“You’re sick, Gene.”
He shrugged. “No matter how much Carter tried to push you onto us, your place was deemed irrelevant the day your father died.”
“So you’re with the Bartels? You’re working with them?”
“What?” His eyebrows lifted, but he was grinning. He enjoyed this. I saw it now—it was almost time. He bent down and opened a drawer.
I sucked in my breath.
He reached inside.
No…
He pulled out a gun.
“Are you? Are you working with them, Gene?” Cole’s voice rose.
He was stalling. I got it then. My whole body felt drenched with ice. He couldn’t fight them? Is that why he was stalling for time? If he couldn’t—I couldn’t. I wanted to see out that window again. I wanted to pretend I could find an escape route. Fighting was pointless. They had guns. One shot and everything was done. My pulse picked up. My vision began to swim around.
Gene had started to come around the desk, with that gun in hand. He was checking the clip.
“Are you?” Cole demanded.
He slammed the clip back into place and stopped, only a few feet from me. He held the gun like it was a phone. Like it was nothing to him. It was everything to me.
He smiled at me, but murmured to Cole, “You don’t think I know what you’re doing? You think I’m that dumb? Waste his time. Ask him his agenda. Ask him anything. Demand it. Make him mad. Make him upset. He won’t think right. He’ll start talking. He won’t know what he’s doing. That’s your plan, right? Wasting my time, trying to stall. For what?” He waved the gun between us. “You’re both going to die. You have to.”
Talk, Emma! A voice screamed in my head. My throat wouldn’t work. I couldn’t get any noise out.
A high-pitched laugh started to build in my throat—no, that was my head. I could hear myself laughing. This was hilarious. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. Then I walked away from myself. I saw myself sitting there. She’d been screaming at me, but she waved her hands in the air now. Skipping. She was going away.
I began to slip away. My mind was leaving the room.
I heard Gene’s voice from a distance. “That’d make everything better, would it? No. I’m not working with the Bartels. If they got some information, then…that’s a different story. No, Cole. After you’re dead, the Bartels will be wiped out. Carter’s already eliminated half of them. They’re hurting. They’re wounded. You know how an animal can be, if they’re backed against a corner? They strike out, and maybe not in the smartest way.” He winked at me. “Maybe they kill someone they shouldn’t?”
Me. The Bartels would be blamed for our deaths. I swallowed. Carter would buy it. He had no reason not to.
The gun was so close to my head. He was going to do it. Any second. My heartbeat raced. It was almost deafening, but I could still hear him. Close your eyes, Emma. I tried to make myself do that. I didn’t want to see it happen, but my eyelids weren’t obeying me. They remained open, almost glued to my face to keep from closing. I fought against myself. I felt my muscles coiling. My mind was leaving, but my body wanted to attack.
“If you kill her—” Cole seemed to snap. “You say you want Carter back in, and killing us will do that, but it’s only going to launch a manhunt. Carter won’t buy your story that the Bertals killed her. He’ll find all of them, and he’ll question every single one. He won’t be satisfied until he knows for sure who killed her. He’ll find you. He will.” He softened his tone as he finished, “You’re cementing your own murder if you kill her.”
“No, Cole. You’re wrong. Carter will come back to us. He will lead us and fine, if he needs to know the truth, I’ll make something up. I’ll pin her blood and hair on someone so he can kill him, knowing he’s avenged his woman.”
“You’re wrong, Gene. You’re so wrong.”
I could feel Cole’s anger then. He was furious. No, he was deadly.
There he was. There was the guy Carter had trained. And, just like that—just hearing that—I felt my mind coming back. There was still hope.
My pulse slowed, just a tiny bit.
There was still a chance to fight.
“If I kill her, Carter will be out for blood. He’ll have no one else to turn to except his family. That’s who we are. We’re his family, and he’ll come back to lead us. She was the only thing keeping him out anyway.”
He aimed the gun at my head. His arm was so steady.
“He’ll want to, Cole, because the Bartels took everything from him,” Gene continued. “You…” He stepped close and the end of the gun touched my head. “And his woman.”
Fight, Emma!
No, that wasn’t just the voice in my head. Now I was the one screaming out loud.
I launched myself off the chair. Gene hesitated for a second, stunned, and I flipped over the chair, slamming it against the side of his head. After that, it was chaos. Cole flung himself straight for the guards. They’d been running at us, but he slowed them down. Then he was on his feet and fighting all of them. He was landing blows, blocking theirs, kicking them.
Gun, gun. Get the gun, Emma.
Gene was winded, bent over. He almost fell to the ground, but caught himself. But I had stunned him, and the gun had fallen from his hand. That was enough. I saw it behind the desk. I started for it. I needed to grab it. My hand touched it, and then I was jerked backward.
“No,” I whimpered. I was so close. I almost had it.
Gene hauled me back and dragged me to my feet. He held me against his chest as he reached for the gun. I tried to kick it away, but his arm tightened over my windpipe. I gasped, feeling an explosion of pain in my chest. He picked up the gun and straightened back up. His arm loosened a bit, but I still gasped for breath. That pain wasn’t going away. It got worse. My vision blurred as I sagged in front of him.
His arm hoisted me back against him, holding me upright.
Smack!
The sound of a body hitting the wall drew my waning consciousness across the room. Two of the men were down, and Cole still traded blows with the others.
I felt the end of the gun press against my ear.
“I’ll shoot her,” Gene warned.
Those three words sent terror through me. They paralyzed Cole, too. He stopped fighting and lowered his arms. The guards didn’t waste any time. They grabbed him, and one slammed the back of his gun down on his head. Cole crumbled to the floor, unconscious.
He shrugged. “No matter how much Carter tried to push you onto us, your place was deemed irrelevant the day your father died.”
“So you’re with the Bartels? You’re working with them?”
“What?” His eyebrows lifted, but he was grinning. He enjoyed this. I saw it now—it was almost time. He bent down and opened a drawer.
I sucked in my breath.
He reached inside.
No…
He pulled out a gun.
“Are you? Are you working with them, Gene?” Cole’s voice rose.
He was stalling. I got it then. My whole body felt drenched with ice. He couldn’t fight them? Is that why he was stalling for time? If he couldn’t—I couldn’t. I wanted to see out that window again. I wanted to pretend I could find an escape route. Fighting was pointless. They had guns. One shot and everything was done. My pulse picked up. My vision began to swim around.
Gene had started to come around the desk, with that gun in hand. He was checking the clip.
“Are you?” Cole demanded.
He slammed the clip back into place and stopped, only a few feet from me. He held the gun like it was a phone. Like it was nothing to him. It was everything to me.
He smiled at me, but murmured to Cole, “You don’t think I know what you’re doing? You think I’m that dumb? Waste his time. Ask him his agenda. Ask him anything. Demand it. Make him mad. Make him upset. He won’t think right. He’ll start talking. He won’t know what he’s doing. That’s your plan, right? Wasting my time, trying to stall. For what?” He waved the gun between us. “You’re both going to die. You have to.”
Talk, Emma! A voice screamed in my head. My throat wouldn’t work. I couldn’t get any noise out.
A high-pitched laugh started to build in my throat—no, that was my head. I could hear myself laughing. This was hilarious. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. Then I walked away from myself. I saw myself sitting there. She’d been screaming at me, but she waved her hands in the air now. Skipping. She was going away.
I began to slip away. My mind was leaving the room.
I heard Gene’s voice from a distance. “That’d make everything better, would it? No. I’m not working with the Bartels. If they got some information, then…that’s a different story. No, Cole. After you’re dead, the Bartels will be wiped out. Carter’s already eliminated half of them. They’re hurting. They’re wounded. You know how an animal can be, if they’re backed against a corner? They strike out, and maybe not in the smartest way.” He winked at me. “Maybe they kill someone they shouldn’t?”
Me. The Bartels would be blamed for our deaths. I swallowed. Carter would buy it. He had no reason not to.
The gun was so close to my head. He was going to do it. Any second. My heartbeat raced. It was almost deafening, but I could still hear him. Close your eyes, Emma. I tried to make myself do that. I didn’t want to see it happen, but my eyelids weren’t obeying me. They remained open, almost glued to my face to keep from closing. I fought against myself. I felt my muscles coiling. My mind was leaving, but my body wanted to attack.
“If you kill her—” Cole seemed to snap. “You say you want Carter back in, and killing us will do that, but it’s only going to launch a manhunt. Carter won’t buy your story that the Bertals killed her. He’ll find all of them, and he’ll question every single one. He won’t be satisfied until he knows for sure who killed her. He’ll find you. He will.” He softened his tone as he finished, “You’re cementing your own murder if you kill her.”
“No, Cole. You’re wrong. Carter will come back to us. He will lead us and fine, if he needs to know the truth, I’ll make something up. I’ll pin her blood and hair on someone so he can kill him, knowing he’s avenged his woman.”
“You’re wrong, Gene. You’re so wrong.”
I could feel Cole’s anger then. He was furious. No, he was deadly.
There he was. There was the guy Carter had trained. And, just like that—just hearing that—I felt my mind coming back. There was still hope.
My pulse slowed, just a tiny bit.
There was still a chance to fight.
“If I kill her, Carter will be out for blood. He’ll have no one else to turn to except his family. That’s who we are. We’re his family, and he’ll come back to lead us. She was the only thing keeping him out anyway.”
He aimed the gun at my head. His arm was so steady.
“He’ll want to, Cole, because the Bartels took everything from him,” Gene continued. “You…” He stepped close and the end of the gun touched my head. “And his woman.”
Fight, Emma!
No, that wasn’t just the voice in my head. Now I was the one screaming out loud.
I launched myself off the chair. Gene hesitated for a second, stunned, and I flipped over the chair, slamming it against the side of his head. After that, it was chaos. Cole flung himself straight for the guards. They’d been running at us, but he slowed them down. Then he was on his feet and fighting all of them. He was landing blows, blocking theirs, kicking them.
Gun, gun. Get the gun, Emma.
Gene was winded, bent over. He almost fell to the ground, but caught himself. But I had stunned him, and the gun had fallen from his hand. That was enough. I saw it behind the desk. I started for it. I needed to grab it. My hand touched it, and then I was jerked backward.
“No,” I whimpered. I was so close. I almost had it.
Gene hauled me back and dragged me to my feet. He held me against his chest as he reached for the gun. I tried to kick it away, but his arm tightened over my windpipe. I gasped, feeling an explosion of pain in my chest. He picked up the gun and straightened back up. His arm loosened a bit, but I still gasped for breath. That pain wasn’t going away. It got worse. My vision blurred as I sagged in front of him.
His arm hoisted me back against him, holding me upright.
Smack!
The sound of a body hitting the wall drew my waning consciousness across the room. Two of the men were down, and Cole still traded blows with the others.
I felt the end of the gun press against my ear.
“I’ll shoot her,” Gene warned.
Those three words sent terror through me. They paralyzed Cole, too. He stopped fighting and lowered his arms. The guards didn’t waste any time. They grabbed him, and one slammed the back of his gun down on his head. Cole crumbled to the floor, unconscious.
