time I stab you, it’s really going to hurt. The second time won’t be as bad, and the third will feel like a twinge.” He lowered his chin. “I could stab you at least a hundred times before you lose consciousness. Is that what you want?”
“No. That is definitely not what I want,” Gilbert gasped, trying to push his chair backward on the concrete. He didn’t move.
“Okay. Then I’ll give you one more chance. Tell me what happened to Grace.” Adare kept his voice soothing to throw off his prey.
Gilbert’s mouth dropped open and he stared at the knife. “Okay, now listen. I know I was supposed to take her to the airport, but when she got into the car, she asked me to take her to a car rental place that was far away from the airport. I wasn’t sure what to do, and then she gave me a hundred dollar bill, so I figured she should go where she wanted, you know?”
Adare plunged the knife into his leg, careful not to slice an artery or anything that couldn’t be easily fixed. For now.
Gilbert cried out and gasped, his chest moving wildly as he absorbed the pain.
Adare pulled the knife free, and Gilbert fell forward as much as his bindings would allow, hissing in agony. “Dude. That was so uncool,” he coughed.
Adare wiped blood off on Gilbert’s good leg. “I’m going to ask you again.”
“No.” Gilbert shook his head wildly. “Don’t ask me again. Don’t ask me anything. You don’t want the truth. I’m done. I’m done talking.”
Adare smiled. “No, you’re not. You’re nowhere near done.”
Gilbert whimpered.
Adare lifted the knife.
Benny held up a hand. “Just give this a second. Gilbert, what was the name of the car rental place?”
“Romeo’s Reasonable Rentals,” Gilbert said, his back arching and pain etched into the lines of his pale face.
Benny pulled his phone from his back pocket. “That’s a rather detailed response.” He lifted the phone, pressed a button, and quickly spoke into it. “Hey, Chalton. Do me a favor. Hack into the surveillance system of a Romeo’s Reasonable Rentals outside of Durango, would you? Probably around nine this morning. I’ll wait.”
Adare stared at Gilbert. How many times would he need to stab this idiot before he told the truth? It was frankly surprising he’d lasted this long.
Benny waited a few beats. “Perfect. Thanks.” He clicked off and moved toward Adare, holding the phone so they could both see the screen. “He sent me the feed.”
Adare looked down at the video to see Grace enter the facility and approach the counter, sign documents, and then walk out with the kid from behind the counter. He frowned. “Play it again.” Benny did so, and he watched again, searching for the threat. Bright sunlight cascaded in through the windows, so no Kurjans or Cysts could’ve been outside with weapons. What in the world was Grace doing?
Benny’s phone buzzed, and he brought up a video outside the car rental place. The sunlight sparkled off the snow and Grace’s hair as she walked with a dark-haired kid to a rental car, got inside, smiled at him, and drove away.
Benny cleared his throat. “Looks like she took off on her own.”
Adare lifted his chin. “Not a chance. I don’t know where the threat was or who made her do this, but I will find out.”
Gilbert sniffed. “Does that mean I can go?”
Adare sighed. Jesus. He’d just stabbed the moron for no reason. “Yeah. Let me bandage your leg, and you can go. If you want to notify the authorities, feel free, but they’ll never find me.”
Gilbert’s eyebrows lifted. “Maybe. Or not.”
Benny sighed and pulled out his wallet to reveal several bills. “I have about a thousand.”
“Now we’re talking,” Gilbert said, smiling through his tears. “I knew we’d become friends.”
* * * *
Grace delivered the lattes, stepping over a princess castle on the way into her old apartment. This time, there were boxes lined up in the kitchen.
Standing in the living room, Bobbi accepted her drink and nodded toward the boxes. “Think he’ll get the hint? I packed a week ago, and he’s driving me nuts with the procrastination, you know?” She took a big drink and then pushed the castle to the side with one tennis shoe. “If we have time, maybe you’d like to see the new house? I mean, just if you want to.”
Why couldn’t Grace remember this friend? “I’d like that, Bobbi.”
“Cool.” Bobbi picked up a purse big enough to use as a weekend bag.