A smug smile crept onto her face, and she didn''t even bother to hide it.

    "Simon, I''ve been moving up while you''ve been stuck in the same ce for ages. Didn''t you say you were going to take ra and start a new life somewhere else? So what happened? Haven''t gotten around to it? Or is it just that you don''t have a chance—makes sense, since you can''t even get into Palm Bay anymore, and you''ve pretty much lost your voice in the Ferguson family. Lately, the old man can''t get enough of Dn—amnesia or not, Dn''s clearly his favorite now. The rest of you? Just background characters."

    Her wordsnded right where Simon was most sensitive.

    Simon''s face flushed, a wave of humiliation washing over him.

    But he and Megan were in this together; no need to blow things up.

    He swallowed his anger and forced his voice to stay steady. "I asked you here because I wanted to know if you found anything new in Palm Bay. Remember what I said—if we could pin ra''s boyfriend''s death on Dn... Did you find anything? Even the smallest lead?"

    Megan''s lips curled into a slight smile. Of course she''d found something, but why should she share it with him? Wasn''t he always the one who looked down on her?

    She took a slow sip of coffee, then stood up. "I haven''t found a thing. Let''s not meet again. I thought you might have something useful for me, but it turns out you''re just here to dig for my info. I''m not about to put myself at risk-ra still trusts me, and I n to keep it that way."

    She moved to leave, but suddenly everything went ck. She nearly copsed, grabbing the edge of the table for support, staring at Simon in disbelief.

    "Are you out of your mind? Did you drug me?"

    Had Simon really hit rock bottom? He''d actually put something in her coffee-was he that desperate?

    As she started to lose consciousness, Simon''s voice drifted over, soft and almost calm.

    "You said ra still trusts you. If I kidnap you, she''lle to save you. That means you''re my best shot. Megan, you should be grateful you''re still useful— otherwise, I would''ve gotten rid of you a long time ago."

    His face twisted with a crazy sort of satisfaction. He mmed a cup down, itching to call ra right then and there, wanting her toe running.

    He took a shaky breath, his expression dark as he stared at Megan''s unconscious form, a cold smile on his lips.

    *

    ra woke in the middle of the night to her phone ringing. This time, it was Richard.

    "Simon''s lost it. He''s kidnapped Megan-he wants you toe save her." ra thought she must have misheard. Simon?

    She sat up slowly, hand pressed to her injured shoulder. "He kidnapped Megan?"

    "Yeah. He called me himself. I guess he figured out I''ve been meeting with you. He''s probably been stalking you outside Palm Bay, following your every move."

    ra took a deep breath. No wonder she''d felt like she was being watched the other day.

    She rubbed her forehead. She didn''t

    remember how close she and

    Megan had been before the

    ident, but since waking up, Megan had always treated her well.

    She got up and headed downstairs. "Where did he take Megan?”

    Richard checked his tablet. “It''s a cliff on the edge of town. He tied Megan''s rope to his own-if anything happens to him, she''ll fall right off. Our guys can''t risk a move. He wants to see you, and only you."

    ra leaned against the wall, anxiety burning in her chest.

    Her vision blurred, but she forced herself to keep moving and headed for the door.

    As soon as she started her car, Palm Bay''s security team appeared beside her. "Ma''am, please let us go with you."

    ra shook her head. This was between her and Simon.

    She''d always known Simon was a little unstable, but she never thought he''d go this far-risking even his own life.

    She lowered her gaze and quietly drove to the address Richard gave her.

    It was near the old temple, where the family matriarch had her ident. There really was a steep cliff nearby.

    ra had always hated this winding mountain road. When she reached the top, she got out, gun in hand, and headed straight for the cliff.

    Simon was already standing at the edge, a rope tied around his waist. When he saw ra, his eyes lit up, wild and bloodshot.

    "ra, you finally came."

    ra stopped a good ten meters away, staring at the madness on his face.

    She honestly wondered if Simon hadpletely lost it.

    Simon rubbed at his face, almost scratching it raw. "You actually showed up. Do you know what''s going to happen tonight?"

    ra''s eyes flicked to the rope around his waist—she knew the other end was tied to Megan, hanging below the cliff.

    Just like Richard said: if Simon went down, Megan would go with him.

    "Simon, whatever''s between us, leave other people out of it."

    Simon let out a sharp, humorlessugh. "Personal grudge?"

    "ra, I told you before-I regret

    I everything. I''m giving you onest chance. Bun away with me, let''s

    start over in a new city. Leave the Capita and all this chaos behind. If you say yes, Megan lives. If you say no, I''ll take her with me and die right in front of you!"