“You didn’t pull the trigger,” I whispered, letting my other hand fall from the table and to my lap. My hands wrapped around each other. “I did. I killed him. You didn’t.”
“That’s bullshit. I’m a part of it. You weren’t going to do it. You only did because I told you. I gave you permission to do it.”
I shook my head. I was going to anyway. I went down there for that purpose, but saying those words aloud felt like I was confessing to the real murder I committed. I hadn’t killed Grace, but I had murdered someone else. “No, Bryce. All you did was turn off the monitor. That’s all. You weren’t in that room with us.” It would’ve been different if he had been. I knew that with certainty. Bryce would’ve tackled him, maybe punched him so he was unconscious. Marcus wouldn’t have been dead now, but I couldn’t do any of that. I had one weapon. It was the only way I could’ve fought back, and I chose to use it in a lethal way.
Marcus’ death was on my hands, not his.
“Fuck that. His blood is on my hands, too.”
I looked up, shocked. It was like he read my thoughts, but he hadn’t. His hand was clenched around his glass, and he was looking out into the backyard. His jaw clenched as he whispered again, “We’ve both been running from that. It’s time we stopped.” He swung those piercing eyes my way again. “Being away from you, watching you cling to Corrigan when we were in Spain, I know all of it was because of what we both did. You didn’t want to talk about Marcus, about how we’re both to blame for killing him, but it’s here now. You’re going to be on trial for a different murder. We can’t run anymore.”
I shook my head. “I’m not.” With those two words, my stomach stopped churning. All the emotions that were racing inside me calmed and settled to the bottom again. He was right. No more running. No more lying.
We shared a look.
It was time to deal with everything.
That was when the first explosion went off.
“What the—”
It was a loud boom, and within seconds, the ground shook. Bryce jumped out of his chair, but I grabbed hold of the table. I wasn’t going to fall over, but it was surprising. “Holy shit.”
Bryce held a hand out to me, not to help me up, just to check on me. “You okay?”
“Yeah.”
He headed farther off the patio and was gazing into the forest. “It came from out there.”
Was it . . . “Corrigan?”
He turned back to me and shook his head. “Who knows? If it was, he should be running here soon.”
The second explosion went off then, and this time the table started to slide over the floor. It didn’t go far, just a few inches, but I lurched forward anyway. Stopping it, I stood up from my chair and started for the door. No matter who it was, I wanted to grab our bags.
“Where are you going?”
I threw open the door. “I packed bags for us.”
“No, Sheldon.” Bryce raced for me and grabbed my arm. “Think about it. If this is anything serious, we need to get out of here.”
“Yes, but—”
Then all hell broke loose.
“SHELDON!”
It was my dad, and turning, I saw him race from the hallway, holding onto Beth’s hand. They were both in robes, but while Neil’s was tied with pajama pants sticking out underneath, Beth was trying to hold hers closed with her free hand. It wasn’t working. She had a silk nightgown on underneath, and she stumbled, crying out. Neil stopped, grabbed her arm, and hoisted her up in one movement. It happened so fast, if I hadn’t been watching, I wouldn’t have caught it. Her slipper fell off, and muttering a quick curse, Neil stooped down and swept it up, shoving it into his robe’s pocket. He was to the door by then.
As he shoved us outside, a lot of things happened all at once.
I took in his harried expression, Beth’s pale and trembling features, and then realized I could see my dad and his girlfriend so much clearer because there were bright lights coming from behind us.
“Sheldon.” Bryce moved close to me, holding my arm.
They were large flashlights, and there were more than a pair of them. Six flashlights were coming from the left, another four from the right, and I whirled back to my dad and saw there were another two coming from inside the house.
“What’s going on?” Beth clutched her robe shut, looking all around us.
Neil tucked her close. “It’s just the security teams. They’re sweeping the grounds.” He skimmed over me. “You look fine.”
I wasn’t sure if that was a question or accusation. I shrugged, but my insides were still feeling the surprise from those bombs or whatever they’d been. “I’ve been through worse.”
Bryce caught my gaze and shook his head, one side of his mouth lifting to show his amusement. He knew I was scared shitless, though, I was still holding out hope the explosions had been fireworks-gone-wrong sort of thing, and Corrigan would come running around the corner. I wouldn’t have cared if he had burned half his hair off, just so I knew everyone would be okay.
A third explosion went off then, and like the others, the ground shook. This one was closer and stronger. Beth cried out again, stumbling to the side. My dad yelled. He threw an arm out, reaching for balance while trying to hold her from falling to the ground. Bryce’s hand squeezed tightly on my arm, and I knew what he was going to do. We both leapt for them. Bryce reached and took hold of my dad while I caught Beth. Grabbing onto her arm, I clambered for a quick hold on her shoulder and somehow yanked her forward so she wasn’t falling.
She reached for me and clutched onto me, breathing deeply, for a moment. When the last of the tremors were over, she lifted her head. I saw the terror in her eyes, and she seemed scared to even breathe. She bit down on her lip, then turned back for my dad.
“Neil,” she whimpered.
He folded her back into his chest, thanking Bryce and me over her shoulder while patting the back of her head.
Bryce lifted his eyebrows at me. We were all shaken and he frowned. “What now?”
“Mr. Jeneve.” A security guard stepped through the door onto the patio. He was releasing his radio, and he pointed his flashlight out to the backyard. A ton of security guards were approaching us. They were no longer just flashlights, but we could see their figures now. “We have a car waiting. They’ll take you to a secure location.”
“That’s bullshit. I’m a part of it. You weren’t going to do it. You only did because I told you. I gave you permission to do it.”
I shook my head. I was going to anyway. I went down there for that purpose, but saying those words aloud felt like I was confessing to the real murder I committed. I hadn’t killed Grace, but I had murdered someone else. “No, Bryce. All you did was turn off the monitor. That’s all. You weren’t in that room with us.” It would’ve been different if he had been. I knew that with certainty. Bryce would’ve tackled him, maybe punched him so he was unconscious. Marcus wouldn’t have been dead now, but I couldn’t do any of that. I had one weapon. It was the only way I could’ve fought back, and I chose to use it in a lethal way.
Marcus’ death was on my hands, not his.
“Fuck that. His blood is on my hands, too.”
I looked up, shocked. It was like he read my thoughts, but he hadn’t. His hand was clenched around his glass, and he was looking out into the backyard. His jaw clenched as he whispered again, “We’ve both been running from that. It’s time we stopped.” He swung those piercing eyes my way again. “Being away from you, watching you cling to Corrigan when we were in Spain, I know all of it was because of what we both did. You didn’t want to talk about Marcus, about how we’re both to blame for killing him, but it’s here now. You’re going to be on trial for a different murder. We can’t run anymore.”
I shook my head. “I’m not.” With those two words, my stomach stopped churning. All the emotions that were racing inside me calmed and settled to the bottom again. He was right. No more running. No more lying.
We shared a look.
It was time to deal with everything.
That was when the first explosion went off.
“What the—”
It was a loud boom, and within seconds, the ground shook. Bryce jumped out of his chair, but I grabbed hold of the table. I wasn’t going to fall over, but it was surprising. “Holy shit.”
Bryce held a hand out to me, not to help me up, just to check on me. “You okay?”
“Yeah.”
He headed farther off the patio and was gazing into the forest. “It came from out there.”
Was it . . . “Corrigan?”
He turned back to me and shook his head. “Who knows? If it was, he should be running here soon.”
The second explosion went off then, and this time the table started to slide over the floor. It didn’t go far, just a few inches, but I lurched forward anyway. Stopping it, I stood up from my chair and started for the door. No matter who it was, I wanted to grab our bags.
“Where are you going?”
I threw open the door. “I packed bags for us.”
“No, Sheldon.” Bryce raced for me and grabbed my arm. “Think about it. If this is anything serious, we need to get out of here.”
“Yes, but—”
Then all hell broke loose.
“SHELDON!”
It was my dad, and turning, I saw him race from the hallway, holding onto Beth’s hand. They were both in robes, but while Neil’s was tied with pajama pants sticking out underneath, Beth was trying to hold hers closed with her free hand. It wasn’t working. She had a silk nightgown on underneath, and she stumbled, crying out. Neil stopped, grabbed her arm, and hoisted her up in one movement. It happened so fast, if I hadn’t been watching, I wouldn’t have caught it. Her slipper fell off, and muttering a quick curse, Neil stooped down and swept it up, shoving it into his robe’s pocket. He was to the door by then.
As he shoved us outside, a lot of things happened all at once.
I took in his harried expression, Beth’s pale and trembling features, and then realized I could see my dad and his girlfriend so much clearer because there were bright lights coming from behind us.
“Sheldon.” Bryce moved close to me, holding my arm.
They were large flashlights, and there were more than a pair of them. Six flashlights were coming from the left, another four from the right, and I whirled back to my dad and saw there were another two coming from inside the house.
“What’s going on?” Beth clutched her robe shut, looking all around us.
Neil tucked her close. “It’s just the security teams. They’re sweeping the grounds.” He skimmed over me. “You look fine.”
I wasn’t sure if that was a question or accusation. I shrugged, but my insides were still feeling the surprise from those bombs or whatever they’d been. “I’ve been through worse.”
Bryce caught my gaze and shook his head, one side of his mouth lifting to show his amusement. He knew I was scared shitless, though, I was still holding out hope the explosions had been fireworks-gone-wrong sort of thing, and Corrigan would come running around the corner. I wouldn’t have cared if he had burned half his hair off, just so I knew everyone would be okay.
A third explosion went off then, and like the others, the ground shook. This one was closer and stronger. Beth cried out again, stumbling to the side. My dad yelled. He threw an arm out, reaching for balance while trying to hold her from falling to the ground. Bryce’s hand squeezed tightly on my arm, and I knew what he was going to do. We both leapt for them. Bryce reached and took hold of my dad while I caught Beth. Grabbing onto her arm, I clambered for a quick hold on her shoulder and somehow yanked her forward so she wasn’t falling.
She reached for me and clutched onto me, breathing deeply, for a moment. When the last of the tremors were over, she lifted her head. I saw the terror in her eyes, and she seemed scared to even breathe. She bit down on her lip, then turned back for my dad.
“Neil,” she whimpered.
He folded her back into his chest, thanking Bryce and me over her shoulder while patting the back of her head.
Bryce lifted his eyebrows at me. We were all shaken and he frowned. “What now?”
“Mr. Jeneve.” A security guard stepped through the door onto the patio. He was releasing his radio, and he pointed his flashlight out to the backyard. A ton of security guards were approaching us. They were no longer just flashlights, but we could see their figures now. “We have a car waiting. They’ll take you to a secure location.”
