you.”
He stopped his pacing and stared at her. “I’m the middle child. The one that everyone ignores.”
“So? I doubt Dirk ignored you.”
“Maybe not, but he was always successful. Always. From high school on. I was born and he was already successful. I had an uphill climb at birth to impress my parents.”
“You don’t have to impress your parents. They love you no matter what. That’s the deal with being a parent.”
“Oh, they might love me, but they aren’t proud of me.”
“Did you ever ask them if they were?”
He waved the gun as if dismissing what she said. No one knew the dialogue in Chad’s head. She certainly wasn’t going to figure it out. Might as well get him talking until she loosened her bonds for sure.
She was close. She could feel it.
“I didn’t have to. They always raved about Dirk. Dirk did this. Dirk did that.”
“Did you actually do things?”
He screwed up his face, and she thought for a moment that she’d pushed him too far. He held that face for a moment then let out a noisy breath. “Of course I did things. I got good grades. Maybe not as good as Dirk, but I got into good colleges. Didn’t matter. Dirk was always upstaging me.”
“But is that Dirk’s fault? He was always in a different part of his life.”
“If Dirk hadn’t always been successful, they would have noticed me more,” Chad said.
Even saying it out loud, he didn’t see how absurd he was. Dirk’s success would have never taken away from his own. He just hadn’t done anything outstanding in his life. How sad. He had spent his whole life comparing himself to Dirk. They were two different people.
Very few men were as driven as Dirk. Chad clearly was only driven to ruin Dirk.
“How did you do it?”
Chad laughed. “You never figured it out?”
She had, but he didn’t need to know that. “No.”
She was almost loose. If he got involved in extolling the virtues of what he’d done, he’d be distracted. Her heart fluttered in her chest. She’d have one chance. That’s when she glanced at Tuck.
He was awake, but behind Chad, who hadn’t noticed. Chad kept pacing around the room. Each time, he came closer and closer to Tuck. She tried to signal to Tuck that she was loose, but Chad kept glancing at her.
She didn’t want to give away that she was ready to bolt. Instead she relaxed into her chair.
Chad droned on about how he’d done the deed. As she listened, she was uninspired. She would have done it differently, and no one would have found out. It would have been untraceable. She kept that tidbit to herself.
No reason to piss the man off who had a gun. He went on and on as if he were so proud of his work. Riley had to admit she felt foolish that she hadn’t seen it all sooner. She should have pegged what he’d done. She was that good.
Dirk had been a distraction. That would be her excuse. His romancing her kept her from being on top of her game. Not that she would have traded anything for the world.
She loved the man. She hoped she would be able to get out and tell him.
Chad paced again. Closer to Tuck than before. She kept her gaze on Chad, not alerting him to Tuck’s being awake. They could pull this off.
“So that’s how I did it,” Chad said, his voice full of pride.
Then he took one more step and Tuck swing his legs around, tripping Chad, giving Riley a chance to escape.
***
With Riley still not answering her phone, Dirk called Luzy. She didn’t answer, so he left a message.
She called back a few minutes later.
“Dirk?”
“Luzy. Is Riley with you?”
“Riley?”
“Yes, you were having lunch with her today. I’m trying to get hold of her.”
“Oh, she cancelled lunch.”
“Cancelled?”
Why would Luzy lie? He knew from Joan that Riley was waiting for Tuck to check out the place. Had Riley walked into something? Shit. Now he was more worried.
“She didn’t cancel, Luzy. What game are you playing?”
“Uh. I don’t know where she is,
He stopped his pacing and stared at her. “I’m the middle child. The one that everyone ignores.”
“So? I doubt Dirk ignored you.”
“Maybe not, but he was always successful. Always. From high school on. I was born and he was already successful. I had an uphill climb at birth to impress my parents.”
“You don’t have to impress your parents. They love you no matter what. That’s the deal with being a parent.”
“Oh, they might love me, but they aren’t proud of me.”
“Did you ever ask them if they were?”
He waved the gun as if dismissing what she said. No one knew the dialogue in Chad’s head. She certainly wasn’t going to figure it out. Might as well get him talking until she loosened her bonds for sure.
She was close. She could feel it.
“I didn’t have to. They always raved about Dirk. Dirk did this. Dirk did that.”
“Did you actually do things?”
He screwed up his face, and she thought for a moment that she’d pushed him too far. He held that face for a moment then let out a noisy breath. “Of course I did things. I got good grades. Maybe not as good as Dirk, but I got into good colleges. Didn’t matter. Dirk was always upstaging me.”
“But is that Dirk’s fault? He was always in a different part of his life.”
“If Dirk hadn’t always been successful, they would have noticed me more,” Chad said.
Even saying it out loud, he didn’t see how absurd he was. Dirk’s success would have never taken away from his own. He just hadn’t done anything outstanding in his life. How sad. He had spent his whole life comparing himself to Dirk. They were two different people.
Very few men were as driven as Dirk. Chad clearly was only driven to ruin Dirk.
“How did you do it?”
Chad laughed. “You never figured it out?”
She had, but he didn’t need to know that. “No.”
She was almost loose. If he got involved in extolling the virtues of what he’d done, he’d be distracted. Her heart fluttered in her chest. She’d have one chance. That’s when she glanced at Tuck.
He was awake, but behind Chad, who hadn’t noticed. Chad kept pacing around the room. Each time, he came closer and closer to Tuck. She tried to signal to Tuck that she was loose, but Chad kept glancing at her.
She didn’t want to give away that she was ready to bolt. Instead she relaxed into her chair.
Chad droned on about how he’d done the deed. As she listened, she was uninspired. She would have done it differently, and no one would have found out. It would have been untraceable. She kept that tidbit to herself.
No reason to piss the man off who had a gun. He went on and on as if he were so proud of his work. Riley had to admit she felt foolish that she hadn’t seen it all sooner. She should have pegged what he’d done. She was that good.
Dirk had been a distraction. That would be her excuse. His romancing her kept her from being on top of her game. Not that she would have traded anything for the world.
She loved the man. She hoped she would be able to get out and tell him.
Chad paced again. Closer to Tuck than before. She kept her gaze on Chad, not alerting him to Tuck’s being awake. They could pull this off.
“So that’s how I did it,” Chad said, his voice full of pride.
Then he took one more step and Tuck swing his legs around, tripping Chad, giving Riley a chance to escape.
***
With Riley still not answering her phone, Dirk called Luzy. She didn’t answer, so he left a message.
She called back a few minutes later.
“Dirk?”
“Luzy. Is Riley with you?”
“Riley?”
“Yes, you were having lunch with her today. I’m trying to get hold of her.”
“Oh, she cancelled lunch.”
“Cancelled?”
Why would Luzy lie? He knew from Joan that Riley was waiting for Tuck to check out the place. Had Riley walked into something? Shit. Now he was more worried.
“She didn’t cancel, Luzy. What game are you playing?”
“Uh. I don’t know where she is,
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