Get your vest!The voice inside his head that had guided him so many times in his life screamed at him now.
He hated wasting precious time to put his bulletproof vest on because Jessie could be bleeding to death.
Robert took a deep breath. He needed to be smart about this and do this by the book, not with his heart. As badly as he wanted to race in and save Jessie, he wouldn’t be any good to her if he got shot.
He watched the window of unit twenty-three as he darted to the back of his vehicle. He pulled his vest from the SUV and strapped it on. He checked his firearm to ensure it was loaded with the safety off.
He sent a prayer heavenward as he approached the door of room twenty-three.Please don’t let me be too late.
Robert attempted to get a look inside through the window, but the curtains were closed too tightly. He deliberated whether to knock and announce himself or to kick the door in. Would announcing himself give Pendleton the opportunity to hurt or kill Jessie? Provided he wasn’t already too late.
A vice tightened around his heart.I can’t lose her again.
A woman screamed on the other side of the door, and Robert’s heart thundered in his chest.
He braced himself, back to the door, and kicked with the force of a wild stallion. Spinning, he pulled his gun from its holster and stepped into the room, willing his eyes to adjust to the dim light inside.
A dark figure in the middle of the room swung toward him.
Jessie screamed just as Robert saw a bright flash and heard the deafening report of a gun. A sharp, searing pain tore into his left shoulder. Instinctively, he fired at the still shadowy figure, aiming at where the flash had been.
His own gun flashed, followed by a second flash from the shooter. The bullet hit Robert’s chest, knocking the breath from him and propelling him back.
He went down hard. His head struck the concrete, and dark, heavy shadows filled the edges of his vision.
* * *
“No!”Jessie screamed when Robert went down. Pain ripped through her chest at the horror of seeing him take a bullet.
I need to get to him.She put her hands on the filthy carpet to push herself upright.
Her fingers met the barrel of Patrick’s gun.
Patrick moaned and shifted.
Jessie’s fingers wrapped around the butt of the handgun, and she pushed herself upright until her back rested against the bed.
I won’t let him hurt me again.
Groaning, Patrick staggered to his feet. A dark red stain discolored his hoodie high on his left shoulder. His eyes frantically searched for the gun. He froze when he spotted it in Jessie’s hand, his eyes widening. Then, as though he’d flipped a switch, he smiled and turned pleading, puppy-dog eyes on her.
She used to think he was cute when he did that while they were dating. Now, it only sickened her. Because she recognized it for the manipulative ploy that it was.
“Give me the gun, Jessica.” His voice held only the slightest hesitation.
She swallowed hard. “No.”
The pleading expression turned to one of contrition. “Honey. I’m so sorry for hitting you. I promise I’ll never do it again.” He stepped closer.
“You’re right, you won’t. Because I won’t let you.” Jessie had heard his lies too many times before. She refused to be his punching bag any longer. She raised the gun a little, and he stopped advancing.
Disbelief flashed across his face before turning to rage. His cheeks turned red, and the veins on his forehead bulged. “The little mouse finds herself a new man and starts painting again, and now suddenly she’s full of confidence? Too bad the sheriff only wants you for your body.”
He pulled the lamp off the desk and yanked the cord from the wall in one fluid motion. It took him only a second to dispose of the bulky shade. “If he really cared about you, he wouldn’t have abandoned you at that ranch. I guess it doesn’t matter now though, does it? Since I killed him.”
Jessie’s eyes burned with unshed tears as a piercing ache consumed her chest. She wouldn’t fall for Patrick’s mind games again. Everything Robert had done, he’d done because he loved her. He knew what Jessie needed better than she did, and he’d given it to her. The Double Diamond was exactly where she’d needed to be these last few months.
Patrick loomed over her, sneering and threatening. “You’re too gutless. You’d never dare pull the trigger.” He raised the lamp above his head. “You’re just a worthless piece of—”
