Page 113 of Stripping Bare
Her response was a barely perceptible headshake.
“Park there.” Keith pointed to a large wooded lot between houses. “We’re going to get out and take a little field trip. If either of you tries to call for help, I will kill the other.Understand?”
“Young man,” Miss Joan said in a disappointed mother tone, “you’re making a choice that won’t turn out well foryou.”
He grabbed Tessa by the hair, hard enough that tears welled in her eyes, and yanked her back awkwardly so she was wedged between the two front seats. That pain was nothing compared to him jamming his gun into the space beneath her skull. “Lady, if you want to lecture me, I will get rid of her right now. Then you’ll have to explain to your son how you got his girlfriendkilled.”
Girlfriend…
The first time she and Jonah had seen one another in almost a year was at Tucci’s the other night. Why would Keith think theywere…?
She closed her eyes. The recording. Keith had listened to all her recorded files, including the one of her and Jonah. What if she could convince him that she and Jonah weren’t involved? Would that make a difference? “I know what you’re doing, Keith,” she said in a calm voice. “You want to punish Jonah for something.” Something she still didn’t understand. Normally, she didn’t advocate lying to a client, but this wasn’t exactly a normal appointment. “But if you’re angry with me because you think Jonah and I are involved, that’s just not thecase.”
The gun dug deeper. “Oh, really? Then explain why you let him screw you in public then. Little Miss Professional fucked the boss right there in his office. I thought you were different, that you were on my side, but no. What Jonah Steele wants, Jonah Steele gets. Guess he wanted your hot littlepussy.”
Tessa couldn’t hold in her gasp or control the heat that rushed to her face. What mortified her more—Jonah’s mom hearing this or that Keith had listened to something so private—she couldn’tsay.
So that was why Keith had never been back to see her. Her mind clicking, she said, “That…that was a one-timething.”
He snorted. “Which is why you’re sleeping in his bed now. You suck as a therapist and you suck as a liar. Then again, those are the same thing, aren’t they? You told me the pain of Steven’s death would be bearable one day. That wasbullshit.”
He was right. She’d been in over her head thinking she could guide him through his grief. Why had she even toyed with the idea of helping people through traumas? Keith was proof that she had no business doing anything more than team building and making referrals to real counselors. “Iwas—”
“Kinda like your fuck buddy has been feeding you BS for years.” Keith rolled right over her words. “After I figured out you were hot for him, I did a little digging on our boy Jonah. Hacked the hacker. Bet he didn’t tell you what all he’s been up to over the years. How he was the one who funded that big college scholarship foryou.”
“Wha…What are you talkingabout?”
“Did you really think you were good enough to get a full ride to college? Nah, our boy Steele robbed Shaw to pay Martin. A hundred grand orso.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.” Her brain started a continual loop, trying to work it out. Was Keith saying Jonah stole from Harrison Shaw to pay for hereducation?
Oh, God. Somehow, Jonahhadfound a way to punish them, and all these years, he’d allowed her to think she was a strong, self-madewoman.
“You’ll have to ask him for the lowdown. If you’re alive long enough. Now get the fuck outta the car,” he demanded, shoving her back toward herseat.
The gun was Tessa’s steady companion as they got out. Keith didn’t even look down when he grabbed his bag from the backseat. “Into those trees.” He shoved Tessa toward the woodedlot.
They trooped through the woods, dead branches and leaves crunching under their feet. Tessa tried to remember how far they’d gone, counting each step and looking up to catch the direction of the waning wintersun.
A few minutes later, Keith pulled Tessa up by the back of her beautiful sweater. He tossed the bag he’d been carrying toward Miss Joan. “Unzip that and take out the sensorvests.”
“Keith, can you at least share what you’re tryingto—”
Whack.Tessa’s knees wobbled at the feel of the gun slamming into the top of her spine. “Take off yoursweater.”
Tessa couldn’t do this again. If Keith tried to rape her, she’d fight with everything inside her, until one of them was dead. But she didn’t want Miss Joan to die in the process. She glanced at her and mouthed, “Run.”
Another head shake from her. Damn them, the Steele family really needed to take a course in StubbornnessManagement.
“You too,” he said roughly to Jonah’s mom. “Both of you.Now!”
Tessa didn’t like the way his demeanor had changed. He was becoming more aggressive by the minute. “Keith, you promised we would talk aboutSteven—”
With one yank of his arm, he swung her around and ground the gun into her forehead. “What the fuck do I have to do to get you to shut the fuck up? No more talking aboutSteven.”
“But isn’t this game all about him?” She had to try to get through to him. “If you’ll just tellme—”
He backed her against a tree and pushed the gun against the center of her head so hard, Tessa felt the metal cut through her skin. “It’s time to shut up and play. If you don’t want to play, then I’ll take you out now and Steele can kill hismother.”
