opened the door. Two rather large, barrel-chested men flanked Adam Church.
“Can we come in?” Adam asked, annoyed to find Hill in a robe.
Hill was reluctant. He had no idea what had sparked this impromptu visit, unless Adam had followed Caitlin to his place. But if he had followed her, he would have entered on the rear end of the property. There were only two very distinct entrances to the property. One road led to the front. A totally different road led to the back. Anyone who knew how to access the front had no idea of the back and vice versa. So had he followed Caitlin, he would have been at the back entrance where all the security was. So if he didn’t follow Caitlin, why was he here?
“Sure.” He opened the door wide enough to accommodate the large men. “Come in.”
All three walked in, looking around. One of the men continued walking toward the rear of the warehouse while the other stood near Hill. Adam sat on the two-seater.
“Where’s he going? What’s going on?” Hill asked.
“Aren’t you going to offer me a drink?”
Hill felt his heart skipping beats. Where was his bat when he needed it? He didn’t like the looks of things and suspected Adam knew something. Did he know about his affair with Caitlin? He tried to appear nonchalant, but his mind was racing.
“Rum? Tequila? Or beer?”
Adam cleared his throat. “Beer is fine.”
Hill walked into the kitchen, followed by one of Adam’s sidekicks. He returned with three beers.
“Sit down, Hill.” Adam waited until Hill sat. “I’m looking for my wife.”
“And so you came to my place?”
Adam nodded then pulled a business card out of his pocket and slid it across the cocktail table to Hill, who was sitting on the couch across from him.
“Why did
my wife
have your
home
address next to
our
bed?”
Hill looked down at the card, recognizing his business card. He picked it up and saw his address written on the back side. He shrugged. “I don’t know, Adam. Maybe she intended to send me a ‘thank you’ note. Who knows?”
“Why would my
wife
be thanking you, Hill?”
“For a job well done? The landscaping. . .” Hill speculated. The other big guy returned to the living room, shaking his head. Adam nodded at him.
“Did my wife come to see you, Hill? Don’t lie to me.”
The man standing beside Hill pulled a nine millimeter Glock from the holster at the small of his back and placed the barrel at Hill’s temple. A wave of fear and fury fell over Hill, but he hoped it didn’t show, although all the blood drained from his face, leaving him pallid.
“Tell your boy to take his gun from my head, Adam,” Hill threatened.
“Not until I’m satisfied you’re telling me the truth. Where. Is. My. Wife?”
“I’m not your wife’s keeper. I don’t know where she is and I, quite frankly, don’t give a shit where she is.”
Adam signaled the second man, who began breaking Hill’s decorative items—vases, crystals, framed pictures—one by one.
“Hey, hey, hey! What the fuck, Adam? That shit cost me a lot of money.”
“Where is my wife?”
“I don’t know.”
The man with the gun at his head unlocked the safety.
“For the last time, Hill. And I want you to think hard about this before you answer. I
know
she’s here.”
“I tell you what, Adam. Why don’t you search the house for her then? I keep telling you, I don’t know where your wife is. So if you’re going to shoot me, just do it. Fucking do it.”
“Okay,” Adam agreed as he stood, took the pistol from the gunman, and aimed it at Hill, who stared Adam in the eyes, looking hardcore. Hill shuddered and shielded his head with his arms when he heard two pops. The smell of gunpowder filled the room. Hill closed his eyes tightly, wondering when he would feel the pain—feel the burn. But it never came.
“She’s not here,” Adam said to the men. “If she were, I would have heard her scream or run when I fired the gun. She’s not here. I’ll meet you at
“Can we come in?” Adam asked, annoyed to find Hill in a robe.
Hill was reluctant. He had no idea what had sparked this impromptu visit, unless Adam had followed Caitlin to his place. But if he had followed her, he would have entered on the rear end of the property. There were only two very distinct entrances to the property. One road led to the front. A totally different road led to the back. Anyone who knew how to access the front had no idea of the back and vice versa. So had he followed Caitlin, he would have been at the back entrance where all the security was. So if he didn’t follow Caitlin, why was he here?
“Sure.” He opened the door wide enough to accommodate the large men. “Come in.”
All three walked in, looking around. One of the men continued walking toward the rear of the warehouse while the other stood near Hill. Adam sat on the two-seater.
“Where’s he going? What’s going on?” Hill asked.
“Aren’t you going to offer me a drink?”
Hill felt his heart skipping beats. Where was his bat when he needed it? He didn’t like the looks of things and suspected Adam knew something. Did he know about his affair with Caitlin? He tried to appear nonchalant, but his mind was racing.
“Rum? Tequila? Or beer?”
Adam cleared his throat. “Beer is fine.”
Hill walked into the kitchen, followed by one of Adam’s sidekicks. He returned with three beers.
“Sit down, Hill.” Adam waited until Hill sat. “I’m looking for my wife.”
“And so you came to my place?”
Adam nodded then pulled a business card out of his pocket and slid it across the cocktail table to Hill, who was sitting on the couch across from him.
“Why did
my wife
have your
home
address next to
our
bed?”
Hill looked down at the card, recognizing his business card. He picked it up and saw his address written on the back side. He shrugged. “I don’t know, Adam. Maybe she intended to send me a ‘thank you’ note. Who knows?”
“Why would my
wife
be thanking you, Hill?”
“For a job well done? The landscaping. . .” Hill speculated. The other big guy returned to the living room, shaking his head. Adam nodded at him.
“Did my wife come to see you, Hill? Don’t lie to me.”
The man standing beside Hill pulled a nine millimeter Glock from the holster at the small of his back and placed the barrel at Hill’s temple. A wave of fear and fury fell over Hill, but he hoped it didn’t show, although all the blood drained from his face, leaving him pallid.
“Tell your boy to take his gun from my head, Adam,” Hill threatened.
“Not until I’m satisfied you’re telling me the truth. Where. Is. My. Wife?”
“I’m not your wife’s keeper. I don’t know where she is and I, quite frankly, don’t give a shit where she is.”
Adam signaled the second man, who began breaking Hill’s decorative items—vases, crystals, framed pictures—one by one.
“Hey, hey, hey! What the fuck, Adam? That shit cost me a lot of money.”
“Where is my wife?”
“I don’t know.”
The man with the gun at his head unlocked the safety.
“For the last time, Hill. And I want you to think hard about this before you answer. I
know
she’s here.”
“I tell you what, Adam. Why don’t you search the house for her then? I keep telling you, I don’t know where your wife is. So if you’re going to shoot me, just do it. Fucking do it.”
“Okay,” Adam agreed as he stood, took the pistol from the gunman, and aimed it at Hill, who stared Adam in the eyes, looking hardcore. Hill shuddered and shielded his head with his arms when he heard two pops. The smell of gunpowder filled the room. Hill closed his eyes tightly, wondering when he would feel the pain—feel the burn. But it never came.
“She’s not here,” Adam said to the men. “If she were, I would have heard her scream or run when I fired the gun. She’s not here. I’ll meet you at
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