Relief almost suffocated him. She was okay. Another gun had been aimed at her, but she was okay.
CHAPTER 32
Bonnie stood to the side of the gym, arms wrapped tightly around her waist. There was so much going on. Paramedics were with Damien, and more had run to the storage room for Stetson. Jesse was there and his deputy was cuffing Maisie.
Maisie. She’d pulled a gun on them but then shot Damien. Bonnie didn’t know what to think. Damien had obviously been an abusive ass of a husband. But Maisie’s participation today could easily have gotten her and Zane killed. She’d forced them out into the open, where Damien could have shot them at any second.
Zane’s arm tightened around her waist as deputies passed her with Maisie in cuffs.
Maisie’s cheeks were wet, and when she looked at Bonnie, more tears spilled from her eyes. “Bonnie. I…I’m sorry. He made me do it. He… I was scared. Our marriage was a mess. I thought I didn’t have a choice.”
“Come on.” The deputy tugged her out of the gym.
“What are you thinking?” Zane asked gently once Maisie was gone.
“I’m not sure. A part of me feels so angry at her, but another part just feels sorry for her.” She lifted a shoulder. “I’m glad it’s over but…I wasn’t expecting it to be Damien. And even if I was, I didn’t think he’d go so far as to try to kill me. Us.”
“Greed. It makes people do unthinkable things.”
She nodded almost absently. “You’re right. It just makes me so angry.”
The paramedics came out of the hall with Stetson on a stretcher. Zane straightened. “If I go talk to the paramedics, will you be—”
“I’m fine. Go.”
He kissed her head before following the paramedics out. A second later, Indie rushed into the gym, Noah behind her.
Her sister pulled her into a hug. “Oh my God, Bonnie!” She pulled back, still gripping her shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“I’m not hurt.”
Noah wrapped his arms around her next. It was a tight hug. One of those all-encompassing embraces. He didn’t speak until he moved back. “What happened?”
“It was Damien. He was the one harassing me. He was afraid his parents would find out Maisie had slept with Dean the night he died. Also, that she called Damien to pick up his brother, and he didn’t.”
Indie frowned. “Maisie and Dean slept together the night of the graduation party?”
“Yeah. I found them together. It’s the reason I fought with him and left.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Noah asked, shock clear on his face.
She lifted a shoulder. “At the time it seemed inappropriate. Dean had just died, and I fell apart. Then Mom and Dad were in that crash. It all felt like too much for me, and I just had to leave. And when I got back—I don’t know. Maisie hadn’t said anythingand I didn’t either. Maybe deep down I didn’t want anyone, not even her, to go through what I was going through.”
“Was she working with Damien?” Indie asked.
“I think Damien coerced her. Then she was the one who shot him.” In a way, she’d saved them. But she’d also put them in the situation where they’d needed saving.
Noah glanced at the ambulance through the gym window before turning back to her. “Thank fuck they have him.”
“And maybe we can finally move on now,” she added quietly, almost scared to feel hopeful. “Not just from the danger, but maybe the town will finally leave me alone.”
Noah slipped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “You deserve peace, Bon.”
Indie rubbed her back. “You really do.”
The next hour went slowly. She spoke to a couple of deputies and so did Zane. They both gave their version of events. She learned from Zane that Maisie had been caught in the storage room a few weeks ago, which was likely when she’d left the box. He’d said that because the place had been closed for a while, and they had the equipment boxes on the gym floor, they hadn’t gone in there often enough to see it. Plus, it was in a brown box like a whole lot of other stuff. It had just been another means for Damien to torture Bonnie out of town.
When it was finally time to leave, Zane slipped an arm around her waist. “Ready to go?”
