“No. I’ve invested too much into Samira, and I’m running out of time. I owe big debts to some nasty men, so I need this to happen now. And I need you to help me. As I said, I’ll split the insurance with you. It’ll be more money than you’ve ever seen in your entire worthless life.”
Jake knew how it felt to have debts looming over him, so perhaps he and Langdon were more similar than he’d realized. But not in this way, because Jake would never commit murder – not for all the money in the world. Yes, he was on the wrong side of the tracks and he’d killed an unarmed criminal on the spur of the moment. He’d fucked up in the past, but murdering a sweet beautiful young woman – who was actually his sister-in-law – was way off his moral compass.
There was only one thing Jake intended to do now, and it wasn’t help Langdon.
He gazed into Langdon’s eyes. “Alright, I’ll do it. I’ll follow them and do it as soon as I get the chance. And I’ll make it look like an accident – don’t worry, you can trust me.”
“Good, I knew you’d see sense. Bring the body back here as soon as you’ve done it. We can bury her in the ranch. I’m not planning on staying here much longer, so I’ll be living the high life in Rio before anyone finds her.”
“Yeah…” Jake started to walk toward the door, desperate to get away from this insane psychopath. But he halted and turned back. “Hey… about her passport…Would it better if you gave it to me? So I can destroy it at the same time as I do the deed?”
Langdon eyed him up. “I think not, Jake. I’ve got plans to sell her passport – they can reach a good price, even a foreign one like hers.”
“But you haven’t sold it yet?”
“No, no. It’s safe here. Well away from anyone who might be thinking of double-crossing me. And – let me tell you, Jake – if you don’t kill her, I’ll find someone who will – and I’ll tell them to kill you too. And her damn husband. They’re both as good as dead – and if you betray me, so are you.”
Jake nodded and strode out the door, trying to figure out how best he could protect Ivan and Samira, while ensuring that he kept himself alive.
He climbed into his car and headed for the airfield, knowing the only place he could go now was New York. It was time to meet the family.
Chapter Seventeen
Ivan felt supercool driving down the interstate on this balmy afternoon with the top rolled down and Samira at his side. The wide highway was practically empty – with only the occasional truck and scrubby wasteland for miles around. It shouldn’t take them long to reach the airfield now, then they’d be out of Texas for good. Ivan’s muscles relaxed at the thought – he couldn’t wait to get back to New York to be with his family, and to get Samira away from Langdon. Soon they’d be boarding the private jet, and in a few hours they’d be home…
He put his arm around Samira, who was holding little Quin in her arms. She’d loosely braided her hair to stop it from blowing around in the breeze, and it made her look beautiful.
She caught Ivan checking her out. “Don’t you think you should keep your eyes on the road?”
He chuckled. “Sure. You’re just so captivating.”
“Aw, thanks…” She raised her voice against the wind as they thundered onward. “I can’t believe he turned so nasty so quick. I guess you were right about me being naïve to trust him.”
“I guess you didn’t have any other options. You okay?”
“I think so. I didn’t like him calling me a fucking bitch. I mean, why’s it so hard for him to let me go? It’s not like he’s in love with me.”
“I’m not sure why he was keeping you there, sweetheart. Maybe because of the shit he’s been dealing across the border… Or maybe we’ll never know. But one thing’s for sure, you’re never going back there.”
“I don’t want to. I just want to be with you now. You and Quin.” She kissed Quin on the forehead as he slept in her arms.
Ivan gripped the wheel. “I’ll come back to Texas and get your passport after the wedding. I’ll force him to give it back to me.”
“Thank you.”
“But don’t worry about that for now, okay.”
“What – about being an illegal immigrant on the run in a stolen car?”
He smirked. “It’s quite exciting being with me, isn’t it, babe?”
“It sure is, Ivan Quinlan.”
They shared an affectionate smile. Then he focused on the road ahead. “I can’t wait to introduce you to my family.”
“They’ll be shocked to discover you got married and had a child since they last saw you!”
“They sure will.” He glanced at her. Then he realized something… “Although…”