Neal opened his mouth to respond, but no words would come out. His throat was dry, scratchy and—that was sirens in the distance. His head whipped around in their direction, not that it did any good. He couldn’t actually see the police cars. Were they coming for him?
He looked back at Alexei and the smug, triumphant smile on the man’s face was all he needed to confirm the truth. “You called the police?”
The Russian shook his head. “No. You angered a lot of people Mr. Lynch. My boss gets his payment and now the people who helped us get what they want. You in prison. Simple as that. Like I said before, you might want to just kill yourself. I don’t think a man like you will do well in prison.” He chuckled again then turned away from him, completely dismissing him.
Oh God. He had to move fast. To flee.
The sirens were getting louder. Closer.
Bending, he grabbed the bag with his extra cash. He looked inside to make sure it was still there. Cash and burner phones. He could replace everything else.
Hefting the bag up, he started running. He had to get away from the marina.
Behind him he could hear the men laughing at him. Fuck them. He would escape. No matter what it took, he’d get away. The Russian’s words rolled around in his head; ‘the people who helped us’. What the hell? Only one person that he knew of wanted him in prison. Taylor Arenas.
Well, most of the employees at the Powers Group wanted him imprisoned or dead. Everyone had loved Hugh. But Taylor and maybe a few people from the IT department were the only ones smart enough to transfer his boat to the Russians.
He’d made sure that purchase was buried deep, under layers and layers so there would be no tracing it back to him. But that bitch must have figured it out.
It had to be her.
Even if it wasn’t he didn’t care. He was going to make her pay for everything she’d done. This whole situation was her fault. She’d told Hugh what he’d been up to. If she’d just kept her nose out of his business none of this would have happened. Hugh would still be alive and the company would be out a little cash.
No big deal.
But she’d thought she could just check up on him, like he was some common criminal. As he raced along the dock a plan formed in his mind. There was one more person he could turn to for help.
It was risky and would cost him every last cent he had to get what he needed to bring her down. But it would be worth it because if he did it right, she’d be dead and he’d be able to escape for the rest of his life without looking over his shoulder. He’d have to start over financially but it would be worth it with that bitch dead.
Chapter 16
Three days later
Roman opened the back of the armored SUV door for Taylor and as she slid in, another wave of tears welled up. She swiped at them, willing them to stop. But it was useless.
Hugh’s funeral had left her emotionally spent. Everyone from work—sans Neal—had been there. Not to mention hundreds of other people. Hugh had made a lot of contacts and friends over the years. A fair businessman who gave back to the community, he would definitely be missed by many. Especially by her. So much. She’d never forget the first big business deal she’d helped him with. He’d taken her and the others on the team out for a big celebration dinner, making her feel like she belonged somewhere and was doing something good for the first time in a long time. He’d made her feel like more than an employee, like she mattered. And he’d done the same thing for so many people because he’d truly cared.
“He’d have loved how many people showed up today,” Taylor murmured, leaning her head on Roman. He’d been with her the past couple days, a steady rock. For once in her life she had no problem depending on someone for emotional support. Because right now, she needed it. Saying goodbye had been harder than she’d thought. She’d made a silent vow to him that she would see Neal brought down for what he’d done. That was the only thing that helped make her feel better.
Roman’s arm tightened around her shoulders as Escobar started the engine. The last three days they’d basically been holed up in Wyatt Christiansen’s condo. Despite what Escobar had said about her taking time off, she’d been working on different company projects, tying up anything she could this week just to keep busy and because she didn’t want things to fall apart because Hugh was gone. Since she could work anywhere as long as she had her laptop it hadn’t been an issue.
She knew she needed to ask Roman how much longer he’d be staying and what would happen between them from here, but she’d been feeling way too raw to say it in case he didn’t give her the answer she wanted. She’d just needed to get through today. Now that the funeral was over, she knew it was time for the conversation. Because as much as she wanted him to, she knew he couldn’t stick around and guard her until Neal was found.