Her Scream in the Silence (Carly Moore #2) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,95
greatest weakness.”
The way he said that last sentence set off something in my brain. “You know more about what happened between Wyatt and his parents.”
“You need to talk to Wyatt about that, Carly.”
“I’ve tried,” I confessed. “He knows some deep, dark secrets about my past. Things that could get me killed, yet he won’t share a single thing with me.”
Worry crinkled his eyes. “You’re in another danger besides this situation?”
I released a harsh laugh. “Doesn’t it seem strange to you that my car broke down and I just stayed?”
He cocked his head. “Your car didn’t break down? You were a plant?”
“No, I actually did have the supreme bad luck of getting stranded here. And it was true I was stuck here, but you and I both know I could have left. In fact, I considered hopping on a bus and getting the hell out of here during Seth’s murder investigation.”
“But you stayed,” he said. “Was it for Wyatt? Hank? Because you like Max, Ruth, and Tiny?”
“All of the above,” I said quietly. “But I’m also hiding, Marco.”
He drew in a short breath. “Are we talkin’ a domestic violence situation, or are you runnin’ away from a legal matter?”
“I’ve done nothing illegal,” I said. “So you can wipe that concern from your conscience. It’s more similar to the first. The people looking for me have the means to find me. Money. Resources.” I leaned in closer and held his gaze. “There are no CCTV cameras in Drum. I have a new identity. I thought I would be relatively safe here, so I stayed.” But that wasn’t quite the full story, so I added, “But I only stayed because of the people. I could have gone off the grid somewhere else. At least I have friends here.”
He studied me as though I’d sprouted a second head. “I have a ton of questions, but I won’t ask most of them because you would have shared the information if you’d wanted me to have it, so let’s go with this one. The way you said relatively safe makes me think your identity has been compromised. Has it?”
“Remember what I told you about running into Bart Drummond? He wants to meet with me next week. And the way he said my name…he knows it’s not my real one. He knows I’m in hiding.” When Marco didn’t say anything, I added, “In hindsight, I should have seen it coming. He seemed intrigued by me at the funeral. It stands to reason that he would have had me investigated.”
“And you think he’s going to blackmail you with it?”
“Possibly. The other option is to give me up, but if he planned on turning me over, I’m not sure why he’d go to the trouble of warning me first. Besides, I doubt he’s really interested in half a million dollars.”
Marco blinked and then his eyes bugged out. “Half a million dollars?”
“Thinkin’ about turnin’ me in, Marco?” I asked in a dry tone, my accent slipping in.
He turned serious. “Who the hell wants you that badly, Carly?”
I remained silent. I realized he could find out easily enough, but the lack of internet or cell phone service would make it harder.
“How would Bart know someone’s lookin’ for you?”
“It’s public information,” I said. “A few weeks ago, the person hunting me offered a large reward for my ‘safe’ return.” I used air quotes around safe.
“If they’re willing to go public, surely there’s no danger?”
I got to my feet. “Look, I realize it’s a lot to take in, and I know you want more information. You have no idea how much I appreciate your restraint. But trust me when I say he will find a way to make it look like an accident. A car crash. A drug overdose. I won’t last long once he has me back.”
He ran a hand over his head, looking like he was about to be sick. “Jesus, Carly. Who the hell were you mixed up with? Must be one hell of an ex.”
I released a bitter laugh. “You have no idea.”
He frowned and pushed out a breath. “Let Wyatt take you home. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning at nine, and we’ll get back to investigating. We can come up with a plan in the morning.”
“As much as I’d like to think otherwise, you have no business going out tomorrow, Marco. You need to stay home and rest.”
“I’ll rest tonight.” He planted his hands on the table and got up to stand on his right foot. “I’ll