My Control Read Online Free PDF Page B

contained by a tie at his nape. “I know who you are. One of your employees drove me here and told me about you. Mark’s not here.”
    “I know. I’m here to see you.”
    My mouth goes dry with the implication of the bad news to follow. “He told you I was in his room?”
    “I put two and two together. Can I come in?”
    I step backward with a nod and he walks in, then turns to face me. “Has Mark called you?”
    “No. Why? What’s wrong?”
    Again he ignores my question. “How much influence do you have over him?”
    I scowl at the nosy question that isn’t an answer to mine. “Stop answering my questions with questions. It’s upsetting and makes me nervous. Just tell me what is going on.”
    He gives me a three-second deadpan stare before he says, “Obviously you have the balls to speak your mind. That could be a useful quality right now. I’m sure you know the charges related to Rebecca were dropped against Ava Perez.”
    “Yes. Yes, I know.”
    “There’s enough evidence to charge her again and make an arrest.”
    My hand goes to my belly. “Oh. Oh, so that means . . .” I can’t get myself to say the word.
    “Rebecca’s dead,” he finishes. “Yes.”
    Feeling like I’ve been punched, I sink against the wall and press my fingers to my face, my mind replaying pieces of the journal entry. One day  . . . “One day is never going to come,” I whisper, and I can’t seem to help it. My eyes burn. I’m fighting tears for a second time tonight, when I never cry.
    “What does that mean?” Blake asks. “One day is never going to come?”
    I inhale and drop my hands. “Rebecca. She’s never going to experience things she deserved to experience.”
    “Right,” he says, his lips settling into a grim line. “So think about your reaction just now to the news and multiply it by one hundred, and you have Mark’s.”
    “I can only imagine. Where is he now?”
    “He went after Ava and Ryan, intending to make them pay.”
    “Oh, no. No. That’s bad. That’s really bad.” I push off the wall. “He’s not thinking about his mother. She has cancer. She needs him. I have to find him. We have to find him.”
    “I have someone following him. Last I heard, he was headed toward either his house or a private club he favors. They’re a few blocks apart.”
    “His club,” I say, letting him know that I’m aware of what he’s talking about. “Is Ava or this Ryan person there?”
    “No. Ava’s at an undisclosed location that I refused to give him, but he swore he could get it on his own. We aren’t sure about Ryan. We can’t get anyone at the club to talk.”
    “Who is Ryan? How is he involved?”
    “Someone close to Mark, Ava, and Rebecca. There was a circle.”
    A circle, I repeat in my mind, putting it together. “For sex,” I say, feeling sick at the memory of Rebecca writing about how Mark had pushed her limits by taking her to the club.
    “It’s Mark’s place to explain the relationships,” Blake says, avoiding a direct confirmation. “The bottom line is that Mark believes Ryan was involved in Rebecca’s murder, despite his rock solid alibi.” His cell phone rings and he answers it, listening a minute, his eyes finding mine. “Keep your eyes on the gates and make sure Ryan doesn’t enter, too, if he’s not already inside. Stop him if he tries.” He ends the call. “He’s at the club. Call him. Try to get him back here with you.”
    I nod. “Yes. Yes, okay.” I press my hand to my forehead. “Yes. Of course.” I cross to the living area and sit on the couch while Blake follows to stand on the opposite side of the coffee table. I dig my cell from my purse and dial the button programmed for Mark. It rings and goes direct to voice mail.
    I shake my head. “It’s either turned off or he just dismissed my call.”
    He scrubs his jaw and his phone rings again. He answers, listens, then says, “Don’t do that. It’s a mistake.” He pauses. “My man will try, but I