Page 79 of Relentless

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They’d prepped the staff by telling them that at some point during her stay, she’d have a visitor, and no one was to question or stop him. No doubt they were curious, but thankfully, they were doing as asked.

“Okay, go. And walk away from the nurses’ station,” Ava directed. Ryan and Asher each gave her an encouraging nod, then walked out the door. Following Ava’s direction, she saw them turn left and head away from the station before the door closed.

“He’s on his way, Kara,” Ava said.

Kara closed her eyes and willed herself to relax. By the time the door opened, she was in character, and her lids flew open as she sucked in a—faux—surprised breath.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, reaching for the call button.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Peter replied, pulling out a knife with gloved hands. If he stabbed her, he wouldn’t be able to make her death look like an accident. Still, she hesitated. Not because she thought he’d use it but because he’d expect her to.

“All I have to do is scream,” she replied.

“True,” he acknowledged. “Which is why I brought this.” A split second later, she felt a sharp pinch on her chest a few inches below her collarbone. She glanced down to see a dart sticking out of her.Thatwas something she hadn’t anticipated.

“Don’t,” she whispered. The words were meant to stop Ethan from breaking cover, but Peter heard.

“Don’t what?” he asked.

“Do this,” she answered, quickly yanking the dart out as she wondered how much of whatever he’d put on it had seeped into her system. She suspected it was meant to subdue, not kill, her. Up until that moment, she hadn’t been sure what tactic he’d take. Now she was certain he intended to inject air into her IV tube, killing her the same way he’d killed Shelley. And in order to do that without evidence of a struggle, he needed her sedated.

“You’re a weapons trafficker, and you killed them all because you thought someone would put two and two together. That someone would recognize Asim and tie you to his father,” she said, deciding to cut to the chase. She had no idea how quickly she’d succumb to the drug on the dart. Taking her time was no longer an option.

“Of course I did,” he said, his face showing no surprise at what she knew of him. “You all saw me talking to him. I tried to make it look as if he was a pickpocket. But I couldn’t risk any of you connecting me to Abu Hanifa.” He paused at the end of the bed and studied her. “Abu Hanifa wasn’t too thrilled about me being seen with his son, either. He gave me the choice of killing you all myself, or he’d kill me. And my sons. I may not be that close to my boys, but I’d rather you all die than me and them.”

“Sunil?” she asked. Her muscles were growing sluggish, and her body was beginning to feel as if it was growing roots into the bed. Less than a minute had passed, and she was already feeling the effects of what was, indeed, a sedative.

“I arranged for him to rush home—a problem with a flooded basement. I knew his route, of course, because he hated highways. Too many speed traps, he said. So I parked a car in his lane on that charming two-lane road. When he was close enough, I flicked the lights on. People are so predictable, you know. Of course, he swerved off the road. Too bad for him, the tree was right there.”

“Danielle?” The name was hard to push out and, even if she’d wanted to, screaming or pressing the call button was no longer an option.

“Now she was interesting. Pushing her over the cliff was easy. Getting her there in the first place…not so much. Did you know she was afraid of heights?” he asked. Kara thought she nodded, but she wasn’t sure. She could no longer distinguish any of her limbs. Forcing her drooping eyelids open was about the extent of what she could manage.

“Anyway, she finally agreed to meet me there. I told her I needed to talk about one of my sons and how I thought he might be suffering from depression. I led her to believe I needed her advice. She wanted to meet in town, but I convinced her the conversation should be private.”

She thought there was more to the story than that. Even if Danielle agreed to meet him privately, Kara didn’t think she’d go to the cliffs. But her brain was slowing like the rest of her body, and she couldn’t formulate, let alone speak, a full question. Although her eyes had no problem tracking him as he walked down the side of her bed toward the IV bag and tube.

He reached for the tube as he pulled something from his coat. She couldn’t quite make it out as her lids fought to stay open. When she realized there was no reason to fight anymore, she let them close. “Like Shelley?” she managed to ask.

He chuckled. “Yes, just like Shelley. Only with you, it’s even easier. Air bubbles in IV tubes don’t happen often, but unfortunately for you, they do happen.” She felt a jostling of the tube against the back of her hand as he prepared to inject air into it. She had a vague notion that she should be alarmed by him and what he planned. But darkness was pulling her down into a deep, intense sleep.

Thoughts of Ethan and how much she loved him floated through her mind.

Then she heard his voice and managed a faint smile.

Just before she slipped into a vacant, dreamless slumber, she heard him say, “Air bubbles may happen, but they aren’t going to happen today, Hilton.”

EPILOGUE

“If we getout of this car, there’s no going back, Kara,” Ethan said, drawing her attention back to him. She’d been perusing the woods on the side of the road where he’d pulled his truck off to park.

“No going back from what?” she asked. Two months had passed since Peter Hilton tried to kill her. Two months since he’d been arrested on multiple counts of murder and attempted murder. Along with a boatload of trafficking charges. The only thing he hadn’t been charged with was adding gasoline to the diesel tank of the coach and causing the explosion. That honor went to Alex Bantry, who had convinced herself that Kara and Ethan were turning Cody against her.

The woman had grown obsessed with the money and power that came with working for someone like Cody. As a result, she hadn’t hesitated to do what she thought needed to be done to protect it. Including selling Cody out so that she could appear his savior. Or, in their case, tampering with their bus so they’d leave the tour.

As for her, she’d mostly recovered from her assault. Occasionally, she found herself short of breath or with a headache. Still, Ethan was taking good care of her, and every day was easier than the one before. She’d already started her new job at Mystery Lake General, and it was only a matter of time before she was back to 100 percent.

“From us,” he replied.