Debts by Tammar Stein Read Free Book Online Page A

won’t hurt my friends. Not Emmett.” Maybe he had been waiting for them to have a falling-out, thinking she’d be willing to hurt him once they weren’t together—but she wouldn’t, not like that.
    “You’re a fool,” he says, giving her a shake. “I don’t want him.” But a flicker in his eyes says that he’s lying.
    “I won’t do anything bad to anyone that I know,” she says, tilting her chin up, her hands fisting by her sides. “That’s what I told you then and I’m sticking to it. So let’s hear what you want me to do.” She yanks her arms out of his grip and he lets her. She waits a moment, breathing hard, and then seeing he’s calm, she takes a step back, to get some space between them.
    Two more cars fly by, leaving exhaust and fluttering leaves in their wake.
    “Him,” he says, handing her a small photo. “I want him.”
    She reaches for the picture reluctantly and glances at the face. Young. Good-looking. No one she knows.
    “You want me to bring him to you?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Okay,” she says, wildly relieved. For a moment, she thought he meant something else entirely. “Tell me when, tell me where, he’ll be there, I promise.”
    “Don’t be a moron,” he says. There’s no heat in his voice, only utter contempt. This isn’t personal, this is business. “There’s a gun under the seat of your car. It has a full magazine, but ifyou need more than two bullets, you’re thicker than I thought. He’ll be running laps on the track at Greenbrier Park. Get him to walk with you into the woods, past the baseball diamond. Even you should be able to figure out what comes next. My only advice is not to talk too much beforehand and not to hesitate. Bring the gun right up to his forehead. Two shots. Done.”
    She’s turned chalk-white.
    “I—I—”
    “Don’t cross me, little girl,” he says, leaning in until she feels his hot breath on her face. “Do. Not. Cross. Me. Understand? You owe me twenty-two million debts. Debts you will never get out of unless you buy back your freedom now.”
    Her whole body trembles.
    “And it’s not just your debt, is it? Where’d the money go? Who has it now?” The shaking grows worse. “Do you understand me now?”
    She nods, tears sliding down ice-cold cheeks.
    “So go,” he orders, slapping her hindquarters like you would on a recalcitrant horse. “He’ll be there in half an hour.”
    Like an automaton, she slowly walks back to her car, her steps jerky and uneven.
    “Oh, and baby girl,” he calls out, back to fond and sexy, “I watch you all the time. You know that, right? I know everything.”
    She sits back in her car. The photo of the kid is on her lap. Caramel skin, tight blond curls, and golden brown eyes look back at her. She doesn’t know who this guy is or what he’s done. She reaches under her seat. Her questing fingers fumble around the tight space underneath the driver’s seat until they bump into something hard and smooth. She jerks her hand away like she’s been burned.
    She rests her head on the steering wheel for a moment. The sun disappears behind a cloud and she shivers in the abrupt shade. She has a gun. She could use it on herself. Following his exact directions, she wouldn’t need more than one bullet, unless she’s thicker than he thought. The idea hangs there, awful and tempting at the same time. It would solve a certain problem. But there’s still her family back in Florida to think about. His words come back to her: he’s always watching. The debt wouldn’t be repaid with her suicide. It would stay there, accumulating interest, becoming heavier for someone else to pay. Her family might not have any of the lottery money left, but if she handles this right, they’ll still have a future. If she doesn’t do this … His face flashes behind her closed eyes. Twenty-two million debts to collect from her parents and siblings. They never even knew why they won the lottery in the first place. She can’t