wiggling her wrist past the last binding as she screwed her face up in shock.
“A million? Is that what she told you?” Raven giggled. “Honey, she played you. If Ellie Fisher was worth a million dollars, do you really believe she’d flaunt it to a guy she met at the gym?”
“It’s not like that. We’ve worked out together for two years.”
“Damian, listen to me. I have Ellie’s finances on my laptop. The grandmother left her fifty-thousand. Combine that with her savings, and Ellie is worth sixty. Minus the loan she took out on her car.”
“Shit.”
“Why so glum? Fifty-thousand is a lot of money. That should take care of your margin call, right? Plus enough to disappear with until the cops give up on finding you.”
Damian placed his hands behind his head and paced in a circle with the gun dangling off his thumb.
“You’re screwing with me. That’s all this is. Ellie Fisher has a million in her bank account.”
“How much do you owe your broker?”
His head fell back, and he stared up at the canopy.
“Too much. This can’t be happening.”
“All right. Plan B. It doesn’t matter if you can’t pay your broker. The police will seize your funds the second they figure out you kidnapped Ellie. So take the money and disappear—no Mark, no cops breathing down your neck. Just you living on the coast under a different name.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It is easy, Damian. That’s where I come in. As a private investigator, I know how to make somebody vanish. Trust me. I’ll get you out of this.”
Raven’s hand popped free. The rope unfurled, and she grasped it between her fingers before it fell to the ground and gave her away. Bringing her legs together so he wouldn’t see the rope, she drew his gaze. Thinking fast, she bent down and grimaced.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I have to pee. Like really bad.”
“So go in your shorts. I don’t care.”
“Come on, Damian. I’ll make you a promise. If you do me a solid and unbutton my shorts, I’ll take care of the rest. You don’t need to untie me. I’m talented.”
“I don’t trust you.”
“What are you afraid of? I’m in the middle of nowhere, my hands are tied behind my back, and you have a gun.”
He shook the pistol at her.
“No funny business, or I swear I’ll shoot.”
Raven bounced on her toes, playing up her need to relieve herself. He edged closer, the gun aimed at her forehead. She wondered if he had the stomach to pull the trigger. His fingers curled over her waistband and took liberties. As he grinned, she felt his fingertips pluck at her panties.
Raven dropped the rope and whipped her arm around, striking his forearm with her palm. The force jolted the gun from his hand and knocked it to the forest floor. Raven dove for the weapon with Damian’s weight crashing down on her back. The air rushed from her lungs as she grasped for the fallen pistol. His fists pummeled the back of her head while he sought to control her. She swung back with her elbow and struck his temple. Stunned, Damian toppled over and landed in the brush.
He was almost on his feet when her hand closed over the pistol. At the moment he lunged, she whipped the gun against his head. His legs gave out. Damian lost consciousness before he crumpled.
A
