Chapter 48

Trevor knewhe had little time to help Sadie.

He peered over the balcony and saw the patio below.

Without wasting any more time, he hurtled himself over the balcony railing and landed on his feet.

He paused only a couple of seconds to find his balance, and then he took off toward the figures in the distance.

At once, he saw the gun in the man’s hand.

Saw it raised toward Sadie.

Trevor didn’t have much time to act.

“Stop!” he yelled.

The man turned toward him, swinging his gun his way.

Trevor had seen this man before.

He was . . . the delivery driver at Sleeping Bear Elevator. What was his name again? Bart, if he remembered correctly.

“You should have stayed out of this,” the man said.

“You need to let her go,” Trevor said. “Killing her isn’t going to solve anything.”

Where was his backup? The feds and Kai should have come by now. What could possibly be stopping them?

“You’re right,” Bart said. “I don’t need to just do away with Sadie. For that reason, I’m glad you could join us. Why don’t you go stand beside her at the cliff?”

This guy couldn’t be serious. Yet he was.

Trevor raised his hands and slowly walked toward him.

“You’re not going to get away with this,” Trevor said.

“You let me worry about that. You two are going to jump together.”

Trevor glanced down and felt a cool breeze sweep over the water and touch his face.

It was a long way down. Probably twenty-five feet. It wasn’t soft sand either. It was jagged and rocky.

Come on, backup! Where are you?

So far, nothing was going according to plan.

“Why are you doing all this?” Trevor asked instead. “You think Frederick would do this for you? I can answer that question. He wouldn’t. You’re just his scapegoat. He’s using you.”

Trevor watched Bart’s eyes narrow.

He’d hit a nerve by saying those words.

“I would do anything for Frederick, and he would do anything for me.”

“If he ever gets out of prison, you’re the first one he’ll do away with. He doesn’t like to share the spotlight.”

“Why do you talk about it as if you know him?”

“Because I do,” Trevor said. “I’m the one who put him away.”

“Freeze! FBI!”

Finally, backup had arrived.

Trevor glanced at Bart. Saw him contemplating what to do.

Then he felt Sadie sway beside him.

The next moment, her body went limp, and she slipped toward the cliff.

* * *

Sadie felt herself falling, and her eyes jerked open.

The drug . . . she realized. It was messing with her.

Even though she’d tried not to absorb much, it was too late.

Now it might kill her anyway.

“No!” she heard someone yell above her.

Her body stiffened.

Nothing but air was beneath her.

Do something, Sadie! Pull yourself together!

Her eyes jerked open.

Sadie realized she’d slipped off the cliff.

She wouldn’t survive the fall. She was certain of it.

Her arms flailed.

Then her fingers caught something.

A ledge, she realized.

Her body jerked to a stop, her arms aching in their sockets in the process.

She blew out a breath.

But at least she was still alive.

She would take that to the alternative.

She glanced down.

She still had a lot farther to fall.

Which was why she couldn’t let go, no matter how slippery the rock was.

“Sadie!”

She looked up and saw Trevor leaning down.

“You’re okay?”

“For now.” Her voice quivered as she said the words.

Her head began to spin again.

“He forced a pill on me,” she told Trevor. “Maybe fentanyl. My brain and heart and lungs are going crazy right now. I feel like I’m not even in control of myself.”

She looked up and saw the fear glimmering in Trevor’s eyes.

That was when she knew she really was in trouble.