Authors: Laura Griffin
At the Edge (11 page)
She closed her eyes and counted to three mentally. When she'd locked her emotions away, she turned around.
“Who were you talking to?” she asked.
“What?” He seemed startled by the change of subject.
“Just now. Who was on the phone?”
“Your dad.”
She stared at him.
“Hard man to get a hold of. Lot of gatekeepers.”
Emma's chest squeezed. Little darts of anger zinged through her. “You contacted my father?”
“Somebody had to.”
“No, somebody did
not
have to.”
He leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. “Funny thing, he said he didn't hear from you last night. Had no idea someone almost managed to kill you.”
“My relationship with my father is
none
of your business. Don't meddle in things you don't understand.”
His gaze darkened. “This isn't about your relationship, Emma. It's about protecting you from harm. Your dad's pretty keen on that, as a matter of fact. He's coming into town today to see about setting up a security detail for you for the foreseeable future.”
“How could you do this?” she sputtered. “You
promised
me.”
“I promised to let you handle it. But you didn't, did you?”
Emma's vision blurred. She couldn't remember when she'd felt so pissed off. So manipulated.
Did he actually believe Mitchell Wright would fly all the way across the country for this? He hadn't even bothered to come see her after her plane had been shot down. She'd spent a mere hour with him following Renee's funeral, and then he'd had to jet off to some fund-raising thing in Seattle.
And Ryan had called him. Behind her back, while she'd been crashed on the sofa in a state of blissed-out slumber. It was an outright betrayal.
White-hot anger filled her. Her throat tightened, and she had to take a deep breath before she could talk.
“He's not coming,” she told Ryan.
“He said he was.”
“He's sending one of his people, trust me.”
“That's not what he said.”
She rolled her eyes. “Believe whatever you want. I don't have time to explain my father to you. I have to be in Los Angeles in two hours.”
Ryan's gaze narrowed. “Why?”
“I'm meeting with Special Agent Alexa Mays at ten thirty. She's on the task force investigating the plane crash, and I've been trying to get this meeting for a full week. She has a hard stop at eleven o'clock, so I can't be late.”
“Fine, I'll take you.” Ryan glanced at the clock. “Just give me ten minutes to shower.”
She gritted her teeth. She was fed up. She was sick of being handled and guarded and freaking
babysat
. But she knew that look in his eye, and it would be pointless to argue. She looked at the clock. “Five minutes.”
He disappeared down the hallway. Emma picked up the cell phone on the counter and powered it on. She fiddled with the buttons until she heard the shower running.
She glanced over her shoulder. She grabbed the car keys and crept to the door.
âââ
Ryan pulled his shirt over his head and walked into the kitchen, zipping his jeans. He glanced into the living room and stopped cold. He looked at the counter.
“Fuck.”
He dug the phone from his pocket and hit redial as he strode to the patio door and looked out.
“Fuck!”
“Yo,” Jake said.
“She's gone.” Ryan rushed to the back door, but of course the garage was empty. “Where are you?” he demanded.
“What do you mean,
gone
?” Jake asked.
“She fucking took off while I was in the shower.”
“You took a shower?”
Ryan jogged down the driveway and shoved through the gate that was already ajar. “Turn around,” he said. “You can't be that far away. See if you can intercept her.”
“I'm on my way.”
Ryan scanned the sidewalk for a royal-blue Charger. He spotted it parked near the corner in the shade of an oak tree. He halted and looked around.
A lead weight settled in his stomach. Then he broke into a run.
Emma wasn't in the car. Or near it. He looked up and down the block but only saw an elderly woman walking her Chihuahua and a guy with a garden hose watering his roses.
Ryan tried the car doors. Still locked. His gaze fell on a black key fob tucked up against the curb.
His blood ran cold. He snatched up the car key, which had been sitting on the kitchen counter just minutes ago. Panic gripped him as he looked up and down the street.
“Hey!” He jogged up to the dog-walking lady. “Excuse me, ma'am? I'm looking for a young woman. Wavy brown hair. About this tallâ” He held his hand up to his chest. “She's wearing a gray skirt?”
The woman must have seen the desperation in his eyes because she pulled off her sunglasses. “White blouse?”
“Yes!”
“I saw her just a minute ago.” She looked down the street. “She was with the big guy.”
“Big guy?” Ryan's world tilted.
“Yes, in a black SUV. They took off.”
Don't miss the thrilling conclusion of Emma and Ryan's story in
EDGE
OF
SURRENDER
ALPHA CREW, PART 2
Don't miss what happens next in the next At the Edge installment from New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin!
Edge of Surrender
ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author LAURA ÂGRIFFIN started her career in journalism before venturing into the world of romantic suspense. She is a two-time RITA Award winner (for the books
Scorched
and
Whisper of Warning
) as well as the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award (for
Untraceable
). Laura currently lives in Austin, where she is working on her next book. Visit her website at
LauraGriffin.com
and on Facebook at
Facebook.com/LauraGriffinAuthor.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR:
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Laura-Griffin
MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT
ALSO BY
LAURA GRIFFIN
Shadow Fall
Beyond Limits
Far Gone
Exposed
Scorched
Twisted
Unstoppable
Snapped
Unforgivable
Deadly Promises
Unspeakable
Untraceable
Whisper of Warning
Thread of Fear
One Wrong Step
One Last Breath
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 by Laura Griffin
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First Pocket Star Books ebook edition March 2016
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ISBN 978-1-5011-3095-3
