Free RedKnife (Skin Walkers Book 2) by Susan Bliler

him onto the Estate.  I knew it’d never happen.  I knew the Walkers would stop him.”
    One minute she was spilling her guts in hopes of a reprieve, and the next she was pinned to the wall with RedKnife’s hand gripping her throat.
    “ What ,” he hissed, “do you think you know about Walkers?”
    Fuck!   She swallowed hard, feeling her throat rub against his hand as it convulsed.  His hold wasn’t rough, but it was scary.  “N-n-nothing!  I don’t…”
    His hand tightened.
    “Please!”  She’d never really believed he’d hurt her, until now.
    “Talk,” he commanded.
    “RedKnife?”  Her tongue darted out to wet her dry lips.  “I’ve…I’ve been at StoneCrow long enough to familiarize myself with the Estate.  I wouldn’t need to move there to do so.  And…  I’ve also been there long enough to see things.  To hear things.  I’m not a dumb woman.”
    When her revelation didn’t seem to sit well with him, she hurried on.  “I’m also smart enough to know to keep my mouth shut.  I have told no one.”  She narrowed her eyes on his face.  “ No one!   Not a single word pertaining to StoneCrow has left my mouth.  All my brother knows is that I work in the bar there.  He doesn’t even know my schedule.  Any information he has, he’s gleaned on his own.  I have not provided him any information or reason to think his stupid plan would ever work.  And I certainly never had any intentions of letting him attempt to follow through.  I value my life too much for that.”
    Satisfied her impassioned speech must surely have broken through, her hopes faltered when he didn’t release her.  Instead, his nostrils flared in what she could only assume was anger.
    “Look into my bank account, RedKnife.  There’s ten-thousand dollars there.  Then do the math.  Look at what I’m currently making at both my jobs.  It’ll add up.  Math doesn’t lie!  If I got into housing on the Estate, I’d have enough cash in seven months to pay off his debt.  I’m not a fucking thief!”
    Slowly, he released her and backed away, suddenly lost in concentration.  “Shit,” he muttered so quietly that she nearly missed it.
    “What?  What does that mean?”
    He looked up at her.  “It means I believe you.”
    Elated, she huffed out a relieved breath.  “Great.  That’s great…right?”
    He shook his head once.
    “What?  Why not?  You said you believe me, you said….”
    “It doesn’t matter what I think.  It matters what he thinks.”
    “Monroe?”  She rushed to him and grabbed his arm.  “Can’t you just tell him?”
    His eyes dipped to her hands, and she followed his line of sight before quickly releasing him and backing away.
    “So, what then?  You know I’m telling the truth, but Monroe thinks I’m an enemy.  Maybe if I told him what I just told you.  Maybe he’d…”
    “He won’t.”
    Cindy hugged herself.  “Then what?  What do we do now?”
    RedKnife wanted to smile at the ‘we’.  Secretly, he was glad she’d suddenly pulled him into her corner, whether it was out of self-preservation or not.  “We’re going to eat, and then I’m going to contact Monroe.  See if I can’t talk him down.”
    “Down?”  Suddenly, she was more nervous than she’d been when RedKnife had grabbed her throat.  She interacted with the CEO very infrequently and those rare interactions told her one thing.  Monroe was a man who wouldn’t take a threat lightly. “You…you won’t let him hurt me.  Right ?”
    Her tone was so hopeful that he felt guilt bite hard for having put her in this position.  She'd lied for him to keep him out of jail, and he’d repaid her by running to Monroe with bad Intel without first confirming it.  He was an ass, and he knew it.
    “Get dressed.”  He ordered.  “There are clothes outside the door.”

Chapter 12
    Cindy limped after him to the door and then watched as he stalked down the hall.  She wanted to call him back, she