Holly spun around, startled at the second voice.She was only four feet from Mannix.One lunge and she’d be on him.Jessie didn’t wait to see what her next move would be.
“You’re not wrong,” she said quickly.“He deserves to be punished.”
“What?”Holly asked, confused.At least she’d stopped advancing toward Mannix.
“Jason,” Jessie said, trying to adopt the most chummy, empathetic tone she could muster under the circumstances.“We know all about his history.It’s even worse than you think.And it’s time that he faces the music.But this isn’t the way.”
Holly seemed torn, but when she replied, Jessie realized that she was mistaken.The woman was less conflicted than curious.
“What do you mean, it’s worse than I think?”
Jessie took another step forward, dodging the still-writhing body of Carl Webb on the floor beside her.The weight of the gun in her hands was making her left shoulder start to ache much more than it had when she’d been simply lifting a bagel sandwich to her mouth on the jet earlier.She wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep it trained on Holly.
“Those women you killed.They weren’t even his real wives, Holly.He created fake marriage certificates and everything.They all thought they were ‘the one,’ but none of them were.”
Holly didn’t look soothed by that detail.“All the more reason that he should die.”
She took another step toward Mannix, who pressed his back into the far corner of the couch.
“No!Don’t you see?”Jessie hurriedly said.“That’s the easy way out for a guy like this.He deserves far worse than that.”
Holly stopped and turned around again."What do you mean?"
"Think about it.For a guy like Jason Mannix, everything depends on his ability to charm.I've experienced it first-hand as well.He's got the looks.Add to that the charisma emanating from him, and it's hard to resist.But we both know it's all a front.And now the rest of the world will too, assuming you let him live."
“How will people know?”Holly demanded.
“He’s committed crimes, Holly,” Jessie told her.“Each of those women was deceived.They made financial decisions about their future based on false assumptions he created.He defrauded all of them.But with what we know now, there won’t be any more gallivanting across the state, tricking unsuspecting women like you and who knows how many others.His face will be plastered all over the news, and not in a good way.He’s going to trial.And after that, he’s going to prison.And while he’s there, I’m guessing that a pretty boy like him might end up being someone else’s wife on the inside.”
That made Holly grin slightly, despite the circumstances.She seemed to have softened just a bit.Jessie kept going.
“But if you kill him, none of that’s possible.He’ll go down as a victim.And I know you don’t want that.You deserve to get your sayandhave people listen.”
“What does that mean?”
“I mean, if you kill him, no one will care what you say about him.But if you let him live, if you show mercy, the public will be fascinated.And they’ll want to hear your story.You’ll be able to get on the witness stand and talk about how he manipulated you, a vulnerable young woman who thought she’d found love.Despite your crimes, you’ll be viewed as the victim and he’ll be the perpetrator.”
She could tell from Holly’s half-smile that she liked that idea so she pressed her advantage, especially since her shoulder had gone from aching to throbbing.The weight of the gun was now becoming almost unbearable in her hands.
“But that’s only possible if you drop the knife and let me take you into custody.If we do that, you have a say in your future.But in a weird way, if you kill him, he wins.What do you say, Holly?Let me help you change the narrative.”
The young woman stood there, knife in hand, pondering the offer.
“You promise that you can make all that happen?”
Jessie wanted to just say “yes” but she knew better.
“If I promised that, I’d be as bad as Jason.I can’t guarantee what’s going to happen.But what Icanpromise is that I’ll do everything I can to show the world what Jason Mannix is really like, and share what he did to you.I won’t just dump you like he did.”
Holly stared at her for several seconds before finally responding.
“I believe you,” she said quietly.
Then she dropped the knife.
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
“So, it worked?”Ryan asked as he waited at the last traffic light between him and their house.
