Chapter 37

The mattress shifted behind Steele. His eyes opened. Fully alert. He heard ragged breathing. He smelled fear. Sensing danger was not new to him. It was his sixth sense. One that kept him alive all these years. Steele rolled off the bed and whirled around in a crouch. In the ready position.

Bella was on her knees on the bed. The large knife, clutched in both hands, held high above her head. Her hands trembled. Her knuckles were white.

Steele held out his steady hand, palm up. “Give me the knife.”

Bella stared at him. Tears streamed down both cheeks. Every muscle in her body was tense.

Steele wiggled his fingers. “Give it to me.”

Bella’s eyes shifted from his face to his hand. Her own fingers loosened. The knife slipped from them and fell onto the mattress. She covered her face with both hands and sobbed.

“I killed them,” she said. “I killed them. I killed them.”

Steele reached for the knife and dragged it off the side of the bed. It landed on the carpet with barely a sound. He stood up and took hold of Bella’s elbow. She shrugged his hand off. All the while she cried into her hands and shook her head.

“What have I done?” Bella said between sobs. “My children. Oh god, what have I done?” She collapsed onto her side and brought her knees up to her chest. The sobbing continued.

Steele sat on the side of the bed and placed a hand on her hip. She didn’t notice or ignored it. He reached for her arm and tried to pull her hand from her face. She resisted so he pulled harder. She was no match for his strength and her tear-stained face was exposed. She struggled to free her hand, but Steele held on tight. Her eyes opened and stared at him. Watery eyes filled with despair.

“Now will you tell me what’s going on?” Steele said.

Bella shook her head.

“This was all planned, wasn’t it? The car accident. Bringing me here.”

Bella nodded.

“But you couldn’t kill me.”

Bella shook her head.

“So you’re not a killer.” Steele patted her hip. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Bella looked at Steele’s hand on her hip and then her eyes traveled over her nude body. She screeched and tore at the cover she was lying on and scrambled underneath it, pulling it up to her chin.

Bella stared at Steele with pleading eyes filled with despair. “Please kill me.”

“Why do you want to die?”

“Maybe he won’t hurt my children if he thinks I tried and failed.”

“You’re married, aren’t you?”

Bella nodded.

“And you were forced to do this?”

She nodded again.

“Tell me about it.”

“I can’t. He’ll kill them.”

“You said he’ll kill them anyway. Who is he? Is it Marco Perez?”

Bella’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “How do you know?”

“You’re from Diablo del Norte. I put two and two together. Now tell me why?”

“I don’t know why. He just ordered me to do it.”

“What did he tell you to do?”

“To get you into the motel and have sex with you and then stab you and tell them you raped me.”

“But you couldn’t do it.”

“No.”

“Why?”