Her stomach heaved. “No,” she croaked.
“Shoot.” Gary shut the closet door. “I killed Candy because she was yet another nosy bitch, like you, and she deserved to die. Like you,” he added, almost as an afterthought.
“What about Theresa Rhodes? You must understand love.”
He chuckled. “Love? No. Her mind impresses me, and she has a hell of a body as well as excellent contacts in the heroin trade.” His gaze darkened. “Unfortunately, she’s smart enough to have planted evidence that will hang me if she’s ever harmed. Guess she thought I might kill her at some point.”
Now that was terrifying. Dana tried again. “You must feel something for her.”
“Sure, but she makes stupid mistakes.” He shrugged. “Or maybe just untrained ones.”
Dana swallowed. “Like hiring those two guys to shoot at me after the Captive party or hiring the two gangbangers to take me out after I identified my friend’s body?” Her stomach lurched.
Approval filled Gary’s eyes. “You are smart. Yeah. Hiring any of those morons was a stupid move, as was drugging both you and Wolfe. I made her regret those actions, if that helps. Well, for a while, anyway.” He clapped his hands together. “She called off the gang hit afterward, not that that matters any longer. Let’s go back into the living room. The couch is a good cream color that will soak up blood nicely.” He reached for her hands.
She jumped up, striking the pen up into his jaw, using her legs for power. As the pen sank in, Gary stepped back, his eyes widening. Turning, she lunged through the doorway, going for a knife in the kitchen.
He caught her by the hair, yanking her back and throwing her against the wall. She impacted with her shoulder. The pen was still in his neck. She scrambled to her feet, her body shaking. He laughed and pulled the pen free, spurting blood. “I’m going to stab you with this, too.” He grabbed her by the neck and threw her into the living room.
She landed on the sofa and bounced, turning and scrambling away from him, her back to the sofa’s arm.
He pulled the knife from its sheath, blood dripping from his jaw.
She fell off the sofa, crawled around the coffee table, and backed away. Something shattered in the master bath.
Wolfe!
Gary must’ve realized at the same time. He jerked and lifted the knife, rushing at her, aiming for her neck.
* * *
Wolfe dropped from the skylight in the master bath, and his knife sheath hit the mirror, cracking it loudly. Damn it. He bunched his body and exploded through the bedroom, skidding into the living room as Gary rushed at Dana. He kicked off the wall and leaped to intercept him, shoving his hand between her neck and the knife.
The blade cut into Wolfe’s palm, going through.
In one smooth motion, he twisted and pushed Dana out of the way. “Get out of here,” he ordered, throwing his free elbow at Gary’s head.
Gary yanked the knife free, and Wolfe hissed in pain as blood spurted from his hand. The phone was connected to his vest, and he leaned down to yell at Force. “Breach now.”
“No,” Dana cried, waving her hands. “Don’t breach.”
“Stand down,” Wolfe ordered.
Gary punched him in the neck, and he saw stars. Grunting, he ducked his head and charged the asshole, hitting his midsection and lifting him. They came down hard, smashing the coffee table into bits of wood and glass. “Dana, get out of here,” Wolfe yelled, punching and trying to block hits, rolling to the side and coming up on his feet.
“The place is wired. Every window and exit,” she yelled, her bound hands waving wildly.
“Except the damn skylight,” Gary bellowed. “You dick.”
He had to stop the team. “We’re wired. Got that?” Wolfe said into the phone.
“Affirmative,” Force said. “You got this?”
“Yeah.” Wolfe’s left hand might never recover, and his strength was ebbing, but he wasn’t going to let Dana down. He feinted and then kicked Gary in the face. Blood was already flowing from his neck, or rather, from beneath his jaw. “You okay, Dana?” Gary stabbed at him, and he blocked with his forearm to the handle, bending down to release his own knife.
“Yes.” She ran into the kitchen and fumbled in some drawers. “Roscoe was shot. We have to get out of here.”
Gary’s eyes gleamed. “I guess it does come down to you and me.” He twisted the weapon around in a reverse knife grip technique with the blade in. “I’m gonna kill you and then take my time with her.”
