Page 94 of Secrets and Sin

“Lucy, maybe we should just finish this tomorrow morning,” Zack said. “It’s late. We should go and get a good night’s sleep.”

“I agree,” Frankie said with an exaggerated yawn. “We’ll all help in the morning. You probably weren’t planning to be open anyway so you could clean up. I’m sure Deputy Blake would like to get home, too.”

Zack had slowly been moving toward her as if to place himself between her and Blake. Lucy also took a step away as the door to the bookstore opened once more and Finn walked in. He strode toward Blake, not acknowledging the rest of them.

“Blake, we need to have a talk. Let’s step outside.”

“Sure, Finn. Let me set this police report down. I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you were off duty tonight.”

“You know how the job is. Sometimes we get called in to the station.”

“Something going on? Do you need my help? I can stay on duty a little longer.”

Blake placed the clipboard on top of the counter before turning back to face Finn. Lucy tried to move farther away, but she didn’t get far. A hand clamped on her arm, jerking her backward and against Blake’s chest.

She could barely take a breath when she realized that something cold was being pressed to her temple.

Deputy Blake had taken out his service revolver and was currently pointing it to her head. Finn had pulled his own gun and had it pointing at Blake.

Zack had backed off but only slightly, his voice coming out low and soothing.

“Don’t do anything crazy, Blake. We’re all friends here. I don’t know what you’ve done so far, but I know that you don’t want to go to prison for murder.”

“Listen to him,” Finn said. “This isn’t going to end well for you. You shouldn’t trust snitches with your secrets. They turned on you when I pressed them. They admitted that you paid them to toss Lucy’s condo and bookstore. That you had them following Ethan Fields. I know that you shot him. He’s awake and talking.”

Blake lips curled in derision, his entire body stiff as iron as he held tightly to Lucy.

“You all need to stay back. Stay away or I’ll pull the trigger. I know you have the videos,” Blake said. “I couldn’t find them on Ethan, and he said that he didn’t have them anymore. I saw him hug Lucy that day on the street. He slipped it to her then, didn’t he? Into her purse?”

“We have the videos,” Finn confirmed. “And so do the state police. It’s too late, so whatever you’re planning to do isn’t going to work. There’s no way out for you now. We know about you and Farrow, and how you were using the teenage guys to get the girls in sex videos. How you paid them in drugs. Was Sarah going to tell on you? Ethan was, wasn’t he? He couldn’t take the guilt anymore. He wanted to tell the truth.”

“Ethan didn’t know what the truth was,” Blake said, his hand clenching her arm even harder, his fingers a steel band. If she lived, she’d have bruises tomorrow. “He didn’t want to admit his part in it. He wanted to pretend that he wasn’t a criminal. He thought he could tell the story and come out like a hero. He thought he wouldn’t go to jail.”

The cold metal of the gun was still pressed to her damp skin. Sweat had begun to trickle down her back, and her heart pounded so loudly it was like a marching band was parading around her store on the Fourth of July.

Steeling herself so she wouldn’t tremble, she tried to take a few breaths, but she couldn’t seem to drag the air into her lungs. She didn’t want to die today. She had a hell of a lot to live for - friends, family, and love - but surviving might not be in the cards.

“Let Lucy go,” Zack commanded. “Keeping her won’t save you. You won’t get away.”

“I think she might be my ticket out of here,” Blake taunted, his arm trembling visibly as he pointed the gun at her head. She could hear his ragged breathing, his frame rigid and tense. “Isn’t it funny? All the money and power that the Winslows have, and here you are, powerless. I can do whatever I want to your girl and there’s not a damn thing you can do to stop me. Fuck you and your whole rich and spoiled family.”

“Do you honestly think that all of these people here tonight are going to let you walk out of here with her?” Zack asked. “You’re delusional. Let her go. You won’t get two steps outside of this store.”

“Drop the gun,” Finn demanded. “Just stop all of this. There is no way out. The state police are barricading any route out of town. It’s over, Blake. It’s done.”

The deputy never had the chance to reply, although Lucy was sure it wouldn’t have been any sort of capitulation. The bell over the door rang as it was pushed open, a figure she couldn’t make out walking in.

The sound of a gunshot almost stopped her heart right there and then, echoing in her ears. Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes, and then she was being shoved to the floor, a hard body covering hers as a second shot fired. There was the scuffle of footsteps and some shouting, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying over the ringing in her ears.

I’m still alive. I wasn’t shot.

She was breathing in and out, she could feel the hardwood floor, smell the comforting scent of Zack’s body, and taste the salt in her own tears as they streamed down her cheeks.

“Are you okay? Can you stand?”

Zack had rolled off her and was running his hands down her arms and legs as if reassuring himself that she was uninjured.

Was she okay? As far as she could tell, yes.

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