EXCERPT FROM BETRAYED - A romantic suspense novel | Page 44

MORGAN ST. JAMES

The color had drained out of Tommy Boy’s face.
Sal grabbed him by the collar. “Look at me, you piece of
shit.” Not waiting for an answer, he bellowed, “Sherry—”
Sherry backed away, scared by the wild look in his eyes, but
he advanced toward her. She screeched like a woman giving
birth.
“Shut up, you whore! Do you want everyone to hear you?
Her mother knows she was with you before she disappeared,
right?”
Sherry couldn’t stop her head from bouncing like a bobbleheaded doll.
“You and Tommy Boy have to get out of Chicago. Now!”
Sal forced her face between his hands, holding it still, while
he glared at her. “You were leaving anyway, right? So it’s no
problem. We’ll speed things up a little, that’s all. They’ll think
you and the kid both got whacked and dumped somewhere.”
His lips pressed together in a menacing slash. His narrowed
eyes drove home what a dangerous guy Sal really was.
Tommy Boy cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice from
cracking. “Yeah, you’re right. We planned to leave Chicago, but
on our schedule, Sal. Our schedule!”
Sal slapped his forehead with his palm, as though he hadn’t
heard a word Tommy Boy said. “Can’t have Creed tied to any of
this, so we gotta do it just right. That bastard will pay! Boy, will
he pay. Damned, perverted creep. Good thing he’s got plenty of
juice with the cops in case things get out of hand.”
Sherry fixated on the bloodied, broken body of the girl who
had called her a friend. A queasy feeling washed over her. An
acetic taste rose in her throat. Her stomach clenched as she
drew a shuddering breath. When she finally did speak, her
voice was low, struggling for control. “Money, Sal. It takes
money to get out of town. I’m not dumb. I know you’ll squeeze
Creed and get plenty. This isn’t our fault. It’s yours for letting
that monster come back. What do we get out of this?”
Sal clamped her shoulders and dug his fingers in hard

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