Damien bent and grabbed Zane’s Glock, then slipped it into a holster.
“I’m sorry.”
Zane frowned, not sure if he’d really heard the apology beneath Maisie’s breath or not.
“Why?” Zane growled, not sure which one he was talking to. “What do we even have to do with you?”
Damien laughed. “Everything. The second this bitch came back to this town, it put a ticking time bomb on how long until the truth came out about the night my brother died. I can’t have that.”
“Really?” Bonnie said. “All this to keep people from knowing Maisie slept with Dean?”
“You think I want my family, the entire fuckingtown, knowing that my wife’s a goddamn whore? Do you know what that would do to my reputation?” Damien shook his head. “And more than that, what it would do to my parents? If they knew Maisie slept with Dean the night he died, and that’s why you left him behind? Then they’d inevitably find out that Maisie called me to pick him up, but I didn’t because I was too busy getting high. They’d cut us both out of the Will.”
Bonnie’s head reared back as if she’d been slapped. “She called you?”
“You saw her on the damn phone that night,” Damien yelled. “She told me you saw her. And now my darling wife feels bad that my parents and the entire town are beingmeanto you, and she wants to tell everyone the truth.”
“And that’s worth killing over?” Zane asked, incredulous.
Damien turned back to him. “Do you know what my parents are worth? You really think I’d risk them cutting me out because my wife can’t keep her legs closed and I didn’t pick up my cheating fucking brother that night? Because theywouldcut me out. They always loved that dumbass more than me.”
“So we just don’t tell anyone,” Bonnie said quietly.
“Tried that. Caught Maisie sneaking out last night. Took a bit of convincing, but she eventually admitted that she was going to tell my parents everything. Decided I can’t trust her until I get rid of you.”
“How do you know you can trust her when Bonnie’s gone?” Zane asked.
“You know the saying…out of sight, out of mind. Plus, there are always consequences for bad behavior—aren’t there, honey?”
Zane shot a glance at Maisie. There was a mix of emotions on her face. Fear. Sadness.
But also a hint of anger.
“All right, let’s get this over with. Maisie, you’ve got Bonnie. I’ve got Zane.” Damien’s smile widened. “Then shereallywon’t say anything, because she’ll have blood on her hands.”
Zane eyed Damien’s gun, calculating how much time it would take him to reach it.
Too long.
He needed to target Maisie. Shove Bonnie to the floor, get the gun, and kill the fucker. It wasn’t optimal, but he was all out of good options. This was about survival.
“Any last words?” Damien asked, humor in his voice.
Zane’s muscles coiled, ready to act.
But before he could dive for Bonnie, Maisie swung her gun away from Bonnie’s head and fired.
The bullet hit Damien in the gut.
Maisie gasped and stumbled back, like she couldn’t believe what she’d done. Zane lunged, grabbing Damien’s wrist and forcing the gun down.
Movement sounded behind him, and he prayed that Bonnie was safe.
Damien growled and tried to knee Zane, but he immobilized him easily, knocking him to the floor and flipping him to his stomach before squeezing his wrist so hard, the gun fell from his hold.
The crash of the front door opening rang out, then footsteps. Zane looked up to see Jesse entering, his deputies behind him.
Then he shifted his gaze to Bonnie. She now held the gun and Maisie was on the floor.
