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“Oh, shit, honey” Mac sahere this was leading
Clearly e, “The sicko blamed us both for the time he spent behind bars Can you believe that? I suppose it just goes to sho detached fro he did when he found Ashley again was beat her black and blue just like in the old days He then forced her to give him my telephone number, and also forced her to tell him that I had a new career as chief financial controller for Buchanan Enterprises The sick aniht There’s no doubt about that, but he’s intelligent, too, and when he realized I had total control over ed brain decided it was payback time”
“Ah, Kendall” He gently kissed her forehead “The final piece of the jigsaw puzzle has just slotted into place So he had coain, and I’ve no doubt he threatened to hurt or even kill her if you didn’t play ball by stealing a million bucks from the company accounts”
Kendall threw back her head and exhaled for a long ti on her pretty face clear to see “Exactly, Mac, and he’s crazy enough to carry out his threats, too”
“Yeah, after what you’ve told ree with you, honey”
“He demanded I keep my mouth shut for seven days, or he’d kill Ashley Told et out of the country for good I believed him, too, because he’s crazy
“I’inning, but I was just too frightened to tell the truth Not so much for myself you understand, but for Ashley” She worriedly checked her watch again “I was supposed to receive a call fro he’d released her unharmed”
“And he hasn’t called, huh? That figures” Mac knew everything now, after hearing her side of the story, he realized how courageous she’d been He wasn’t angry with her anyive a fuck about the htest doubt in his mind, Mac noas deeply in love with the beautiful wohtened and vulnerable on his lap
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer still “Believe htened you irl would have been scared to death with the dile not to make herdisappointed that you didn’t trust ether since this all started If you had trusted ht there for you”
She patted his hand “I’ to know, but it’s also the reason why I couldn’t tell you”
“Huh, that sounds like a woic if ever I heard it Go on”
“You’re a full-on guy, and therefore too ood Testosterone pumps from every part of your body, and I just know you’d have made it your mission in life to personally track him down and make him pay for what he’d done”
“Yeah, that sounds about right And what’s wrong with that approach? Extermination is the only way to deal with veruy”
“On the face of it, yes, but you don’t know Karl Graves like I do He’s just not human, Mac The animal is devoid of any humanity and cory and inti adversary like you, then he wouldn’t think twice about killing Ashley just for the hell of it He’s crazy, and evil with it, so don’t expect him to play by same rules as normal people”
The way Kendall put her argument across made him realize she really hadn’t had a viable alternative open to her, and he now felt guilty as hell for using this beautiful, courageous woman as his sex slave
Mac sighed deeply before continuing, “The way I see it is this You kept your word, saying nothing for seven days, because you believed your silence was the only way to get your friend back alive and well”
She checked her watch again “Seven days, eight hours, and twenty-threethere was a reason he hadn’t called me” He watched the tears well up in those expressive blue eyes again as realization dawned “But now I know he’s not going to, and that Ashleydead somewhere Oh, God, Mac, what have I done?”
The tears streaain, and however much he wiped and kissed them away, they were instantly replaced
“How did it all go so wrong? I thought I was doing the right thing, but…if–if Ashley is dead, then it’s all my fault”
He felt for Kendall, he really did She looked so broken and defeated Her stoic bravery filled him with admiration, but he saw she was at the end of her tether Mac rested his chin on top of her head and wrapped his arive her the strength she needed to carry on “Shhh, honey, don’t cry You don’t know Ashley’s dead for sure She could still be alive”