“A man I thought I could trust.” His eyes flashed. “His name is Marshall McClain. He’s a former unit member and fraternity brother. And part owner in the company Marshbanks Labs. I’m one of the investors. A heavy investor. I knew he was working on something rather controversial, but I didn’t realize he was killing people.”

“The suicides.”

“I opened that package Dustin sent Sarah.”

“Yeah? Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Gavin scooted closer, jaw clenched against the bursts of pain. “If I can get behind you, can you feel your way around the knots and untie my hands?”

“They’re kind of numb, but I can try.”

While the man fumbled with the knots from his awkward position, Gavin closed his eyes and ducked his head against his chest. His muscles burned and his blood pounded.

Hurry, hurry.

The ropes tugged, loosened?

The general stopped. Grunted.

“Keep going, sir.”

“My blasted fingers won’t cooperate with me.”

“Make ’em.”

He huffed a soft laugh. “Right.”

“What does he want with Sarah?”

“Her money.”

Gavin frowned, trying to focus beyond his abused body’s protestation of the contorted position. “What money? You disinherited her.”

“Yeah, but I can re-inherit her. I’ve got control of the funds. Sort of.”

“Sort of?”

One knot slipped free and they both sucked in relieved breaths. The general went back to work, pulling almost frantically.

“Slow down, sir, feel your way.”

The man stopped. Took another gulp of air and resumed his tugging. “Yeah. Sort of. I have to sign off to relinquish the funds and she has to sign that she accepts them.”

“How much are we talking here?”

“A little over ten million.”

Gavin gasped.

And his hands fell free.

Pain pounded through them, into his fingers, palms, upper arms, everywhere. He shook them and glanced at the door. “Good job, sir.”

“Get your legs free before you work on me. At least we’ll have a chance if one of us can fight back.”

Gavin went to work on his legs, when the sound of a door slamming reached him. He hurried, pulling the ropes and digging into the first knot with his fingernails. “He did these better than my hands. Ten million?”

“Compliments of her mother’s mother from Texas, who liquidated her oil field, then invested the money very wisely.”

“I’d say.”

“She split the money evenly between the three kids. Dustin’s share will be divided between Sarah and Caden.”

“Do they know this?”

He hesitated. “No. Well, not the amount, just that they have some money coming to them.”

“And she gave you power over it?”

“My wife had power. Until her death. Then it went to me.”

“When were they supposed to get the money?”

“When they turned thirty—or when I deemed them mature enough to handle it.”

“I take it you haven’t deemed it yet.” Gavin gave a growl of frustration. “I can’t get this knot undone.”