He nods slowly.
‘Yeah. Guess I should have.’
‘Now take three steps away from Mia.’ I gesture with the gun. ‘Then lie face down on the floor with your hands behind your back.’
He shakes his head.
‘I can’t let you go, Ellen.’
‘I know how to use one of these.’
‘I believe you.’
He takes a step towards me. I lower the gun to his leg.
‘You asked me why I didn’t make a run for it earlier?’ I indicate the sliding door to the balcony. ‘It’s because I had to be sure we could both get away. I knew you’d catch us if I couldn’t slow you down.’
‘Us?’
‘Me and the baby.’
‘You’re not going anywhere.’
‘But now Icanslow you down.’ I take aim at his kneecap. ‘In fact, you’ll probably limp for the rest of your life.’
‘You won’t do it.’
‘Lie down on the floor,’ I say, fighting a tremor at the edge of my voice. ‘I’m not going to ask you again.’
‘Ellen, there’s a lot going on that you don’t know.’
‘I know that Mia and I are leaving this place, one way or another.’
He studies me for a moment.
‘Have you ever shot anyone before?’
‘You’re going to be the first.’
He shakes his head, his hooded eyes never leaving mine.
‘You’re not going to shoot me.’
‘You know, it’s a funny thing,’ I say, ‘but wherever I go in life, there always seems to be a man who wants to tell me what I can and can’t do.’
He takes another step towards me.
‘Two types of people in this world, Ellen.’ He spreads his hands. ‘Those who could shoot someone and those who couldn’t, and you’re definitely in the—’
I steady my aim and squeeze the trigger.
12
I brace myself for the recoil, tensing my forearm against the kick.
But there is only a dull, lifelessclickas the hammer falls.
Our eyes lock for half a second as I rack the slide back with my left hand to put a bullet in the chamber. Pull the trigger again.
