My Husband Wanted Me Dead

I waited until the very end before getting off the bus.

"Mr. Brown, sorry. I'm a little carsick. I want to rinse my mouth over there."

I pointed toward a set of sinks not too far away.

He paused for a second, then exchanged a look with the driver. "Alright. I'll hold onto your luggage for you. Just hurry back when you're done."

"Okay. Thanks."

They kept my ID, like they already knew I wouldn't get far.

I walked quickly toward the sinks. A few other tour groups had arrived around the same time. I figured if I blended in, I might be able to shake them.

[Yes! Tina finally figured it out. Run!]

All I had on me was a little over 20 bucks in cash.

Before the trip, Everett told me everything was covered, that I wouldn't need to spend a dime. So I hadn't prepared much, just stuffed a bit of cash into my pocket without thinking.

Then, it hit me.

My phone was gone. Did I drop it when I rushed off the bus?

I glanced back the way I came, my chest tightening. I had just frozen my own bank card. Without my phone, I was completely stuck.

I pushed through the crowd and made it to the other side.

From a distance, I saw Randall checking the time, clearly getting ready to move everyone onto the boat.

This place was in the middle of nowhere. There was no way the cash I had would get me home.

That was when I spotted a jewelry store across the road.

I touched the bracelet on my wrist, my emotions twisting together.

My mother had given it to me as part of my wedding gift.

After a long hesitation, I finally made up my mind. I would sell it just to get through this.

The moment I stepped inside, the messages appeared again.

[Poor Tina! She still hasn't realized Everett already swapped out that bracelet.]

[That damn Everett. Tina, you have to make it back safe and deal with him yourself!]

What? Swapped it?

I glanced back toward the bus. Randall was already urging people to get on.

My heart started pounding. I didn't have time to process this. I needed another plan.

I turned to leave, but the shop owner had already noticed me.

"Miss, can I help you with something?"

I slipped off the bracelet and handed it over. "I want to sell this."

"Sure. I'll need to cut it open to check the material. Is that okay?"

I nodded.

He pulled out a pair of cutters and snipped it clean in half. The cross-section showed white inside.

My stomach dropped.

Damn it. The messages were right. Everett had swapped out the gold bracelet my mother gave me.

"Miss, this is gold-plated over silver. It's not worth much. There's barely any gold here. At most, I can buy the gold portion. I don't take silver."

"Can you melt it down and check?" I asked.

I hadn't expected it. What should have been a 3.5-ounce gold bracelet now had barely 0.07 ounces of gold left.

"It's still worth something, right?"

The owner rubbed his chin, sneaking a glance at me, clearly hesitant. "Alright. You look like you're in a hurry. I'll give you 100 bucks for it."

"Deal."

At least this way, I would have enough to get home safely. I could deal with the rest later.

Just then, a voice came from behind me; cold enough to send a chill straight down my spine.

"Miss, it's time to head back. The boat's about to leave."

My heart slammed against my ribs.

The messages exploded again.

[It's over! Tina's really done for!]