Somewhere in the back of her mind, Maya registered Jenny's crazy threats. But she needed to know for certain what happened to her brother.
“Did you light that apartment on fire?”
Jenny put the roll of duct tape next to the chainsaw and her gun. “Oh, you mean the fire that killed Tony?” She almost looked bored, as if one rookie firefighter mattered so little. She fluffed her sweat-dampened hair. “Um, yeah. But he'd really pissed me off.”
“How?” The word left Maya's lips like a bullet. Like the one she wanted to put between Jenny's eyebrows.
“Do you really want to know?” Jenny rolled her eyes. “I mean, he's been dead for months. Don't you think you should get over it already?”
Maya tried to wrench herself away from the tree, but the duct tape around her chest and legs held her firmly in place.
“Tell me why.”
Jenny continued taping her up as she said, “We went out a couple of times. And then he told me I was acting all weird and he thought we should cool it. Piece of shit rookie was lucky to score me in the first place. He hadn't seen weird yet. The things I could have made him do.” Her eyes went slightly unfocused. Glazed. “I knew his shifts. Thought it would be fun to see how he did in a big fire. It was just pure luck that he died. Served the bastard right.”
“Bitch!”
Maya's scream reverberated through her entire body and still it wasn't enough. She wanted to rip Jenny limb from limb for taking her brother away without even the slightest bit of remorse.
Jenny's face contorted in anger and she grabbed the chainsaw from the dirt and forced the blade up under Maya's chin.
“No, you're the bitch. The shady bitch who stole my man.”
Maya's eyes teared from the saw's jagged teeth and chain digging into her neck and jaw, but she refused to show any fear. There was no point in playing nice anymore, no reason to keep her mouth shut.
“You're disgusting. No wonder Logan wouldn't go near you.”
Jenny jammed the chainsaw harder into Maya's neck. “You're wrong. He would have fallen in love with me, and I'd be carrying his baby instead of Dennis's, if it weren't for you.”
Maya was amazed she could register one more shock at this point. “You're pregnant?”
“Aren't you going to congratulate me? Because I'm going to tell everyone Logan's the father.”
Jenny's sick words lanced Maya's heart like knives. Oh God, even after they were all dead, it wouldn't end. A child would have to live with this insanity every single day.
“No one will believe you,” she choked out from beneath the pressure of the chainsaw. “They'll all know what filth you are. They'll all know you're lying.”
Jenny snarled and pulled the chainsaw away from her neck, looking for the start cord, then pulling it hard. Maya gasped in a breath, one that looked like it was going to be her last.
Her nemesis lifted the grinding chainsaw, aiming right for Maya's heart. “I've changed my mind. I think I'll kill you instead of letting you burn. And I know exactly what I'm going to cut off first. Your precious tits. Logan would be so sad if he knew what I was about to do to your boobies. Tell me, how did it feel when Logan sucked them? When he squeezed them?”
Maya shot a quick barb at her killer: “Amazing.”
Jenny's cheeks went red, as if Maya had slapped them. “I wish he could find you like this, see your charred tits on the ground. But if he's not already dead, I'm going to have to take care of him too. I hope you f**ked him good and hard this morning, because it was good-bye.”
Maya pinched her eyes shut as Jenny moved closer. Back when she'd lost her father and brother, she'd wanted to die. But now she wanted to live, if only to see Logan's face one more time, to feel his heart beating steady and strong beneath her cheek.
A roar sounded to her left and she opened her eyes just in time to see Logan flying through the air, his hands clamping around Jenny's waist as he dragged her to the ground.
Maya's heart was in her throat as she watched the man she loved knock the roaring chainsaw off the side of the trail and wrestle Jenny into a prone position beneath him.
“Stop it, Logan. I love you,” Jenny cried.
He shifted his weight slightly in shock. “Did you start this wildfire to get back at me for not going out with you?”
Maya watched a tear seep out from beneath Jenny's lashes as she said, “Dennis told me about Joseph's problems. I knew you'd think he lit the fires. And I knew someone would see you putting them out.” Her tears stopped falling and she smiled a sick, twisted smile. “It was so easy to set you up. But I wasn't going to kill you, Logan. I was going to comfort you.” Her smile turned to a scowl. “If she hadn't shown up, that's what I would have done.” She craned her neck up from the dirt to yell, “But you did, you stupid cunt. Because you wanted to f**k him too bad, couldn't wait to drop to your knees and suck his dick, could you? That's when I knew I needed to kill both of you.”
Logan's low, hard voice interrupted the woman's angry ramblings. “I could kill you for touching her.”
Spit flew from her mouth and slid down his cheek. “Fuck you, ass**le.”
His hand went around Jenny's throat and even though Maya hated her more than anyone on earth, she couldn't let Logan kill her. Not for her. Or Robbie. Or Tony. Or Connor.
No matter how much Jenny deserved it, Logan would be haunted by her death for the rest of his life. Maya couldn't let it be one more thing Jenny took from him.
“Logan, please. Don't. Let go of her.” She wasn't sure if he could hear her, but she kept talking anyway. “I know she deserves to die, but not like this. She'll get what she deserves. I promise. She'll rot in prison for the rest of her life.”
She held her breath as she waited for him to decide. And then she realized he must have let up his grip, because Jenny started coughing.
He didn't turn his face away from his unwilling hostage. “Are you all right? Did she hurt you?”
Maya'd certainly felt better, but she was alive. Thank God.
“I'm fine.”
She was about to tell him the duct tape was by his left foot so that he could restrain Jenny, when her shoulders and her hair suddenly felt like they were about to ignite. She looked up into the branches above her head and worked to contain her fear.
“Did you light that apartment on fire?”
Jenny put the roll of duct tape next to the chainsaw and her gun. “Oh, you mean the fire that killed Tony?” She almost looked bored, as if one rookie firefighter mattered so little. She fluffed her sweat-dampened hair. “Um, yeah. But he'd really pissed me off.”
“How?” The word left Maya's lips like a bullet. Like the one she wanted to put between Jenny's eyebrows.
“Do you really want to know?” Jenny rolled her eyes. “I mean, he's been dead for months. Don't you think you should get over it already?”
Maya tried to wrench herself away from the tree, but the duct tape around her chest and legs held her firmly in place.
“Tell me why.”
Jenny continued taping her up as she said, “We went out a couple of times. And then he told me I was acting all weird and he thought we should cool it. Piece of shit rookie was lucky to score me in the first place. He hadn't seen weird yet. The things I could have made him do.” Her eyes went slightly unfocused. Glazed. “I knew his shifts. Thought it would be fun to see how he did in a big fire. It was just pure luck that he died. Served the bastard right.”
“Bitch!”
Maya's scream reverberated through her entire body and still it wasn't enough. She wanted to rip Jenny limb from limb for taking her brother away without even the slightest bit of remorse.
Jenny's face contorted in anger and she grabbed the chainsaw from the dirt and forced the blade up under Maya's chin.
“No, you're the bitch. The shady bitch who stole my man.”
Maya's eyes teared from the saw's jagged teeth and chain digging into her neck and jaw, but she refused to show any fear. There was no point in playing nice anymore, no reason to keep her mouth shut.
“You're disgusting. No wonder Logan wouldn't go near you.”
Jenny jammed the chainsaw harder into Maya's neck. “You're wrong. He would have fallen in love with me, and I'd be carrying his baby instead of Dennis's, if it weren't for you.”
Maya was amazed she could register one more shock at this point. “You're pregnant?”
“Aren't you going to congratulate me? Because I'm going to tell everyone Logan's the father.”
Jenny's sick words lanced Maya's heart like knives. Oh God, even after they were all dead, it wouldn't end. A child would have to live with this insanity every single day.
“No one will believe you,” she choked out from beneath the pressure of the chainsaw. “They'll all know what filth you are. They'll all know you're lying.”
Jenny snarled and pulled the chainsaw away from her neck, looking for the start cord, then pulling it hard. Maya gasped in a breath, one that looked like it was going to be her last.
Her nemesis lifted the grinding chainsaw, aiming right for Maya's heart. “I've changed my mind. I think I'll kill you instead of letting you burn. And I know exactly what I'm going to cut off first. Your precious tits. Logan would be so sad if he knew what I was about to do to your boobies. Tell me, how did it feel when Logan sucked them? When he squeezed them?”
Maya shot a quick barb at her killer: “Amazing.”
Jenny's cheeks went red, as if Maya had slapped them. “I wish he could find you like this, see your charred tits on the ground. But if he's not already dead, I'm going to have to take care of him too. I hope you f**ked him good and hard this morning, because it was good-bye.”
Maya pinched her eyes shut as Jenny moved closer. Back when she'd lost her father and brother, she'd wanted to die. But now she wanted to live, if only to see Logan's face one more time, to feel his heart beating steady and strong beneath her cheek.
A roar sounded to her left and she opened her eyes just in time to see Logan flying through the air, his hands clamping around Jenny's waist as he dragged her to the ground.
Maya's heart was in her throat as she watched the man she loved knock the roaring chainsaw off the side of the trail and wrestle Jenny into a prone position beneath him.
“Stop it, Logan. I love you,” Jenny cried.
He shifted his weight slightly in shock. “Did you start this wildfire to get back at me for not going out with you?”
Maya watched a tear seep out from beneath Jenny's lashes as she said, “Dennis told me about Joseph's problems. I knew you'd think he lit the fires. And I knew someone would see you putting them out.” Her tears stopped falling and she smiled a sick, twisted smile. “It was so easy to set you up. But I wasn't going to kill you, Logan. I was going to comfort you.” Her smile turned to a scowl. “If she hadn't shown up, that's what I would have done.” She craned her neck up from the dirt to yell, “But you did, you stupid cunt. Because you wanted to f**k him too bad, couldn't wait to drop to your knees and suck his dick, could you? That's when I knew I needed to kill both of you.”
Logan's low, hard voice interrupted the woman's angry ramblings. “I could kill you for touching her.”
Spit flew from her mouth and slid down his cheek. “Fuck you, ass**le.”
His hand went around Jenny's throat and even though Maya hated her more than anyone on earth, she couldn't let Logan kill her. Not for her. Or Robbie. Or Tony. Or Connor.
No matter how much Jenny deserved it, Logan would be haunted by her death for the rest of his life. Maya couldn't let it be one more thing Jenny took from him.
“Logan, please. Don't. Let go of her.” She wasn't sure if he could hear her, but she kept talking anyway. “I know she deserves to die, but not like this. She'll get what she deserves. I promise. She'll rot in prison for the rest of her life.”
She held her breath as she waited for him to decide. And then she realized he must have let up his grip, because Jenny started coughing.
He didn't turn his face away from his unwilling hostage. “Are you all right? Did she hurt you?”
Maya'd certainly felt better, but she was alive. Thank God.
“I'm fine.”
She was about to tell him the duct tape was by his left foot so that he could restrain Jenny, when her shoulders and her hair suddenly felt like they were about to ignite. She looked up into the branches above her head and worked to contain her fear.
