Shane cut me off by waving his hand through the air, and as his arm passed through the beam of the flashlight, there was a dull, metallicgleam.
I thought I understood why Frank’s eyes had gone wide. Shane had a fuckinggun.
I tried to roll over again, but the hand beneath me wouldn’t cooperate. I shifted my weight and tried to move my fingers, but the pain that sang up my arm made me bite my lip and staystill.
“That’s not what happened,” Shane sighed. He squatted down near my feet like he was about to deliver a friendly, paternal lecture. You know, with agun.
“Listen, Ev, here’s the thing you have to understand. Molly was confused, okay? It wasn’t herfault.”
I frowned, but nodded along like I was totally listening, because the guy with the gun was always right. I’d learned that from television,too.
“You know, I was the first one to show her this place, back when we started dating? She’d never been to the falls before.” He smiled, like he was reliving the memory. “First time we ever kissed was uphere.”
“It’s a pretty place.” I fought to keep the fear and pain from myvoice.
“It is. And I didn’t mind when she shared it with Matty, not much. They were just friends. People have a lot of friends, but they onlyloveone person. Youknow?”
Oh my God. Shane was talking like he was eight, like the whole world was composed of simple, black-and-whitetruths.
“Sure,” I whispered. “Hey, Shane, something’s not right with myarm.”
“Hmm? Oh. I’m pretty sure you broke it when I dropped you.” He shruggedapologetically.
“You… droppedme?”
“Yep. Had to carry you up here last night all alone, you know? I’m stronger than people think.” Hegrinned.
“Yeah. Wow,” I breathed. “Do you think maybe you could help me turn over? I… I really think it might bebroken.”
Shane tilted his head to the side, like I was a child. “Ev. You know I can’t do that. You’ll try to run away, and I can’t havethat.”
Iswallowed.
Shane was literally crazy. The cold reality of that was beginning to really seep into me. He was literally crazy, and he had a gun, and he wouldn’t let me getaway.
I fought the rising tide of panic that threatened to swamp me. Iwouldget away, because I owed Silas an apology and I needed to tell him I loved him. This would not end with us in a fight. No fuckingway.
“So what happened?” I asked.Keep him talking. Lesson three of police procedurals. Let him do his villainmonologue.
“She said some hurtful things.” Shane shook his head. “Said she wasn’t sure she wanted us to be committed when she went off to school. Said she wanted totake a break.” He snickered. “I mean, come on,right?”
I swallowed and nodded. “Crazy,” I breathed. I was definitely talking abouthim.
“I just wanted to stop her, you know? To show her I was serious about not letting herleave.”
Frank made a strangled sound. “Oh, God, Shane. What did youdo?”
“I didn’t do anything!” Shane surged to his feet, brandishing the gun at Frank. “It wasn’tme. It was Molly. Molly andMatty.They were going back to school, and I wanted tostop her. So I took my car out on the Camden road to meet her and I… tried to get them to stop. That was all. Just tostop.”
A chill shivered down my spine that had nothing to do with the relentless chill in the air, or the cold, damp earth on my feet. “What happened?” I asked, distractinghim.
“Matty didn’t know how to drive!” Shane clasped both hands to his head, pressing the side of the gun against his own temple. “I pulled up alongside them and he ran off the fuckingroadand into a tree.” He sobbed. “That’snotwhat I meant tohappen.”
“Of course not. You loved her,” I agreed. I bent my legs slightly, trying to lever myself over. Every millimeter of movement ricocheted up myarm.
“I do love her,” he agreed. “I got her out of the car, but it was too late.” He sniffed. “She wasdead.”
“Oh, Shane,” Frank said, and honest to God, I just wished he wouldhush,because every word out of his mouth just made Shane swing that fucking gun aroundagain.
