And who was the dead man who’d been left in her house as it burned to the ground?Damien must have killed someone else, but she wondered why he’d bothered.It wasn’t as if the truth wouldn’t come out when the DNA results came back.
Maybe Damien planned to be far away by then.It was a bit of a relief to know she couldn’t be thrown in jail for killing a man who wasn’t dead.Although there was the minor issue of the embezzlement to consider, especially the way the money had been transferred through her personal bank account.
But that was something to worry about later.
Right now, they needed to find a way to disarm Damien so they could tie him up along with Nate and Phillip.
A woman slid out of the passenger seat to stand beside Damien.Bryn’s stomach knotted painfully as she recognized her.
Gwen.The moment she saw her colleague, it suddenly clicked in her brain where she’d heard Nate’s voice before.She remembered Gwen’s husband had called looking for her while Bryn was covering Gwen’s phone.Nate was Gwen’s husband.
And as Gwen stood close to Damien, also staring at the building with a wary gaze, Bryn realized her so-called friend had teamed up with Damien to pull this off without Richard being any the wiser.
Worse than that, though, was that Gwen held her gun like she knew how to use it.Two armed bad guys against her and Micah.Granted, Micah was a trained soldier, but she was pretty much useless as far as backing him up.
She gripped Micah’s arm tightly, wondering how he planned to get out of this mess.She didn’t dare make a sound, holding her breath as Damien and Gwen took cautious steps forward.In the back of her mind, she realized Micah was waiting for them to come close enough that he could see them better.
“Nate?”Gwen called her husband’s name.A muffled grunt was the only response.Gwen’s expression went from wary to concerned.
“Stop!Throw down your weapons,” Micah shouted.“I’ve got you both covered.Don’t make me shoot.”
Damien and Gwen both spun toward their location.Damien lifted his gun higher, clearly intending to shoot, but Micah was faster.He fired off two rounds in rapid succession.
Damien let out a hoarse cry and fell backward, clutching the upper portion of his chest, blood seeping through his fingers.His weapon dropped uselessly to the ground.Gwen screamed and fired wildly a second before she went down as well.It had all happened so fast that Bryn hadn’t been able to discern if Gwen had been hit or not.Knowing Micah, she had.
For long moments Micah didn’t move.Bryn realized she shouldn’t have been worried.Micah had this under control.
“Stay here,” Micah said, finally stepping out from behind the edge of the wall.“Get ready to run to the SUV if they try anything.”
She nodded, although she couldn’t imagine running and leaving him behind.She decided to make her presence known.
“I have a gun, and I am not afraid to use it!”She hoped the threat alone would be enough to keep Damien and Gwen from going after Micah.
Again, she needn’t have worried.Micah scooped up both weapons, then took a few steps back from their supine bodies.“Bryn?Call 911 again, request they send two ambulances to this location.”
“Okay.”She used her disposable phone to make the call as the surge of adrenaline that had coursed through her bloodstream slowly faded away, leaving her feeling shaky and exhausted.When the dispatcher answered her call, Bryn began to explain what was happening just as the shrill wail of sirens could be heard in the distance.
“Police officers are en route,” the dispatcher said calmly.
“Thanks, I can hear them now.But two people have been shot, so make sure you send another ambulance too.”
“Are you safe?”the dispatcher asked.
A wry smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she eyed Micah.“I am now.”Without waiting for the dispatcher to say anything more, she ended the call.
Safe.She was finally safe!Bryn sent up a silent prayer thanking God for watching over her and Micah, then she moved toward Damien and Gwen.
“Should we offer first aid?”She frowned as she noticed both Damien and Gwen had identical gunshot wounds to their upper chest on the same side as their dominant hand.Dazed, she realized Micah had purposefully aimed to wound, not kill.
Although she had no doubt he would have fired again to finish them off if needed.
“They’ll survive,” Micah said.
Her knees threatened to buckle, so she leaned against the SUV for support.Micah must have noticed because he stepped forward and drew her into his arms.
“You were amazing,” he whispered.
“Me?”Her voice came out as a hoarse croak.“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.And God’s grace.”
