Out of the Storm (Buckhorn, Montana #1) - B.J. Daniels Page 0,95
was to have gotten rid of Kate. He looked from her to the white empty landscape. This was as good a place as any. He could probably just dump her out here, and she’d die of hypothermia. He wouldn’t have to kill her himself.
But he couldn’t chance that the stubborn woman would find a way to save herself. Reaching under the seat, he pulled out the loaded handgun he knew was taped there with the silencer on it. “This is all your fault.”
* * *
HE WAS BLAMING HER? Even in her fear, she wanted to remind him that he was the one who had gotten involved with drug-smuggling criminals. That he was the one who’d lied to her about this trip. Lied to her about how much trouble he was in financially. Basically lied to her about everything.
Eyes narrowed, he was studying her with an intensity that told her this was the end of the line for them. For her.
Kate felt her heart drop as she looked at him and the gun he was holding. Her pulse took off at the sight of the silencer on the weapon. No one would hear the gunshot. As if there was anyone around to hear. This was the way he’d probably always planned it to end. The whole wedding had been a ruse. He’d known she would never go along with becoming his partner in crime.
She met his gaze. This suddenly quiet Collin scared her more than the ranting and raging one. His look sent a chill through her—even more than the gun he now held. There was cold, raw hatred in his eyes. Her blood ran cold at the way he had the weapon trained on her heart.
Her throat had gone dry. “Collin—” Her cell phone rang, making them both start. She recognized the ringtone, but it seemed to take him a moment to realize that it was her phone pealing and not his own. He laid the weapon across his thigh and dug out her phone. He took one look at the screen before his gaze shot up to hers, and he smiled.
“It’s Jon calling for you,” he said, sounding both incredulous and pleased.
Her heart jumped. “Maybe we should find out what he wants,” she said before she realized that Collin wanted Jon to hear the gunshot that killed her.
“Maybe we should,” he said. As Collin answered the call, she considered grabbing the gun lying on his thigh.
The sound of Jon’s voice stopped her as Collin put the phone on Speaker and handed it to her.
“Jon?”
He repeated what he’d said only moments before, but neither she nor Collin seemed to have understood his words. “You need to get out of the car,” Jon said with urgency. “The drugs aren’t in the car. They’re in another vehicle going to a different border crossing. The car you’re driving has a bomb in it. I’m not sure what triggers it. Don’t answer your phone in case—”
“Bullshit!” Collin said loudly. Gripping the phone, she started to open her door, but he grabbed her arm. “You aren’t going anywhere. He’s making this up.”
“We don’t have time to argue.” Jon’s voice was calm but determined. “I overheard Gerald on the phone outside the house before I got away. You and Kate are the diversion, so the real load can pass through another crossing without as much attention.”
“Why would he lie?” Kate demanded of Collin as she tried to pull free of his hold on her. “Isn’t this exactly what you’d expect them to do? Double-cross you? Get rid of us both?”
* * *
COLLIN SAW KATE glance behind before reaching for her door handle again. His first thought was that Gerald had sent someone to take care of him. Not that he was buying into anything Jon Harper was trying to sell him.
To his surprise, he saw the carpenter’s old pickup barreling down the road toward them. How had the man found them again? He swore.
Kate had reached for her door handle, but he was faster. He grabbed her arm in a steel grip as he threw the SUV into gear and took off down the road. He could outrun that old pickup. Because he wasn’t letting Jon get his hands on Kate. Not again. He’d kill her before he’d let that happen.
He let go of her arm, fairly sure she wasn’t stupid enough to leap out at this speed. The gun that had been on his lap fell to the floorboard. He saw Kate try to reach