Eli started toward Vivian, hands open, gun lowered. “Vivian, you need to give me the weapon. No one else needs to get hurt.”
But she backed away, her eyes wild as she moved to the far side of the room, her gun still fixed on Lawrence.
“Stay away from me!” Vivian snapped. “He’s not going to get away with this. He’s been trying to ruin my life for years. He wants me dead.”
Ava’s voice cracked through the rising chaos. “Mom, I wasn’t lured here. I came to see Jason.”
Vivian’s breathing hitched, her eyes darting between her daughter and the boy still shielding her.
“The man you shot,” Ava added, “he was a medical assistant from Hale’s place. He arranged it. I thought it was weird, but I wanted to see Jason.”
Jason looked at her, startled. “I thought you arranged it.”
Vivian’s grip on the gun tightened. “No. No, he did this,” she shouted, pointing at her father. “He’s behind it. Arrest him! He’s the one who should be locked away.”
Eli felt the air go razor-sharp around them. No one moved. Not yet.
Not with Vivian still holding the weapon and rage trembling in every inch of her.
Eli swept his gaze across the room, pulse pounding. Ava was still crouched behind Jason, wide-eyed and pale. Vivian looked like a live wire, her arm shaking under the weight of the still raised gun. Lawrence stood stiff and defiant, his mouth twisted in contempt.
He wanted answers. He wanted to understand what the hell had really happened here, how Ava and Jason had both been manipulated, who had brought the medical assistant in, and what Lawrence had planned. He opened his mouth to speak—
The back door slammed open.
Everyone turned at once.
Dr. Hale stumbled inside, soaked from the rain and panting hard, eyes wide behind foggy glasses.
He didn’t get a word out.
Because Vivian fired.
And the gunshot cracked through the room.
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Chapter Nineteen
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Hale dropped hard, blood blooming across his shoulder as he crumpled to the floor with a groan.
Delaney didn’t hesitate. With her heart racing and adrenaline pumping, she charged at Vivian. The woman was wild with fury. Her grip stayed tight on the gun as she turned.
Too fast.
Delaney slammed into her, trying to knock the weapon free. Behind them, Lawrence shouted and cursed. His voice rose above the chaos like a storm breaking loose.
Ava screamed. And screamed. And screamed. The sound ripping through the room and only adding to the nightmarish chaos.
Vivian twisted, her elbow driving into Delaney’s injured arm. Pain shot through her, sharp and burning. So sharp that it watered her eyes and robbed her of most of her breath. Still, Delaney gritted her teeth, shoved down the painand held on. She wrapped both arms around Vivian and dragged her to the floor.
The woman’s gun clattered out of reach.
Vivian kicked and cried out, her voice raw, “They both need to die. You don’t understand. They ruined everything.”
“I’ve got her,” Eli said, dropping beside Delaney. He grabbed Vivian’s wrists and helped pin her to the ground.
