She aimed the gun at his leg, and her hands shook as she pulled the trigger.
Norman fell to his side and gripped his leg with one hand while holding the trigger in the other.
“You’re a surprise.” He lay on the floor and lifted the detonator in his hand. “The other three were easy pickings when I shot them. You, on the other hand, I hadn’t counted on.”
“You shouldn’t have drunk my scotch.”
He chuckled. His body shook, and he immediately winced.
“You killed Eve.”
He lifted his brow. “I’m going to kill you too.”
“Why her?”
“I was working with her to try and tear that company apart from the inside out. I was one of the people feeding her the information to help bring those bastards down, and how does she fucking repay me? She admits to being a damn psychic and that you were the one who confirmed that working for the company was a bad decision.”
“Why Richard Grant? What was his part in all this?”
“He was an ex-cop turned private detective that she hired to get a first-hand look at what exactly was going on inside. She said she’d help him to make the other’s think he was legit.” Richard narrowed his eyes. “When she told me that Grant and she were both your clients, that’s when I realized there was a bigger infestation. Taking down the organization was going to be a piece of cake, but it wouldn’t stop the corruption. It wouldn’t stop your company from spreading its evil.”
“If Richard knew about the memory drive, why would he call me and ask where it was hidden? Your story doesn’t make sense.”
Norman grinned, his eyes sparkled. “I might have suggested that Ryker killed Eve in an attempt to stop her from outing his company, and Richard bought it. The dumb son of a bitch actually bought it.”
“And you think we’re evil? You need to look in the mirror, buddy. You have it written all over your ugly mug.” Harper held the gun steady, deciding what body part to shoot next. Which one wouldn’t have him pushing the button? She could only think of two: his head or his hand. He couldn’t push the button if he had no fingers. “Give me the remote.”
“Come get it,” he growled, trying to push himself to stand.
She didn’t think about her next action; she couldn’t. She aimed for his hand and pulled the trigger. Her eyes might have closed as she shot, but she’d never admit it. Not when she hit the target. The remote went flying across the room as blood exploded from his hand.
“You bitch.” He lowered his head and rammed it into her stomach. Her legs caught on the chair, tripping her and sending them both crashing to the ground. The force of his body, and the fall, stole the breath from her lungs. The chair had toppled over next to her and the gun flew from her hand. Norman was on top of her as she squirmed beneath him and rolled to her stomach, the stairs in her view. Blood dripped from his hand as he closed his other fingers around her neck. “It’s time for you to die.”
She reached for the gun. It was too far away. She struggled to breathe as shesquirmed beneath him. His body pinned her down. Her fingers closed around the chair. She grabbed it with both hands and rolled, bringing the force of the wooden chair against his head and knocking him off balance. The impact left him dazed and she struggled to her feet. The sirens were loud outside, the police calling from above.
“Down here.” She yelled louder, “We’re down here.” Hope welled up in her body as footsteps ran down the steps and officers appeared in the room. They held him at gunpoint, and Harper dropped to her knees letting the gun slip from her fingers. “There’s three with gunshot wounds. Two on the roof and one in an office on the third floor.”
Chapter Twelve
A monthand a half went by, and all three men recovered. The hidden computer drive was found, and it was Ryker, Eric, and Richard Grant’s faces splashed in the tabloids for everyone to see as the men were credited for leaking the corruption. A picture of Eve flashed on the TV, and Harper’s heart clenched. She was the reason Harper’s life had turned upside down. Eve had been a casualty, just like Harper. Norman was sitting in a psych ward recovering from his ordeal. The bomb squad had removed the bomb without incident, and Harper’s sisters….well, they were left dealing with questions from the media about their involvement.Did a spirit tell you? Was it apremonition? Who’s going to be the next president?
The phones were ringing off the hook now. Calls from TV producers and celebrities. One from a network that wanted to tell their story. It tripled their annual revenue in less than a month. Each day she spent dealing with the aftermath, and each night, Ryker found a delicious way to help her unwind.
Harper adjusted the Bluetooth in her ear. This day was a long time coming.
“What are you wearing?” Ryker asked into the headset, his voice as silky and smooth as the first day they’d spoken.
“A dress,” she answered and toyed with the satin between her fingers. “Did you sign the papers?”
“Yes. I kept my promise. The company is yours. Are you getting cold feet?”
She smiled at his question. For a hit man/mob boss/stripper, he sounded awfully unsure of himself. “I was just debating my options. A life with an unemployed, commando stripper wasn’t one I dreamed of as a little girl.”
“Don’t you mean treasure hunter? Is that better?”
“Well, when you put it that way,” she said with a smile. “I’ve got a treasure you can find.”
“I plan to spend a lifetime finding it over and over again. I love you, Harper.”
