Show Of Force. Elle James
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it out of her reach.
“What is this?” the widow asked.
“Nothing. I was just going to flush it down the toilet.” She reached for the bag. “Please. Let me have it.”
“Is it a drug?” Charlie’s gaze captured hers. “Are you taking drugs?”
“No. Of course not,” Riley answered automatically.
“Then why do you have it?”
Tears filled Riley’s eyes and trickled down her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“For what, my dear?” Charlie pulled Riley into her arms and held her.
“Why did you have to be so nice?” Riley muttered between sobs. “This wouldn’t have been so hard if you weren’t so good to me.”
“What wouldn’t be so hard?” Charlie held Riley at arm’s length and stared into her eyes. “Tell me what’s bothering you. Perhaps I can help.”
“Oh, it’s no use,” Riley shook her head, more tears falling down her face. “The only way you can help is for you to die.”
Mrs. Halverson’s eyebrows rose on her forehead. “Sweetie, whatever do you mean?”
“The only way to save my brother is for me to assassinate you.” Riley nodded toward the plastic bag. “The pill is poison. One touch on your tongue and you’d be dead in seconds.”
Charlie’s eyes widened, and she held the plastic bag up in front of her. “You wanted to assassinate me? Why? Did I do something to make you mad?”
“Oh, Mrs. Halverson, no. You did everything to help me.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “Then why would you want to kill me?”
“They’re making me. They have my brother, Toby. If I don’t kill you, there’s no telling what they’ll do to Toby. I’ll never see him again. They could kill him, or worse.”
“What could be worse?” Mrs. Halverson asked. Then her eyes rounded. “Torture?”
Riley nodded. “And brainwashing. I can’t let that happen. He deserves a better life. He’s just a child...only six years old.”
“Oh dear.” Charlie stared at the little bag, shaking her head. “Whatever can you do?”
“Nothing. I can do nothing. My brother will disappear, and I’ll never see him again. He’ll think I’ve abandoned him. They’ll tell him I never loved him. They’ll make him a weapon to use against others in the future.” Riley broke away from Mrs. Halverson. “I can’t let that happen.”
“There’s nothing else you can do, then, is there?” the older woman said softly.
Riley stopped pacing and turned to frown at Mrs. Halverson. “What do you mean?”
“You’ll have to kill me.” The wealthy widow held up the bag. “I’ll take the pill and die. Your brother will be safe, and all will end as it should.” She started to open the little bag.
Riley dived toward her. “No!” In her effort to stop Mrs. Halverson from doing the dastardly deed, she knocked her to the floor and straddled her.
Mrs. Halverson let out a squeal and grunted as she landed hard on the marble tile.
The door to the restroom burst open. Mack charged in. “What the hell?” He grabbed Riley around the waist and yanked her up off Mrs. Halverson.
“Let go of me!” Riley fought to free herself of Mack’s grip, but his iron band of an arm held her tightly against his chest.
“Charlie, are you all right?” Mack asked.
The older woman sat up, still holding the little plastic bag. “I’m okay. Miss Lansing was only helping me to take this pill. It will relieve the headache I’m getting.”
“No! Mack, don’t let her take that pill. Please, let go of me. She can’t take that pill.”
“Fiddle. Of course I can.” She tilted her head to the side. “It’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?”
“No,” Riley cried. “I never wanted it. Don’t do it. Please, don’t take that pill.” She struggled against the arm holding her around the middle, tearing at Mack’s tuxedo sleeve with her fingernails. “Let me go. You don’t understand. Please. Don’t let her take that pill.” Tears poured from her eyes to the point she couldn’t see clearly. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear them, trying to see what Mrs. Halverson was doing. Praying she didn’t go through with the instructions Riley had been given.
“Mack. Let the dear girl loose.” Mrs. Halverson pushed herself to her feet. “I’m quite all right. And for the record, I’m not going to take the pill.” She held the packet up. “But we can’t just flush it down the toilet. If it’s that potent, it could harm someone else.”
“What are you talking about?” Mack asked, still holding Riley around her middle. “Is this woman really a threat to you, or not?”
Charlie smiled. “She’s not. She just proved she doesn’t have it in her to kill.”
Riley sobbed. “No, I don’t. I’ve failed Toby. Oh, sweet heaven, I’ve failed him.”
She went limp against Mack, her heart breaking into a million pieces. She’d failed her little brother. What horrible things would happen to him now?
* * *
MACK HELD THE woman in the black dress against his chest as she sobbed into his jacket. “Could someone please tell me what’s going on?”
“Let me lock the door first.” Charlie hurried to the door and twisted the lock, blocking anyone else from accidentally barging in on them.
When she turned to face Mack, she lifted her chin. “We have a situation.”
“Do I need to call the others in?” he asked.
Charlie held up a hand. “Not yet. I have a plan on how we can remedy the trouble, but I need your complete cooperation.”
“Mine?” Mack shook his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You will, soon enough.” She nodded toward Riley. “Did you know that Miss Lansing was a Russian sleeper spy?”
Mack stared down at the dark head of the woman crying her eyes out into his expensive tuxedo jacket. “Seriously, what’s going on? Why is she crying?”
“She’s crying because she failed to assassinate me,” Charlie said.
Mack shook his head. “Come again?” Had the woman had too much of the champagne flowing freely throughout the ballroom?
“You heard me.” Charlie tipped her head toward the other woman. “Ask Riley.”
Touching a thumb beneath Riley’s chin, he tipped her wet face upward. The tears on her cheeks made his stomach clench. He wanted to hold her close and chase away whatever was troubling her. “What’s Charlie talking about?”
Riley sniffed twice, and then her face crumpled. “She’s right. I’m supposed to assassinate her. I’m a Russian sleeper spy, sent to kill Mrs. Charlotte Halverson.”
“And if she doesn’t, she’ll never see her little brother again,” Charlie concluded. “I can see no other way to solve this problem but to take the pill she brought to do the deed with and die. Do you?” She tilted her head and stared at Mack.
Mack’s jaw dropped. “Are you out of your mind?” He grabbed for the little packet.
Charlie held it out of his grasp. “No, no. Hear me out. In order for Miss Lansing to have time to find her brother and get him out of the clutches of his kidnappers, I have to die.”
“Charlie,”