Vernon’s patience was wearing dangerously thin. He already knew she would never speak willingly.
Without warning, he grabbed Eleanor by the hair and slammed her hard against the wooden wall. The impact rattled through the cabin.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips.
He pinned her against the wall with one hand on her shoulder while the other reached beneath his coat, pulling out a gun and shoving the barrel against her forehead.
“Tell me something useful,” he said, his voice flat and lethal. “Because if you don’t, this is where everything ends.”
Eleanor swallowed hard. Her breath trembled, but the defiance in her eyes remained unbroken.
“You won’t kill me,” she whispered. “Only a fool would kill me in this situation… and you’re not a fool.”
His eyes stayed locked on hers, cutting through t
