“I said, step away from her.” He points the gun at Jacob's head.
“Do what he says, please,” I say to Jacob. “He won’t hurt me.”
Michael gestures for me to come to him. I agonize for a second, but then move to stand beside him. He wraps his arm around my waist. He keeps the gun on Jacob, talking fast. “It was him all the time, Jess, don’t you see? He was the one sending you the messages. He was the one who took the pictures. He wanted you to be afraid so he could be your hero. He’s been trying to get between us from the very beginning. He asked me to come here tonight, so he could get rid of me. He knew you’d never stay with him as long as I was around. You believe me, don’t you?”
I turn around to face him, look into those beautiful green eyes and understand he’s giving me a kind of twisted confession.
“Yes,” I answer.
“I did all of it for you, so we could be together. I love you, Jess.”
I try not to choke on the words, “I love you too, Michael.”
“That’s what I was waiting for.” He pulls the trigger.
Jacob
The gunshot reverberates through my head. I stumble, step toward her, and fall forward. Something warm drips from the side of my face.
She’s screaming my name, but her voice is far away, under water.
His voice. “Turns out I had the courage after all.”
Another gunshot.
“Me too.”
She’s on the floor beside me. I reach for her hand.
“It’s better this way.”
eighty-two
Jess : The Ties that Bind
I’m shaking, my teeth rattling inside my head. I pull the scratchy blanket someone finally gave me around my shoulders, but it doesn’t help. The orange jumpsuit is too thin. They took my clothes. They were covered in his blood. I did everything I could to stop it. I used all the training I had from the ER, but it just kept coming.
The police arrived just a few minutes after I shot Michael. If I had waited a little longer, if I had somehow kept him talking…if I hadn't taken the gun out of the safe…but I can’t think about that now.
I don't even know if Jacob is alive or dead. I only know this is my fault.
My lawyer said as much in our brief meeting. “If you’re lucky, this will go down as manslaughter, but it doesn’t look good, especially considering your prior experience.”
I could only nod to him and to the judge when he set my bail.
Whatever happens to me, I deserve it. Maybe not for killing Michael, but for all the mistakes along the way. The worst one was letting him get to Jacob.
A jail matron comes to the door. “Your bail has been posted,” she says.
I follow her out. Mom and Dad must have come from their cruise and paid a lot of money they couldn’t afford to get me out. I destroyed their anniversary too.
The woman in the foyer of the jail looks vaguely familiar. Her face is drawn and pale, her eyes are a deep emerald green. I look up in surprise as Karen, Michael’s oldest sister, hands me a bundle of clothes. “Get changed. I’ll give you a ride to the hospital.”
I can only nod. I don’t know what she plans to do with me, but if whatever inspired her to post my bail gives me the chance to see Jacob, I’ll take whatever punishment she has in mind.
She doesn’t speak again until we’re in her car. “How are you doing?” She asks.
I shake my head.
