A Reagan Keeter Box Set: Three page-turning thrillers that will leave you wondering who you can trus by Reagan Keeter (fiction novels to read txt) 📗

“It’s not what you think,” she said, and not just out of reflex. She was certain, no matter what he might imagine at this moment, it wasn’t as bad as what Rick had planned.

Eric was barely a foot away when he said, “Get out.”

Elise had expected this to go much worse and wasn’t about to stick around to press her luck. She hurried to the door, then the elevator, afraid that if she looked back Eric would change his mind about letting her leave.

When she got to the street, she found the nearest bus stop and took the first bus that came. The digital display above the driver read “22 Clark.” She was unfamiliar with the route, but she wanted to put as much distance between her and Eric as possible.

There were not a lot of passengers at this hour. Elise took an isolated seat at the back. She remembered the USB stick she’d plugged into Eric’s computer and frantically checked her purse and pockets twice. The purse was small. Her pockets were empty. This was not okay. She had to tell Liam the truth before Rick dropped him an anonymous email. Hopefully he’d understand. No, not her. Kate. Kate and that man she was with. They needed to tell Liam the truth. They were the ones who started all this.

Elise called Kate and said she needed to come over to her apartment, and bring the guy she came with.

“Yes, right now. It’s urgent.”

She hung up before she was forced to elaborate and called Liam. He didn’t answer, which probably meant he was still at Ava’s. Ava had a strict “no calls” policy when playing.

She switched buses, tried again. Still no answer. Back at her apartment, she started texting.

Present

Liam Parker

Did you kill Elise? Liam had asked.

David was as slow to answer that as he had been to answer every other question tonight. He ran both hands through his hair, down his face. He moved from the doorway to a chair. “Sit down.”

Liam didn’t.

“Elise was taking a long time to do what we wanted her to do. Catherine and I were starting to think she’d scammed us. Then, late one night Catherine gets a call. Elise says she needs us to come over to her apartment right away and gives Catherine her address. Of course, we went. We wanted to know what was taking so long.

“When we got there, Elise told us you were on your way over. She said either we could tell you what we were doing or she would. I told her she couldn’t do that. It’d be bad for me, you, her, Catherine, the business—everybody. Nobody would win from telling you the truth. But she wouldn’t budge. It got heated. After that, I don’t remember much. Somehow, I ended up on top of her. I had her pinned to the floor. My hands were around her neck, and she was gone. Catherine was standing by the door. She looked horrified. She was saying ‘What have you done?’ over and over.

“I didn’t know what to do. I tried to revive her but couldn’t. Even if I wanted to pull the brakes on everything it was too late. Somebody was going to jail, then, for sure. Not for drugs anymore either.”

Liam flushed with anger.

“I told Catherine to help me stage a suicide—it was us or you. So we cut her wrists and dumped her in the bathtub. Then I saw her phone sitting on the coffee table. It was unlocked and I could see the messages she sent you on the screen. I told Catherine to delete them while I cleaned up. I thought that would make it look to the police like you were trying to cover your tracks. Then it was mostly a matter of waiting and letting the wheels of justice do the work for us. The only close call came when we were leaving the apartment and a neighbor stepped out. Turns out anyone can be bought for the right price.”

Liam had heard enough. This wasn’t a fight he was going to run away from. He charged forward and, even as David was lifting himself out of the chair, punched him across the jaw.

David rolled with the blow, onto the floor, then leapt up and pushed Liam away. He glanced out the window. “Do it. I dare you.”

Liam took him up on the offer.

Even though David was bigger, Liam ended up on top of him. David fended off most of the blows, but did little to fight back. Liam kept firing one punch after another. It wasn’t until someone pulled him off that he understood David had wanted him to gain the upper hand.

Uniformed officers were everywhere. One pushed Liam to a wall and cuffed him. Bash entered Liam’s field of vision. “Good to see you again, Mr. Parker.”

David got to his feet slowly, moving as if he was in pain. He pressed the back of one hand to his lip to check for blood. “You should’ve known not to come here.”

Liam saw an iPhone on the floor at the same time David did and David went over and picked it up. An app was open and recording their conversation. Liam tried to say it was his phone, that it proved his innocence, but no one was listening.

The police pushed him out the door, led him to the elevator, and from there to a cop car parked along the curb. He walked right past a shattered iPhone on the sidewalk.

David could have smashed it with a hammer, but he wanted Liam to know it was gone.

Christopher Bell

Chris kept the real Richard Hawthorne locked up in his boat’s storage closet until morning. Then he had Rick lead him to the jeweler who had bought the ring only to find out it was already sold. Gone forever.

When he got home, Emma was awake and waiting for him. He told her what had