Page 97 of Ultimate Justice

“Are you okay?” Noah was at her side, his hand on her back.

“Yeah.” For now. The plan she’d envisioned, when she’d willingly gone with John and Margaret, now seemed supremely more stupid than she’d imagined. No matter what happened next, there would be no regrets. No wondering if she’d done the right thing or the wrong thing. At least she’d taken action and done something.

The barest hint of voices in the distance filtered through the overhead vent. They could start screaming for help, but she was 100 percent certain nobody would come to their aid. If there was any chance of getting out of this mess, they’d have to do it on their own.

Hers was a life she wanted to live to the fullest, and she wasn’t about to sit on her ass and waste it.

Clearly, Evan hadn’t gotten her message. He might not be capable of loving her, but he was still a federal agent. More importantly, he was a man of courage and action. If he’d received her message, he would have been here by now. Why, oh why, hadn’t she left the address for the cop she’d tried to reach? Because she’d been too distraught at losing another child. She hadn’t even begun adoption proceedings, and already she thought of Noah as hers. Her son.

For the first time in ages, those two little words brought with them emotions other than pain and the grief she swore she’d never get over. Now they brought forth feelings of love, joy, and…despair. Despair she would never have the chance to help Noah become the wonderful man she knew he could be.

Recriminations wouldn’t help now. She found Noah’s hand and squeezed it, loving him all the more for asking if she was okay. Somehow, in all this mess, she’d come to love a lost, eleven-year-old boy. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.” His voice was laced with annoyance. “Just pissed off. Really pissed off.”

“I know what you mean.” She was pissed off, too. Her crappy plan could have been better.

From the other side of the door, keys jingled.

“Noah,” she whispered, getting to her feet and pulling him up with her, “we are not going to just sit here and take whatever’s coming without a fight. When that assho—” Remnants of her life counseling children kicked in at the oddest of times. “When Manello comes in, we’re going to take him down. Are you with me?” After all, what did they have to lose?

Just their lives.

“Hell, yeah,” Noah whispered, adding quickly, “and it’s okay to call Frank an asshole. He is an asshole.”

Marlie prayed she’d have the opportunity to work on Noah’s language. “Here’s what we’re going to do. I’ll stand off to the side of the doorway. You stand in front of it, so he can see you when he opens the door. When he does, start talking to him. Keep him distracted. The second he comes in, I’ll jump on him and try to get his gun away.” Did that really come out as dumb as it sounded?

The sound of a key being inserted into the padlock echoed like a brass band. Marlie’s heart pounded so loudly she worried Manello would hear it. She’d strategically positioned herself on the side of the door that would be closest to his right hand—his gun hand. The door would open outward. Once he came in, she wouldn’t be hidden from his peripheral vision. The only way this would work was if she acted fast.

Slowly, the door opened, creaking on its hinges. Dim light spilled inside, along with a burst of swirling snow. Manello’s foot was the first thing she saw. Then the muzzle of a gun.

“Yo, asshole,” Noah yelled.

Not exactly the words she’d wanted him to use on a man holding a gun, but whatever.

Manello stepped fully inside the shed, then started to turn his head.

Now or never!

She grabbed Manello’s wrist. Noah ran headfirst into his chest, shoving him backward and taking all of them out the door and falling to the dirt.

Marlie landed flat on her back. Air whooshed from her lungs, and she couldn’t breathe. She’d also had to let go of Manello. All she could do was wait for her lungs to refill.

Noah shot to his feet, then barreled into Manello, trying to knock him to the ground.

“Get off me, you little shit.” Still hanging on to the gun, he elbowed Noah in the ribs, shoving him away.

Before air had fully refilled her lungs, Marlie saw red. “You asshole,” she rasped, scrambling to her feet and lunging for Manello. “No one hurts my boy.”

Half a second before she got to him, he backhanded her in the face, nearly knocking her to the ground again. Pain stung her cheek. Her vision blurred, and she shook her head to clear it. When she turned back, the gun was pointed directly at her.

“Behave, or I’ll kill him.” He swung the gun to Noah, his face twisting with sordid glee.

She believed him. There wasn’t a shred of indecision in the man’s eyes. All she saw was evil. Pure evil.

“Let’s go,” he growled, flicking his wrist.

She grabbed Noah’s arm, trying to shove him behind her. “Where?”