For what felt like an eternity—but was really only a few seconds, if that—Mac’s mind raced through the events leading up to this moment.
From when she’d first received the pictures and threat against Coop, to her uncle’s staged death, and Luca’s real murder…to now.
It had all been part of his plan.
“What the fuck?” Coop’s stunned voice broke the macabre spell.
Mac’s eyes shot to his before sliding to Henry’s. “You set this whole thing up from the beginning, didn’t you?”
Henry turned the gun on her. “Tony always did have a habit of underestimating me.”
“But he was your friend.”
“He was a murdering SOB who didn’t give two shits about me or anyone else. He was never going to let me walk away with half the money. I knew that even before Luca brought me in on the plan.”
“Is this because of the debt?”
His eyes answered the question before he’d even begun to talk. “I trusted the wrong people. Dug a hole with some bad investments, and then tried to gamble my way out. When the feds began closing in on Tony, he came up with the idea to fake his own death. Told me about the two million you’d taken from him and said if I helped him, we could split it.”
“How did he know?” Mac hadn’t had the chance to ask her uncle that yet. Now she never would.
“About you?” Henry’s shoulders shook. “You disappeared the same time as the cash. Didn’t take a genius to figure that part out. However, it did take him a while to track you down. With Luca’s help and a lot of exchanged money and favors, he finally figured out where you’d been hiding all these years.”
“Why didn’t he come after me as soon as he knew?”
“Your uncle may have been stubborn, but he wasn’t stupid.” Henry looked down at Tony’s body and back up to her. “Well, he had his moments, I guess. Anyway, he sat on it for a while. Said he was saving you for a rainy day.”
“The FBI investigation?”
Henry nodded. “When I gave him the bad news, that even I couldn’t see a way out of him going to prison this time, he looked me square in the eye and said, ‘Looks like it’s gonna start raining’. Can you believe that?” He chuckled. “Crazy bastard.”
“That’s when he came up with the plan to stage his death, and you came up with the plan to kill him and take the money for yourself.”
“Seemed like a good idea to me. Everyone already thought he was dead.” The guy shrugged. “Now he is.”
Mac shook her head, struggling to process what she was hearing. It was as if the entire world as she knew it had gone mad while she wasn’t looking.
Tears pricked the corners of her eyes knowing what would come next. “What are you going to do to us, Henry?”
“I always liked you. You were a sweet kid who got a raw deal.”
Liked, as in past tense.
With resignation in her voice, Mac prayed Henry would grant her one, final request.
“I liked you, too, Henry.” She didn’t have to fake the tear trailing down her face. “Before you kill us…” Her voice broke, and she had to clear her throat before continuing on. “Can I please take a second to say goodbye?” Mac glanced at Coop, the tears she saw there nearly breaking her. “Please.”
“Well”—Henry considered her request—“you’ve been searched and he’s certainly no threat. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to give you a moment together.”
“Thank you.”
To Paul, he said, “Let her go, but keep your gun on her.” Speaking to Mac again, Henry told her, “We’ll both be right by your side. You try anything funny, we’ll shoot your boyfriend first while you watch.”
With a tip of his head, Henry signaled the other man to loosen his hold. His arms dropped away, and Mac let out a breath as she made her way across the room.
Schooling her expression, she kept her eyes locked on Coop’s the entire way, stopping inches from where he sat.
“I must look a mess.” She ran a hand over her hair, smoothing the top of her head before trailing down the length of her ponytail. “Kind of sucks knowing this is the last image of me you’ll see.”
