She arches a brow as if she were amused. Her hair is still up in that bun from yoga, but she knocked a few curls loose from tackling me. I hope she broke a hip in the effort, too.
“You got it half right. Only I would never dream of asking a man to do what I’ve dreamed of every night for the last solid year. It was me who pulled the trigger.”
“You?” My jaw unhinges. “But it was Hannah who was the pissed off ex-bride—and a new one at that. Why would you dream of killing Barry for a solid year beforehand, unless, of course, you knew he was cheating on your sister. I mean, my roommate, Harley, is great, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t put a bullet through her no-good new boyfriend, Tyson, if I knew he was cheating on her. Okay, so it does sound tempting, but still. Wasn’t that a bit drastic? Your job is to help her move on, not go to prison. Barry wasn’t worth the bullet if you ask me.” A thought occurs to me, and I practically inhale a log or two. “Unless, of course, it wasyouhe was cheating on. Then it would totally be classified as a crime of passion, and those are understandable to an extent. You were sleeping with your sister’s fiancé, weren’t you? You were the other woman—the real reason Hannah called off her wedding. That’s why she didn’t want you around. It’s not a wonder the two of you don’t get along.” Holy shit. Belinda is an animal.
She waves her gun and laughs. “I knew you were a smart one. We Briggs girls aren’t just known for our beauty.”
So I was right. Too bad it took a loaded gun pointed in my direction for me to come to all the necessary conclusions.
“So you’re an alumna—and you’re a terrible sister. How could you sneak around with her fiancé behind her back? No wonder she called off the wedding.”
“She called off the wedding because she had a gut feeling. My sister will never find out I was the other woman.”
I gasp again. “Is that what he was blackmailing you with? Proof to ruin your relationship with your sister? As if sleeping with her fiancé wasn’t enough to do that already. Is that what’s in the safe? Nude pictures of the two of you together? Some raunchy sex tape?” My God, I’m on a roll. If I survive this fiasco, I might just switch majors from business to criminology.
She blinks hard for a second. “Maybe. Maybe there was a little more to it.” She steadies the gun my way. “Too bad you won’t live long enough to figure the rest of it out, honey. And given a few more minutes, I’ve no doubt you would do just that.”
Craig stalks in looking as if he’s just transformed into a lunatic with his eyes bulging, the cords in his neck distended. “It’s a fucking fake.” He stomps over and stands next to Belinda. “Why are you shitting with us? Are the cops on their way?”
“If I say yes, you’ll shoot me. If I say no, you’ll put me in the wood chipper. I don’t see any right answer here.” Note to self: do not offer your captors tips on how to creatively slaughter you. These are deranged lunatics we’re dealing with!
Craig takes in a deep breath. His chest expands the size of a barn. “What do we do?”
Belinda gives a deviant smile. “You heard the girl. Turn on the wood chipper.”
Shepherd
It’s twenty minutes after eight, and the house band at the Black Bear, The 12 Deadly Sins, are screaming into their mics just trying to compete with the frat house that moved in about fifteen minutes ago. Kids are returning from summer vacation by the droves, and this end of town is inflating once again with its overzealous student population. I just have one more week as Serena’s instructor, as my time with the entrepreneurial sciences class comes to a close. Just one week in which it makes sense for me to be in her life. Just one week to confess that I want something more, that I love her.
Serena is young. She’s vivacious and full of wonder. I’m pretty sure all she wanted from me was a summer romance to fill her time. I’m pretty sure once I hit heavy with the L word and start talking commitment, she’ll give me the finger and we’ll be right back where we started in May. My heart wrenches just thinking about it.
I spot her roommate, Harley, and wave as I head on over. Her eyes look pink and glossy, and she has an overall stunned look on her face—or, perhaps more to the point, stoned. God, I hope she’s not stoned. The last thing I want Serena exposed to is this kind of behavior.
I frown at my own father-like analogy. But in my defense, I love Serena and I’m man enough to admit it. And when you love someone, you want the best for them. Getting high and sleeping around aren’t at the top of my wish list for her. My stomach knots up because she just so happens to be sleeping around with me.
“Have you seen Serena?”
Harley shudders before shaking her head, and it’s then I note her face is slicked with tears.
“Everything okay?” I’ve never done well with women crying. My first instinct is to hand them a tissue. My second is to run.
Her expression turns on a dime from grieving to seething. “Everything is just dandy. Wouldn’t your kind just love to see me wallowing in misery, rolling around on the floor, wailing just to have him back? Well, it’snothappening!”
“Boy trouble.” I wince. “Please accept my apology on behalf of my gender everywhere. Any idea where Serena might be? I’m sure she’d be concerned and want to comfort you.” It’s true. Serena has shown this girl just as much affection as family. I know she’d want to take care of her friend, and I would encourage it no matter how hard my penis campaigned for her attention.
“Hell, if I know.” She swipes a napkin off the nearest table, undeterred by the fact there are a couple of wide-eyed patrons staring her down for the brazen move. “She said something about taking you to a lumberyard to fool around.” She blows her nose and heads for the exit.
“Lumberyard?” Holy shit. I catch up to Harley once again. “Hey, did Serena say she was headed to the lumberyard tonight?”
She tosses her arms in the air. “I don’t know. I couldn’t take her seriously. She’s been acting funny ever since she talked to that girl from the yoga class.”
“Belinda Johnson?” Fuck. “Is that why Serena was headed to the lumberyard?”
Harley takes a step back. “Look, I thought she was kidding. First of all, why would she go to the lumberyard without you?” She sucks in a lungful of air, and her eyes expand the size of platters. “That girl is nuts!”
“Call the police and tell them to head to the lumberyard.” I run the hell out of the Black Bear and jump into my car.
I call Marlin and shout for him to head on over himself.
