Edge of Sanity: An Edge Novel by Shannon K. Butcher Page A

I’ll feel it if you try to escape.”
    “So I am a prisoner. Just like your brother.”
    She flinched, and Clay instantly wanted to take back the callous comment.
    “My primary goal is to keep you alive. If that means I have to sleep shackled to a dangerous man I barely know, then that’s the way it is.”
    Clay moved closer, closing in on her and those dangling cuffs. “You really haven’t thought this through, have you?”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “All I have to do is knock you out and you’ll never know I picked the lock until I’m long gone. It wouldn’t even take much effort.”
    “That’s why I’ve also hidden your car keys. And mine.”
    Clay patted his jeans, realizing that Payton must have taken the keys out when he stripped him. Bastard. “I’ll walk.”
    “In this weather? You’re not that stupid. We’re in the middle of nowhere. It would take you a day just to get back to civilization where you could call for a ride.”
    “I can handle the cold.”
    “And where would you go? How exactly are you going to start hunting down whoever did this to you?”
    That gave him pause. Normally, he’d start with his phone and try to trace the call that had triggered him, but what if something he heard or saw sent him back into one of those blackouts? “I’ll ask Mira to collect all the calls and texts on my phone and see if any of them are from people I don’t know.”
    “And you really think getting her involved is a good idea? Mira is sweet, and smarter than anyone I’ve ever met, but do you really want her mired in this? Do you really want to make her a possible target?”
    The fact that hadn’t even crossed his mind proved just how far off his game he was. His judgment was skewed, and he wasn’t thinking straight. No way would he risk Mira. Not even if it meant it was the end of the road for him.
    “I’m sorry, Clay. I know how hard this is—sitting around and waiting for someone else to do the work. But we have to trust Payton. If it weren’t for him, both of my brothers would be dead instead of only one.”
    Clay wasn’t sure how far his trust would extend, but until he had a better plan of how to attack his problem, there wasn’t much sense in running into battle. Besides, Leigh looked all wilted and exhausted. She needed to rest and not toss and turn, wondering if he was going to try to sneak off.
    “Fine. You have my word that I’ll stay here for the rest of the night. Go get some sleep.”
    “Do I need the cuffs?”
    “Not for sleeping. If you have something else in mind . . .”
    She shook her head, smiling as she dropped the cuffs in her purse. “Nice try, Romeo.”
    A thrill raced through him as he realized that he’d been the one to make that smile happen. It shouldn’t have mattered in the greater scheme of things. His life was a wreck; his job was at stake; he might have brought down all kinds of misery on the people he cared about. Still, that sweet, faint smile went a long way toward brightening his world.
    “Get some sleep. I’ll be a good boy.”
    “I’ll take the bedroom at the end of the hall. Wake me if you need me.”
    Clay wouldn’t. If there was one thing he’d learned, it was how to stand on his own. As soon as he figured out how to solve this current problem, he’d be back on his own two feet, not needing anything from anyone.
    * * *
     

    Grady assigned one of his men to follow ea S to>
    Acquire, but do not kill.
    Those instructions made the job much harder, but also much more expensive.
    One of his men followed Moneybags out into the countryside to an isolated home tucked away on a big chunk of acreage. His man reported back that he’d seen the target inside.
    It had taken several hours for Grady to reach the location, but after a thorough scouting of the area, he decided that he liked it. There was no one around to hear gunfire or screams. There was only one person inside with the target—a woman of no consequence. He could kill