Jardin's Gamble (Haven, Texas 9)

He quickly left, Milo following him. The big guard didn’t even spare her a glance. She stared out the window as a black car pulled up to the curb and Silvers and Milo climbed in.

As soon as he was gone, her legs gave in. She collapsed to the floor and pulled her legs up against her chest, curling into a ball.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

19

It was the only plan she could come up with. It wasn’t exactly a good plan and she wasn’t sure it would work. But she had to try.

Ace and Keir needed her. They weren’t going to be sent away to boarding school. And she wasn’t going to become some criminal asshole’s wife. She had no doubt that if she stuck around, by tomorrow night, she’d be a prisoner. Kept by a predator. Her free will gone.

But she needed to be smart about it. She dug up her stash of cash that she had hidden under one of the floorboards in her closet. It wasn’t nearly enough. And there was only one way she could come up with more cash to fund their escape. She drew out the necklace that was hidden in with the cash. It was gold filigree interspersed with diamonds and sapphires. She didn’t know where her mother had gotten it. Certainly not from her husband.

When she was fifteen, her mother had shown her the hidey-hole in her closet and the necklace. She’d told her if she ever needed the money, it was there. It was the only thing she had left of her. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she stashed the necklace and the cash in a pocket in her handbag.

She looked at the time on her watch. The boys would be up soon. She’d spent all night awake and planning. She knew just what she had to do. While they were sleeping, she’d packed one school bag with clothes, their tablets and headphones and some spare clothes for her. The other school bag held as much food as it could hold without the bag looking suspiciously large. She was under no illusions they weren’t being watched.

Now the tricky part. Explaining this to the boys.

“So, some bad guy wants to marry you and move you into his house?” Keir asked. They were up and dressed in their school uniforms. She was wearing a work outfit. They were just finishing up breakfast while she gulped down a cup of coffee. She was going to need the caffeine to get through today.

“Yes.” In a nutshell. She hadn’t told them about their father’s role in all this. But Keir gave her a knowing look. Yeah, he knew way too much for his age. She wished she could give him a more carefree childhood.

“But that’s so cool! Does he have a gun? Are we gonna live in some flash house?” Ace bounced around on his chair.

“Idiot!” Keir told him. “He’s not gonna want us. Besides, that flash house is all paid for from him breaking the law and stuff.”

“Keir, speak nicer to your brother,” she admonished then she turned to Ace. “But he’s right, honey. Crime isn’t cool. And this man, he isn’t a good man.”

Ace chewed his lip. “He doesn’t want me and Keir?”

“Baby, I don’t want him anywhere near the two of you. You’re my priority. Always.”

“I’m not a baby,” Ace muttered.

“No, you’re not.” Shit. She already had a headache.

“What are we gonna do?” Keir asked. “Do we need to tell the cops?”

“This man . . . the police won’t be able to do much.” She didn’t want to dispel their belief in the police. But they couldn’t go to the cops.

“Then what’re we gonna do?” Ace asked.

“We’re going to have to leave,” she said as gently as she could. Both boys stiffened then looked at each other.

“Where are we gonna go?” Keir asked.

She licked her dry lips. “I’m not exactly sure yet. First thing we need to do is get away safely.”

“What do you mean?” Ace asked.

“She means we’re being watched, right?”

“I think so,” she said.

“So how do we do it then?” Keir asked.

“I’ve packed some stuff in your backpacks. Keir, you’ve got our clothes and the tablets. Ace, I’ll carry yours since it’s got our food. We’re gonna drive to school like normal. I’m going to walk you in and then we’ll go out the back entrance. I’ll have an Uber waiting. We’ll take it to the mall. Go in one entrance. Out the other to the bus stop. Take a bus to a station. Get us tickets out of here.”