“Why wouldn’t these families just get a surrogate on their own?”
“As far as most of ’em know, they do. We don’t tell the couples the ins and outs, and they don’t ask.”
“What happens to the girls once they carry the baby?”
He looked at me with a superior look. “What do you think?”
“Why do you have to kill them?”
He shrugged. “Simple. Dead bodies can’t talk. Makes it easier all around.”
My mind was whirling, not only from the story but at how callous he sounded about it all. As if these girls’ lives meant nothing. As if my grandfather’s life were nothing.
“You’re sick.”
“No, what I am is smart. The money I’ve made from these deals will last me a lifetime.”
“You’re not going to have a lifetime,” a deep voice came from behind me.
I spun around, surprised and relieved to see Micah, Joel, and Sy staring down at the two of us. Unfortunately, I got too far ahead of myself and let McDowell get the drop on me. He wrapped his left arm around my throat and pointed his weapon at the three men.
My heart sank at the thought of any one of them, but especially Micah, getting shot. I knew McDowell was crazy enough to do it.
“Stay back,” he yelled as they approached. He backed both of us up until I felt my foot without the shoe become submerged in the water.
“You know you’re going to fucking die today, right?” Micah stated with all the assurance in the world.
McDowell felt it too because I saw the arm wielding the gun tremble. I kept my gaze on that arm.
“Big talk for a man that has a gun trained on him.”
“You think you’re the only piece of shit that’s held a gun on me?” Micah’s face was made of granite. Those copper eyes moved from me to the hand with the gun. He stepped closer.
“Stay back,” McDowell asserted, moving us farther back until the water came above my ankles.
“Micah, he killed my grandfather. He’s been selling babies and killing those girls.”
He nodded with his copper eyes meeting mine. “I know, baby. Your grandfather recorded it all. The same way you did.” His eyes shimmered with pride.
I swallowed, feeling emboldened.
“Aw,baby,” McDowell sneered. “A real fucking love story, but I’m the one with the po—”
His voice broke off when at the first glimpse of him loosening his hold around my neck, I pivoted. His arm had never made it entirely around my neck since I kept my chin tucked. That made it easier to spin out of his hold. Using my cuffed hands, I grabbed onto the wrist with the gun and pointed it away from Micah. As I turned, I head-butted McDowell, the crown of my head landing perfectly against his nose.
I didn’t have time to indulge in satisfaction over the sound of his nose breaking. Grabbing the gun, I removed it from his hold and pointed it at him. Cocking it, I let off one shot to his left thigh. McDowell howled in pain, but that shout soon ended with a single gunshot right between the eyes.
I spun around to see a stone-faced Micah, still pointing his gun in the direction of the now lifeless body.
“You killed him.”
Micah’s gaze slowly cascaded down to mine. “You missed.”
I shook my head. “I was aiming for his leg.”
“I was aiming for his life.”
Joel whistled behind me. “Beauty, brains, and not bad with a gun. You hit the jackpot, son,” he said as he came up behind me, gently removing the gun from my hands.
