Tantalizing Maria (The Temptation Saga 7)

Wayne jerked beneath the gun. “Christ, Jeff, what the fuck are you doing?”

Jeff’s hand shook. Was he really holding a gun on his brother? He’d never shoot him. Hell, it wasn’t even loaded. But Wayne didn’t know that.

“Just drink it, asshole, or I blow your brains out.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Jeff cocked the trigger. Would Wayne call his bluff? “You better start believing.”

“If this is poison, you might as well kill me now.”

“It’s not poison. Trust me, you’ll live through this, and you’ll go on with your golden boy life. I promise. Now drink it.”

“Jeff—”

“I swear to God I’ll do it, Wayne.” His words sounded a hell of a lot more sure than he actually was. He could never harm his brother. He hated the man, but Jeff was no killer.

But Wayne didn’t have to know that at this particular instant.

Wayne took the cup, his hands shaking visibly. He drank it slowly. “It’s bitter.”

“Sorry. They were out of the strawberry flavor.”

“What is this, anyway?” He gulped the last of it.

“It’s ketamine. It’ll give you amnesia for about thirty minutes. It will be retroactive for about an hour before now. Then you’ll fall back into your dreamy sleep and you’ll never know I was here.”

Jeff waited about fifteen minutes until Wayne entered a dreamlike state, his eyes glossed over.

“Tell me, Wayne. What are the combinations to Grandpa’s safes?”

“The ones in his office or the one in his bedroom?”

He had one in his bedroom? News to Jeff. “All of them.”

“Big safe in office, fifty-five, sixty-seven, eight-oh-nine. Smaller one, seventy-eight, oh-six, eighty-nine.”

Jeff scribbled the numbers on a piece of paper. “And the one in the bedroom?”

“He never told me.”

“Give me a break. He tells you everything.”

“He never told me.” Wayne slurred his words.

Jeff was certain Wayne would tell him if he knew. He’d divulged the others quick enough. But maybe…

“Come on…”

“He made me promise not to tell.”

“Yeah? Well, you’re about to break that promise, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Wayne mumbled. “It’s twenty-one, forty-three, twenty-one. But I don’t know what’s in there. He made me promise never to look in there.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I never made such a promise,” Jeff said. “Thanks, bro. You’ve been very helpful. Now just go on to sleep, and you’ll wake up fit as a fiddle with no recollection of this little talk.”

“’Kay, Jeff. Night.” Wayne closed his eyes and let out a snore.