Page 62

Marilyn darted for the door, but Jared just snagged an arm around her waist, then flung her against the wall like she was a rag doll. “So predictable. You’re always so predictable and stupid, Marilyn. It’s why you’ll always belong to me. You should be happy I even want to keep you.”

Marilyn seemed to almost collapse in on herself, wrapping her arms around the side of her head in a protective gesture. Bree didn’t know if it was physical or emotional protection or maybe both.

Bree stood up. She wasn’t going to sit and watch him batter her friend.

“You made me get a drop of blood on my wedding gown,” she announced with a calm she didn’t feel. “Do you know how hard it is to get blood out?”

She had no idea what she was saying. She was just trying to buy time. But buy time for what to happen? Tanner had no idea Jared was in Risk Peak, and Marilyn obviously wasn’t going to be in any shape to provide assistance against her ex.

Jared tilted his head to the side and directed the gun straight at her. “I think a spot of blood on your precious gown is the least of your problems. You’re not really needed anymore.”

“Jared—” Marilyn pushed herself off the wall.

He turned and pointed a finger at her. “You shut up. It’s your fault that we’re in this situation to begin with. Deciding to air all our dirty laundry with the cops. Every couple has an argument here and there. You didn’t need to bring the cops into it.”

“Leave her alone and I’ll go with you.” Marilyn’s voice was soft, but not shaky.

“Marilyn.” There was no way Bree was letting her leave with him willingly. “No.”

Marilyn just ignored her, keeping her eyes trained on Jared.

“You leave Bree alone and you don’t try to have any contact with the kids. That’s the deal.” Marilyn took another step toward Jared. “You want me to go with you, that’s what you have to do.”

Jared’s cold eyes narrowed as he stared at Marilyn. He obviously wasn’t used to her putting up any sort of argument.

“What’s to stop me from killing her right now and dragging you anywhere I want to go?”

“Because if you’re going to start killing, I’m going to start screaming my head off. I may not be able to stop you from killing her, but I will damn well make sure you go down also.”

Marilyn took another step. Now Bree studied her friend more closely. Marilyn wasn’t acting like Marilyn at all, and the truth became clear to Bree.

Marilyn wasn’t going to wait for someone to rescue her. She was going to rescue herself.

Jared gritted his teeth. “Look at you. You get away from me for a few months and all of a sudden you’re full of sass. Don’t worry, I have lots of ideas of how to modify that behavior.”

Marilyn flinched but didn’t back down.

Jared took a step toward Marilyn and quick as a flash swung his fist with the gun toward the tiny woman’s face. God, he was so quick.

Marilyn was quicker.

Tanner had been teaching Bree some self-defense moves, but it was nothing compared to what Noah had obviously taught Marilyn. She ducked under the punch aimed for her jaw. Jared obviously never expected any sort of countermove and had put all his weight behind the hit. It would’ve broken Marilyn’s jaw, without a doubt, if it had connected.

Marilyn brought her knee up to his groin at the same time she reached up with both hands and clawed at his eyes. Jared let out a roar before stumbling back, tripping over Bree’s coffee table. She jumped out of the way as he fell back on top of her couch.

Bree couldn’t care less about her wedding dress under the man. He’d just dropped his gun.

Marilyn reached down and grabbed it, pointing it directly at Jared.

“You bitch!” Jared was clutching at his bleeding face. “You stabbed me with those claws of yours.”

“Congratulations, jerk,” Bree said. “You just graduated from assault and battery charges to attempted murder. You’re going away for a long, long time.”

Bree glanced over at Marilyn. The woman was pale, but steady.

Jared’s face turned purple with rage. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade, flicking it open with his wrist.

“I don’t think you’re really going to shoot me, Marilyn.” He stood up. “I think if you had really wanted to get away from me, you could’ve done that. Couldn’t you have? I mean, how hard would it have been to leave for good? You stayed in the same state I was in. That’s how I knew you didn’t really want to get away from me. That you remembered how I rescued you when you needed it.”