Page 112 of The Moment They Can Never Forgive
Leah put a hand on Benny’s back, trying to soothe him, her fingers trembling. She could feel Grill’s presence behind her, big and menacing.
“What exactly is your plan here?” she asked, stalling.
“You’re gonna get me money,” he said. “And then I’m gone.”
She angled her head toward him, noting the sweat along his temple, the twitch in his jaw. This man was running on desperation and rage—a dangerous mix.
“I told you, I don’t have anything.”
Grill moved closer until she could smell stale cigarettes and the tang of gasoline clinging to his clothes. “Then you better start thinking, girl, or we’ll have a problem.”
Benny’s growl deepened.
Grill’s eyes flicked to the dog. “Lock him up before I do something about him.”
Her stomach lurched. She bent, grabbing Benny’s collar. “Let me put him outside.”
“Do it.”
She put the dog outside the back door and shut it. Benny, at least, was safe.
“You got ten minutes,” Grill said, pulling a crumpled wad of rope from his pocket.
Her pulse spiked. “What is that for?”
“In case you get ideas.”
He tossed the rope on the table and jerked his chin toward the hallway. “Go. Check your bedroom, check the kitchen—anywhere you might have something worth selling. Money, jewelry, anything.”
She took a step, but her mind was racing. Had Dan heard any of what she and Grill said in the barn? Or was she alone?
The thought of him had her throat tightening. She could picture his face. The hard line of his jaw when he was angry, the way his eyes darkened when something mattered to him. If he knew she was in trouble, he’d come. He cared about her, and she loved him. She had a future to live for now, and this man wasn’t taking that from her.
“Move it,” Grill snapped.
She headed toward the hallway.
Her bedroom was exactly as she’d left it that morning, laundry in a folded pile on her bed, purse on the dresser. She grabbed it, rifling through it as if looking for valuables, but she knew there was nothing in there worth more than a couple of twenties.
Grill’s footsteps were heavy behind her. She handed him the money. “Pathetic. What else?”
“That’s all I’ve got,” she said.
“Don’t play with me.” His voice was a menacing growl. “We’re going through every room in this house.”
“Why don’t you have money if you’ve made so much from drugs?” Leah asked.
“Because it was all in that fucking safe!”
“So you didn’t trust your fellow Bandits?”
“Shut up!”
Leah knew she was right.
She pulled out the only thing she’d got from her mother. The engagement ring was diamond and emerald, and she’d never worn it, but she’d also never been able to sell it.
“Here,” she handed it to him. “Take this.”
