“It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure. Someone was very, very sneaky when she left for California.”
“Priscilla, your friend’s been telling me all about the new apartment you picked out for me. Sweet girl, I had no idea you had that up your sleeve.” Gram reached out and wrapped her bent fingers around mine.
“That’s right,” Blake said. “Nothing but the best for your gram, sweetheart.”
“What do you want?” I mumbled, low enough that Gram couldn’t hear me.
“I want you back.” He leaned forward, his eyes two evil, dark pools.
“That’s not going to happen.” I patted Gram’s hand. “Will you excuse us for a few minutes? I need to talk to Blake in private, then I’ll be back in with your surprise.”
“It was wonderful meeting you, Mrs. Sanderson. I’m sure we’ll talk again soon.” Blake bent down and kiss Gram’s hand.
“What a gentleman.” Gram pressed her palm over her heart.
I turned on him as soon as he entered the hall. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but you need to leave my grandmother out of it.”
He wrapped his fingers around my arm and tugged me toward the end of the hall. “I know you’ve been under a lot of stress lately, sweetheart. I’m going to give you one more chance to come with me. We can tell that vile investigator who’s been sniffing around that you faked those documents because you were mad at me. Then we’ll move your grandma into that home you’ve been looking at and get back to what we do best.”
“And what’s that?” I twisted my arm out of his grip. “Do you have another Ponzi scheme ready to go?”
“Keep your voice down, Priscilla. Your gram might hear you and get concerned. We don’t want her falling when she gets out of bed, do we? There’s no telling what might happen in a place like this. They cut so many corners to try to keep costs down. Those bedrails might get too loose or—”
“Don’t you dare threaten my gram.”
“I’m not threatening anyone.” His blue eyes rounded. “Just saying your grandmother would be much more comfortable in a nicer place. Quite frankly, so would you. I saw that dive where you’ve been staying. Anyone could break in. All they’d need to do is reach up through that dog door and unlock the deadbolt.”
There wasn’t an easy way out of this situation. If I let him walk away, I’d never forgive myself if he made good on his not-so-veiled threat to hurt Gram. I’d left my phone with Bison, and if I tried to call the police from the nurse’s desk, Blake would be gone before the authorities had a chance to get all the way out here. If I wanted to save my grandmother and myself, I needed to let him think he’d won.
“You know what, Blake? You’re right.”
His eyes narrowed while his grip on my arm tightened. “I’ve never seen you change your mind so quickly, sweetheart. I’m not sure I can trust your rapid change of heart.”
Swallowing the bile rising in my throat, I put my palm on his chest. “Let’s go somewhere we can talk.”
“I’ve got a car waiting out front that can take us to the private airfield. Thanks to your diligence, I’ve had to relocate to Bali. I think you’ll enjoy it, though it will be a little while before we’ll be able to come back and visit Gram, my love.”
I would have given just about anything to wipe the smug smirk off his face, but I had to pace myself. If I could get to Bison, he’d be able to help.
“I’m sorry, Blake. I shouldn’t have left you. I’ve been so scared and alone.”
“It’s okay, I’m here now. I’ll take good care of you and make sure you’ll never spend so much as a single second without me ever again.”
He put a possessive arm over my shoulder and held me tight to his side on the way down in the elevator. As we pushed through the front door, the bright afternoon sun temporarily blinded me. I lifted my hand to shade my eyes and saw Bison’s bike parked in the second row where we’d left it.
He and Dizzy were nowhere in sight.
Blake steered me toward a dark sedan illegally parked in a handicap spot. This was it. If I got into the car with him, I’d never be able to get away. Desperate to set eyes on Bison, I craned my neck as Blake put his hand on my head and pushed me into the car.
11
BISON
Dizzy and I sat half in, half out of the shade created by a faded awning. Based on the appearance of the exterior of the place, I didn’t want to imagine what it looked like inside. I’d been pinching pennies for years to try to save up enough to start customizing bikes on my own, but I’d give every single cent to help Priscilla get her grandmother out of a place like this.
Lack of sleep over the past two nights caught up with me, and I closed my eyes against the bright glare of the sun. I must have dozed off but woke when Dizzy started barking his head off at some guy walking down the sidewalk.
“Hey, bud, calm down.” I rubbed a palm along his back, but he didn’t let up.