She dove for the gun.
Tyler shoved her as Edi’s fingers closed on it. Edi grabbed his leg—the wounded one—and Tyler’s face went white as he went down hard. Then they were rolling across the floor, a tangle of limbs and violence.
Brooke’s hands were shaking, but she forced herself to move. The lamp had shattered when she’d hit Edi with it. She looked around wildly and spotted the heavy brass candleholder on the mantel.
Brooke brought the candleholder down as hard as she could on Edi’s back.
Edi screamed, and Brooke hit her again, this time across the arm with a resounding crack.
“You broke my arm, you—”
Brooke swung the candleholder, catching Edi in the stomach. She made anoomphsound.
As Brooke drew back, ready to strike again, Tyler said, “Don’t move, Edi. Brooke, take a step back, honey. I’ve got the gun.”
Sirens wailed outside, growing louder and closer as Brooke took several steps back, away from the injured woman.
Edi whimpered, and the sobs followed. “Just shoot me,” she whispered through her tears. “Shoot me and get it over with.”
“Not happening, Edi,” Tyler said. “You’re going to get the help you need.”
“Help?” She shook her head. “I don’t need help. I need you, Tyler. You’ve always been the one. We can still be together.”
“Police!” The call came from the front door.
“We’re here!” Brooke called.
Adam stepped in first, gun trained ahead, the others fanning out behind him.
“This is the sheriff’s department and Irma Police! Nobody move!”
“It’s over,” Tyler said as the gun clattered to the floor. His hands shot up.
Brooke dropped the candlestick and mirrored him.
Adam spoke into the radio on his collar. “Scene secure. Send two buses.”
“Let’s get you to the couch,” Adam said to Tyler. “She shot you?”
“Yeah.” Tyler nodded. “Not bad, I don’t think.”
Tyler sank onto the couch as the deputies checked Edi for injuries. One of them confirmed her arm was broken, so they didn’t cuff her, but they still helped her to her feet. “We’ll take her outside,” the city officer said.
The wail of approaching sirens made it clear that at least one ambulance was on its way.
“I’m sorry,” Adam said to Tyler. “I was so sure it was you. So certain. I missed everything.”
Tyler nodded and looked like he was going to say something, but the EMTs came into the house, and everything became a new kind of chaos.
One of them led Brooke to a chair and started questioning her about her injuries. “I’m not hurt,” sheinsisted. Her voice was odd. Shaky. Her hands were shaking too.
Within a few minutes, they had Tyler on the gurney, and the EMT was walking alongside Brooke as they all headed toward the ambulance.
“It’s best to get you checked out,” the EMT said. “We’ll make sure you don’t go into shock.”
Inside the back of the ambulance, Brooke sat on the bench with a blanket pulled tight around her. One of the EMTs was taking care of Tyler while he lay on the gurney.
She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “It’s really over,” she whispered.
