“I’m fine,” Kate sobbed, “it was my arm.”
More shots rang out from Danielle, who fired a small silver pistol. Grant hit the floor, praying Danielle wouldn’t shoot Kate again.
Her attention was briefly diverted as Gus ran at Danielle, teeth snapping, and latched himself on her ankle. Grant somehow managed to wrest the pistol out from under his vest, then he took aim at Danielle and Luigi. He thought he hit one of them, but he wasn’t sure. Danielle grabbed the dog and the hard drive. Luigi, clutching his bleeding neck, jumped into the truck while Alan revved the engine. Grant aimed at where he thought the driver would be and shot. It was hard with his hands cuffed. He heard a man scream, and the van lurched forward, speeding down the service drive.
“No!” Grant shouted. “Gus!”
He shot after the car, but there was no way he could catch it. Gus was gone, just like Brendan, and Kate was wounded. Why did this always happen to him? He watched in shock as the truck sped away.
Suddenly, he heard the squeal of brakes. There was a series of gunshots. It sounded as if it was coming from a high-powered rifle, and Grant flung himself on top of Kate.
He heard a car door open then slam shut and the crunch of gravel under boots. A masked man came around the side of the van. Grant tried to steady his pistol up and aim. He had one more shot left.
The man pulled off his mask.
“Uncle Jack,” Grant said in relief.
“You are in so much trouble,” Jack told him.
“Honestly, I’ve never done anything more satisfying than shooting that woman in the face,” Jack said to him later in the hospital.
From her hospital bed, Kate had somehow gotten her hands on her phone and was busy fielding calls from the media, Walter, and the lawyers. Several men in suits came by to tell Grant and Jack not to say anything.
As the lawyers arranged themselves around Grant’s bedside, the detective assigned to the case came in.
“We’re waiting on the medical examiner’s report, but somehow, three people were shot and killed fleeing a crime scene,” the detective said around the toothpick he was chewing.
“This is America,” Jack said. “A man can’t save his own nephew?”
The detective tapped his notebook against his thigh as Jack pressed on.
“They started it. They kidnapped my nephew and a nice young woman from a good family. Who’s really at fault here?”
“God help me,” muttered one of the lawyers. “Stop talking,” he snapped at Jack.
The detective grinned, showing a chipped tooth. “You’re in the clear, Mr. Holbrook and Mr. Holbrook,” he said, nodding at Grant. “Open-and-shut case of they-had-it-coming. I don’t think anyone in the DA’s office or the police force is going to look any further.”
Jack smiled broadly.
“Look,” the detective said, “man to man? I was there that night the house burned. I still have nightmares about it. You were doing the Lord’s work.” He shook Jack’s hand and clapped Grant lightly on his shoulder.
Bending down and looking into his eyes, the detective said, “You need to rethink your life, son. It’s not good to keep looking for trouble like that. You’re not in your early twenties. Find a nice girl and settle down.”
“Yes, sir,” Grant replied. He thought about Kate. How could he have let someone hurt her? He should have looked for her sooner. Now that the sharp pain in his arm was subsiding, the guilt and self-loathing bubbled up.
“I’ll try to stop by the funeral. I’m sure I’ll see you there,” the detective said as he left.
“Funeral?” Grant asked, confused.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Jack said. “Danielle is still technically married to Walter. We can’t just dump her in the river.”
Chapter 63
Kate
A few days after leaving the hospital, Kate was still recovering from being shot. It had hurt a lot more than it seemed in movies. Her ears were still ringing, and her whole body felt stiff and achy. Even though Walter had told her to take it easy, she felt as though she needed to do something.
Grant wouldn’t respond to her texts. She focused on trying to convince the police to release Grant’s watch. Maybe that would cheer him up. The day the police finally let her come down to the station and claim it, she hurried over there. After a long wait, she had the watch in hand and took it over to the Holbrook estate.
