Too Pretty to Be Your Backup novel Chapter 81

“Hurry up, get her in the car,” David said, voice tight with nerves.

Travis shot him a look colder than ice. “We’ll talk about you hitting her later.”

David shrank back a little. “Fine. As long as we save Leila, you can take it out on me all you want. Just get in.”

Travis didn’t bother with another word. He turned, keeping Amanda safely in his arms. “Send me the address,” he said over his shoulder, not waiting for a reply as he headed for his own car.

No way was David driving. If he was desperate enough to run Amanda over for Leila’s sake, who knew what else he might do? Travis couldn’t risk it. He needed to stay in control.

He set Amanda gently in the passenger seat. Reaching over, he tipped her chin up, voice steady. “I promise, I’ll keep you safe. Trust me.”

She knocked his hand away, glaring at him. “If you really want me safe, you wouldn’t be using me as bait. Don’t you get it? You honestly can’t catch Chad? It’s only a matter of time! But you chose to sacrifice me instead. So don’t tell me to trust you.”

Finding Chad was just a matter of resources and time. Travis could do it if he wanted. But every hour that passed, Leila was in more danger. Using Amanda as leverage was the fastest way to end it and protect Leila.

But making her a hostage was not safe. Chad had already hurt Leila. Why wouldn’t he do worse to Amanda? Did Travis really believe she’d come out of this unharmed?

Of course Travis knew the risks. He just thought he could control everything, keep Amanda out of harm’s way. But wasn’t that ridiculous? He couldn’t even get Leila safely onto a plane. She’d slipped through his fingers and ended up in Chad’s hands.

And now he wanted to talk about control?

He realized there was nothing he could say that would make her believe him right now. All he could do was prove it and keep her safe, no matter what.

She was supposed to escape abroad, then team up with Chad to break up Amanda and Travis' engagement. The kidnapping was never supposed to be real.

So why had Chad hurt her? What had she done wrong?

It was too late for regrets. On the outside, she looked broken. On the inside, her heart was cold and determined. She wiped her tears and met Chad’s eyes, her own burning with a desperate, pitiful hope.

“Chad, after everything you’ve done to me… just don’t break your promise. Make Amanda disappear.”

If this was the price for getting rid of Amanda forever, she could live with it. As long as Amanda was gone, Travis would finally be hers alone.

And lately, she’d seen the way Travis looked at Amanda. He was starting to care. That made Leila want to win even more.