“I haven’t hurt her, and I don’t plan to. As long as you cooperate. I simply added a little something to her supply of tea bags to make her more compliant, then gave her something stronger to help her relax even more. It’ll be a while before she’s awake again. Long enough for me to deal with you.”
“What do you have against me?”
“It’s nothing personal, you understand.” Frank’s face looked like he swallowed lemons. “You two ruined everything by getting married. I need to remedy that.”
“You’re going to force her to divorce me?” Theo knew that wasn’t the plan, but he needed to buy time.
“No, I need to kill you. It has to look like an accident.”
Taking in a deep breath, Theo said, “I don’t think a gunshot wound will be anyone’s idea of an accident.”
Frank scowled. “Which is why I’m not going to use the gun to kill you.” He took a few backward steps and lifted a long wooden object from beside the bed. “Sit in that chair over there.”
“You want me to sit here while you bash my skull in with a baseball bat?” Theo laughed. “I don’t think so.”
Frank looked nervously around the room, then waved the gun at him. “Fine. I’ll simply shoot you, then dig the bullet out. When I throw you in the ocean, the wound will attract all sorts of fish to feed, and there won’t be much left of you to figure out cause of death.”
Before Theo could make a move, Frank lifted the gun higher. The colorful blanket behind the man flew off as he squeezed the trigger. Chelsea pushed at the gun as it went off, and Frank reared back. Theo ran forward, throwing himself at the angry man.
“Get out of here, Chelsea,” Theo shouted as he and Frank struggled, falling into the table, The candle crashed to the floor, snuffing out the light.
Reaching out, Theo attempted to grab the gun but only managed some part of Frank’s clothing. Glass from the broken jar candle cut into his arm as they rolled on the floor. The gun went off again right near Theo’s head, deafening him for a few seconds. Had Chelsea gotten out yet?
He pounded his fist into the dark, hitting something soft. A grunt told him he’d hit his mark. Where was the gun?
“Get off me,” Frank growled, and a hard metallic object impacted the side of Theo’s skull.
His head spun, but he dove back into the fray, his eyes finally adjusting to the dark. He could make out a figure moving near him and grabbed for it. It was Frank’s arm. Wrenching it, he managed to swing his arm around the man’s neck and hold tight. Frank struggled and twisted, attempting to break free, but Theo held on. Needed to give Chelsea time to get away. There wasn’t any other sound in the room, so she must have escaped. How much longer until his friends found them?
One of Frank’s arms swung back, hitting him in the head while the other waved around wildly. The weapon fired again, causing a burn to slash through Theo’s side. His hold loosened, but he didn’t let go.
The door splintered open, and the beam of two flashlights cut across the room.
“Police! Hold it right there.”
Perfect timing. The ache in his side started to burn, and the drum in his head began a solo.
Frank lifted his weapon, but when he saw not two but four men with flashlights, all with guns pointed his way, he finally dropped his.
“Chelsea?” Theo yelled. Rico stepped aside while Aiden and one of his deputies cuffed Frank. “Did you get her outside?”
Panic warped Rico’s face. “She didn’t come out.” His light flashed through the room as Theo climbed unsteadily to his feet. Bare feet poked out from behind the tossed table.
“Chelsea!” Theo rushed over, dragging his wife into his arms, waving for his friend to shine the flashlight their way. A pool of blood covered the floor where she’d been. Crimson seeped from a hole in her shirt near her shoulder and dripped down her arm to hands that were still tied together.
“She needs help,” Theo yelled, then pulled her closer to him, whispering in her ear. “Hold on, pixie. I’m here. You’ll be fine. You need to hold on. I’ve got you.”
Radios crackling and people talking nearby all faded into the background as he held the woman he loved, praying she’d be okay. His fingers felt along her neck, and he exhaled when her blood pulsed against the pressure.
“Let’s get her undone.” Rico knelt next to them and untied the rope from her hands. “Kim should be here with the ambulance any second.”
“Paramedics are here,” Aiden called out as Kim and her partner, Pete, rolled a stretcher into the dilapidated building. “Make sure to check Lapierre out, too. Looks like he took some hits.”
“I’m fine,” Theo said, attempting to stand once the paramedics lifted Chelsea to the stretcher. Rico held out his hand and helped stabilize him. “I’ll ride in the ambulance with her.”
When they got Chelsea in the ambulance, Rico patted him on the back. “I’ll check in on both of you once I’m sure Aiden’s all set here.”
“Can you call Angie? Let her know what’s going on.”
