‘I know that. That’s why I’ve let this go on so long. She believes that you still need her. That you’re still “not yourself” since Mikhail died. Maybe that’s true, maybe it’s not. I don’t know. But I do know that Aunt Gayle needs to be needed. And I give her what she needs.’
Marcus found his anger draining away. Jill was right about Gayle. The woman did need to be needed, and he and his family had probably taken advantage of that more times than he wanted to consider over the years, without even realizing it.
Opening his fist, he glanced down at the flash drive before lifting his eyes to Jill’s face. ‘Gayle always told me about the worst threats, so that I could be prepared,’ he said, watching for any sign that Gayle’s niece knew more than she should.
Jill’s head tilted to one side, her eyes narrowing. ‘So that you could be prepared, or so that you could eliminate the threat?’
She didn’t know, Marcus thought. But she suspected, and that was troubling enough. He chilled his tone. ‘Perhaps you should define “eliminate”.’
The pulse fluttered at the base of her throat, the color rising in her cheeks. She was afraid, but she didn’t blink. That could be very good or very, very bad. ‘You were a Ranger, Marcus. You own every gun known to man, and very few of them are registered.’
How she knew about his army background and his gun collection would be a question he’d table for later. ‘Yet you stay.’
She lifted a shoulder. ‘Like I said before, you pay me well. And Aunt Gayle won’t leave you. I can’t tell her what I think. She won’t believe you are capable of doing any wrong. She thinks you walk on water.’
Because Gayle loved him. Of that, Marcus had never had a single doubt. ‘You didn’t answer my question, Jill,’ he said, letting menace creep into the words. ‘Define “eliminate”.’
She swallowed hard. ‘I saw the patterns in the threats that came in before I took over. Some were just . . . noise. People spouting off. But others were serious. They got bad, then worse, then . . . they stopped.’
Marcus stared at her as the seconds ticked by. He’d admit to nothing, not until she made an accusation. Finally, she dropped her gaze, focusing on her feet. ‘Did you kill them?’
He had to admire her guts. ‘No,’ he said quietly. At least he hadn’t killed any of them yet. But he’d been tempted so many times. ‘I have other means.’
Her swallow was audible this time, and his admiration grew when she lifted her chin, locking stares once again. ‘Legal means?’
Damn, the girl really did have a spine. He smiled at her, very nearly amused. ‘Mostly.’
‘That’s all you’re going to say?’ she asked, her voice rising an octave. ‘Mostly?’
‘That’s all you asked.’
She drew a breath. ‘All right, if that’s the way the game is played. If you’re caught doing something that falls outside of “mostly”, will my aunt be in trouble with the law?’
He regarded her carefully. ‘Aren’t you worried about yourself?’
‘Of course, but I’m more worried about Aunt Gayle. If she gets arrested . . . Her heart couldn’t take that.’
‘You assume Gayle knows about any activities that are less than “mostly”.’
‘I assum e nothing,’ she said stiffly. ‘I know there are parts of Gayle’s hard drive that I couldn’t access. I also know that she has a separate, secret email account that I couldn’t break into. She clearly has something to hide. I just want her safe. And alive.’
That Jill hadn’t been able to hack into their protected, encrypted files made him feel a little better. Unless she was lying to buy his confidence. Always a possibility.
He tossed the flash drive in the air and caught it again. ‘You said you were worried that one of these threats could be real, that I’d get killed, and that you’d lose your job. But you didn’t think to warn me?”
‘No. I figured you couldn’t be too
Marcus found his anger draining away. Jill was right about Gayle. The woman did need to be needed, and he and his family had probably taken advantage of that more times than he wanted to consider over the years, without even realizing it.
Opening his fist, he glanced down at the flash drive before lifting his eyes to Jill’s face. ‘Gayle always told me about the worst threats, so that I could be prepared,’ he said, watching for any sign that Gayle’s niece knew more than she should.
Jill’s head tilted to one side, her eyes narrowing. ‘So that you could be prepared, or so that you could eliminate the threat?’
She didn’t know, Marcus thought. But she suspected, and that was troubling enough. He chilled his tone. ‘Perhaps you should define “eliminate”.’
The pulse fluttered at the base of her throat, the color rising in her cheeks. She was afraid, but she didn’t blink. That could be very good or very, very bad. ‘You were a Ranger, Marcus. You own every gun known to man, and very few of them are registered.’
How she knew about his army background and his gun collection would be a question he’d table for later. ‘Yet you stay.’
She lifted a shoulder. ‘Like I said before, you pay me well. And Aunt Gayle won’t leave you. I can’t tell her what I think. She won’t believe you are capable of doing any wrong. She thinks you walk on water.’
Because Gayle loved him. Of that, Marcus had never had a single doubt. ‘You didn’t answer my question, Jill,’ he said, letting menace creep into the words. ‘Define “eliminate”.’
She swallowed hard. ‘I saw the patterns in the threats that came in before I took over. Some were just . . . noise. People spouting off. But others were serious. They got bad, then worse, then . . . they stopped.’
Marcus stared at her as the seconds ticked by. He’d admit to nothing, not until she made an accusation. Finally, she dropped her gaze, focusing on her feet. ‘Did you kill them?’
He had to admire her guts. ‘No,’ he said quietly. At least he hadn’t killed any of them yet. But he’d been tempted so many times. ‘I have other means.’
Her swallow was audible this time, and his admiration grew when she lifted her chin, locking stares once again. ‘Legal means?’
Damn, the girl really did have a spine. He smiled at her, very nearly amused. ‘Mostly.’
‘That’s all you’re going to say?’ she asked, her voice rising an octave. ‘Mostly?’
‘That’s all you asked.’
She drew a breath. ‘All right, if that’s the way the game is played. If you’re caught doing something that falls outside of “mostly”, will my aunt be in trouble with the law?’
He regarded her carefully. ‘Aren’t you worried about yourself?’
‘Of course, but I’m more worried about Aunt Gayle. If she gets arrested . . . Her heart couldn’t take that.’
‘You assume Gayle knows about any activities that are less than “mostly”.’
‘I assum e nothing,’ she said stiffly. ‘I know there are parts of Gayle’s hard drive that I couldn’t access. I also know that she has a separate, secret email account that I couldn’t break into. She clearly has something to hide. I just want her safe. And alive.’
That Jill hadn’t been able to hack into their protected, encrypted files made him feel a little better. Unless she was lying to buy his confidence. Always a possibility.
He tossed the flash drive in the air and caught it again. ‘You said you were worried that one of these threats could be real, that I’d get killed, and that you’d lose your job. But you didn’t think to warn me?”
‘No. I figured you couldn’t be too
Similar Books
