From This Moment

Downstairs, he throws me into the living room. I land on my right side, after hitting my left hip and thigh on the coffee table. The pain is overwhelming.

“Tom, what the hell are you doing?”

What the hell is Nick doing with him?

“I want to know where Elise is!” Tom raises his hand to strike me.

Just as he slices his hand down, Nick stops him. “If she’s too banged up, she won’t be able to transfer the money.”

I take a steadying breath as Nick helps me up onto the sofa.

“Now babe, you need to make the transfer and then we’ll leave you alone.”

“You expect me to believe he’ll walk away?” I jerk my chin in Tom’s direction. My hands won’t stop shaking. I’m actually more terrified of Tom than Nick.

“Yes he will, because we’ll have the money we need. Then we’ll go.”

“I thought you were in jail.”

He laughs at me. “I have a good lawyer.”

Openly sobbing now, fear grips at my heart and turns it to ice. I’m so scared and my left hip and thigh are throbbing with pain. “I don’t know where Elise is. I went to bed with a migraine and she left while I was asleep. As for money . . .” I wipe at my face. “Get my notebook from the bedroom. I’ll give you the money as long as you promise to leave me and everyone else alone. Just go and promise to take him with you.”

Nick stares at me for a few moments. “As long as you don’t try anything,” he says.

“How can I?” I cry.

Nick nods to Tom. Silently, Tom takes the stairs two at a time.

I don’t have much time before he’s back. “What are you into?” I whisper to Nick in the hopes of distracting him.

He runs his hands through his hair. “I was selling drugs with Tom and a couple of other guys, but we were skimming from the top and putting the cash in an account in the Caymans.”

He sees my shocked expression. “Not everyone has an easy life.”

God, I really hate him.

“So what happened?”

“Turns out the big boss knew what we were doing and was waiting for us to trip up. Now he wants his money back before he buries us. I have to disappear.”

“If you were skimming from your boss, why do you need money from me?”

“You can never have enough money.”

“You aren’t going to get away with this.”

“Yes, I will.” Then he looks at me. “Look, I’m sorry Rona. I really am. I promise after you’ve completed the transfer I’ll leave you and everyone else alone for good.”

He must think I’m an idiot.

Tom runs down the stairs with my notebook clenched in his fist. “I think we have a problem. I found her cell on the floor. She made a call just before I found her.” He rushes at me, and shouts, “Who did you call?” He flings the notebook in my face.

I snatch it off the floor. “I called Cade! And he called the sheriff!”

Tom hits me hard across the face, knocking me over onto my side. Breathing heavily, he goes to hit me again, but Nick stops him.

“Calm down, damn it. We have to get out of here. She’ll come with us until we get the money.” Nick rips my notebook from my hands and picks my boots up from the door, tossing them at me. They land with a thud, just missing my feet.