Brody
“You let him go?”
I stared at the splotch of dried blood on the carpet, then at Lindsey as she sat on the couch with wine at her fingertips. Her Glock lay on the coffee table while a crime scene tech bagged Austin’s gun. Another dabbed at the blood with a cotton swab. Two uniformed cops stood on guard near the front door.
“She had no choice,” Skinner replied, seated in the recliner. “Had she shot him while he lay on the carpet, we can’t call that self-defense.”
Outraged, I snapped, “He came here to kill her. If she hadn’t gotten the drop on him like she did, she’d be dead now.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Lindsey said, listless. “I couldn’t shoot him like that. He got up off the floor and walked away. It’s done, Brody.”
Unable to keep still, I paced, my fears and my fury rushing rampant through me.I could have lost her. I almost lost her. Had she been less smart and Rivers quicker, she’d be lying there. Dead. Gone.
“This is bullshit,” I muttered. “Plain bullshit. He came here to kill her.”
“Probably,” Skinner agreed. “But me, I’m glad she didn’t kill him. I don’t want anyone’s blood on Lindsey’s hands. Or yours, for that matter. The DA would have grounds to chargeLindsey with murder. Taking a life isn’t what you see in the movies.”
It fucking well should be. Kill the bad guy, save the lady. Simple western justice.“The law sucks.”
“Sometimes it does,” Skinner agreed. “But that’s not your decision. Nor mine. Lindsey kept her head, and for that she has my respect.”
Lindsey only shook her head, her face lowered to her glass. “I did what Austin and circumstances called for me to do. Had he gotten up, charged at me, I’d have shot him. He didn’t. I defeated him and it was enough.”
“Not for me,” I snarled. “Now he’s out there, plotting to kill you. To kill me. Walking the streets, obtaining another gun, ready to come back for another go.”
“If that happens,” Skinner said quietly, “then you’ll do only what youmustto stay alive. Be smart, Brody. I don’t want either of you hurt, nor do I want to slap the cuffs on you because youweren’tsmart. Be cool, dammit. Stay cool no matter what happens.”
“Go blow it out your ass.”
Skinner sighed heavily. Standing, he said, “I’m done here. Lindsey, call if you need me.”
He stalked from the house, taking the uniformed cops with him. The techs soon wrapped up their work and departed without speaking. Lindsey continued to sit, occasionally sipping her wine, all without looking at me. I leaned my shoulder against the wall, staring out the window and into the street. The neighbors, unsurprisingly, stood on porches and driveways, watching the drama unfold.
“I’m sorry,” I said at last. “I shouldn’t have blown up. I’m just scared.”
“I know.”
“I almost lost you.”
“I know that, too.”
Sighing, I ran my hand through my hair. “Time for a long vacation?”
“Can’t afford it.”
“A Rottweiler?”
“We don’t have time to train one.”
“Then we leave our lives behind and start over.” I turned to face her. “Fly across the Atlantic, go to Italy or Spain, live like humble peasants and raise our kids.”
A tiny smile curved her cheeks. “Our parents will kill us.”
“Once Rivers is gone and Byrd gives up, we can come back for a visit. Come on, let’s fly away, just you and me.”
“I ran once,” Lindsey said slowly. “She still found me. I stayed because I’m done running. I chose this place as my home. Neither Austin nor Bethany will chase me from it.”
With a groan, I dropped to the sofa beside her. “I can’t speak either Spanish or Italian. Shit. It was a great thought while it lasted.”
