little princess? Please. Your father wouldn’t hurt a fucking hair on your clueless head.”
Mike’s gut had been right. And yeah, it also occurred to her that somewhere along the way, she’d begun to think of him as Mike instead of Jay.
Her chest physically hurt from the aching in her heart. From his lies, yes. But also because she knew he’d blame himself for her death.
I love you.
Hearing him shout that at her from outside the car had crushed her. Seeing the pain and regret and fear pouring off of him as Fuller drove them away? That had damn near broken her.
I love you, too.
She’d mouthed those words back to him. Had he seen them? Did he know that, despite his deception, at her core she still loved him?
Holy shit. I still love him.
The shocking revelation left Juliet blinking. It was crazy. Certifiable, even. Hell, she had no idea if they could still make things work after the stunt he pulled.
One thing she did know, was that if she gave up and let this bastard kill her without at least putting up a fight, she’d never know what might have been.
Screw that.
Right then and there, Juliet decided she would not give up. That she would fight this bastard with everything she had. But she needed a plan.
Her only chance at survival was to get out of this car and away from Fuller. Her mind raced and swirled with possible scenarios and outcomes, and soon, a plan started to form.
Distract him. Keep him talking.
“If my father didn’t hire you, then who did?”
“Does it matter? You’ll be dead soon, either way. And I’ll be on a plane to the Marshall Islands.” He glanced over at her and grinned. “It’s a stretch of islands between Hawaii and Indonesia. Beautiful weather...sandy beaches. But the best part? No extradition treaty with the U.S.” He chuckled to himself. “See? You shouldn’t think of your death as a meaningless waste. Think of it as my retirement plan. I’ll make it quick and painless for you. The money I get for taking you out pays for a life filled with suntans and babes in bikinis. It’s a win-win, really.”
Jesus, this guy was a piece of work. “What?”
“Are you deaf?” He glowered over at her. “I just told you the whole plan. I kill you, I retire in the Marshall Isla—”
“No, I mean what makes you think I care?”
Yeah, the comment was snarky and immature, but damn it felt good. It was also part of the plan she’d just derived...
Get him worked up, take the gun, and voila. Problem solved.
A muscle in his large jaw bulged. “Fuck you.”
“Thanks.” Juliet smiled. “But you’re not really my type.”
“Keep it up, and I’ll shoot your smart mouth right now.”
“See, I don’t think you will.” At least she hoped and prayed he wouldn’t. “You shoot me now, my blood and brains will be all over this car. A car that has your fingerprints all over it.” She tipped her head toward the steering wheel. “Not to mention all the nooks and crannies blood splatter can slip into.”
Guess all those times spent eavesdropping on her dad and his friends when she was little were good for something, after all.
“That shit won’t matter.” Fuller shook his head. “Not where I’m going.”
He sounded sure of himself, but the wavering gun said otherwise.
“That’s the thing,” Juliet continued on with her little speech. “As we were driving away, Mike mouthed something to me.”
Fuller smirked. “He told you he loved you. Fucking pussy.”
“I’m talking about after that.”
“Fine, I’ll play along. Not like there’s anything better to do...until it comes time to kill you, that is. So tell me, what did your little boyfriend have to say?”
“He mouthed the words ‘it’s him’ and pointed to you.”
“I didn’t see him do that.”
Because he hadn’t. It just popped into her head, and she thought it sounded like a good thing to say. She had no idea what she was doing, other than trying to distract him long enough to get the gun.
“You were focused on the road. That’s why you didn’t see him, but I’m telling you the truth. He must’ve realized it at the same time we were leaving. Either way, he knows you’re not the upstanding Federal agent you claim to be.”
“What do you know?” Fuller grinned. “The tattooed fucker finally got something right.”
“He did,” Juliet agreed. “Something else you should know is Mike’s boss owns a private security company. Now, I haven’t had a chance to learn all the ins