“Don’t even think about trying anything stupid. I have always been ahead of you.” She laughed. “Do you like my pilot? He’s on duty 24-7, ready to take me wherever I want to go in ninety seconds.”

“Marissa.” Aria sounded so frightened. “We won’t tell anyone about what you’re doing.”

She sneered. “Little girl, you have no idea what all I’ve done. Take a look below us. The area is swarming with cops and Feds.”

“You can’t go on like this,” I said. “Turn yourself in.”

“You must think I’m stupid. No one knows the real me. Oh, some think they do. And you’re aware of far too much.”

“Actually, you’re brilliant. A good lawyer would go to bat for you.”

“No thanks.”

“Where are we going?” I fought my fury to think.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

80

DENTON

Miami FBI agents had placed the penthouse building under surveillance since 7 p.m., and the police department monitored all floor exits from the building. Quiet permeated the watch, as though the calm before the storm. The time neared 1 a.m., when Shelby had timed to make her escape with Aria.

A voice in my earpiece reported hearing the start-up of a helicopter’s turbine engine from the building’s roof. From the pinched look on Mike’s face, he’d been told the same. I raced up the stairs toward the top floor with my firearm in hand. Mike stayed on my heels as he called for backup.

I needed to run into Shelby and Aria on their way down as scheduled. But the possibility of finding them in a pool of blood hadn’t escaped me. I rounded one set of stairs to another until I reached the eleventh floor. Out of breath but undeterred.

Down the hall, the main entrance to Marissa’s penthouse was closed. Mike and I took a position on each side of the door. Mike took aim, and I pounded our arrival. “Open up. FBI!”

I twisted the knob. Locked.

Mike and I kicked in the door, much like some of our antics when we were younger.

A quick sweep showed an empty penthouse. Why hadn’t I followed my gut and stopped Shelby from playing a hero? Where were they?

81

SHELBY

Within ten minutes, the helicopter landed atop a parking garage. Two vehicles sped to the chopper’s side. A black SUV and a cream-colored Lexus. Both had dark-tinted windows.

Marissa lifted her purse onto her shoulder. “Shelby, you and Aria get into the back seat of the SUV. Eli’s driving.”

No point in arguing. I nodded at Aria, and we climbed out of the chopper and into the vehicle. Marissa slid into the front passenger side. Her door closed and both vehicles bolted toward the garage’s exit ramp. The chopper rose to the sky and navigated northwest.

How would anyone find us?

“Where to now?” I said.

“None of your business. I’m putting my gun here beside me. I won’t hesitate to use it. Understand?” When we nodded, she laid the firearm within her reach. “Want to know how I found out you’d drugged our drinks?”