Page 125 of Walking the Edge

“He can never act decisively where a pretty girl is concerned.” Benedetto shook his head, and the overhead light glinted off the long barrel of the gun. The gun with a silencer. Like Paul’s. Sheesh. Did this run in the family?

Benedetto harrumphed. “Now I have to finish the job.”

What did that mean? “You’re going to kidnap me?”

“No need. You’ve already led me to your brother. I can eliminate you both at the same time. Clear the decks, so to speak.” His slight smile underscored the coldness in his eyes.

Her heart pumped noisily in her ears. But her blood could not be circulating, or not far, because a chill pooled in her bones. Cath put on her big-sister shoes and tamped down her nerves. She’d always been assertive with her former boss, and he would accept her behaving that way now. If she could keep her voice even. “I’m confused.”

That sounded good. She signed and glanced at her brother. “What exactly did Les do?”

“Yeah.” Les crossed his arms. “What did I do?”

“I told you not to move.” Benedetto stalked closer.

“I wanted my brother to understand. That’s not unreasonable.” She backed away from the gun, her heel bumping a pallet stacked with shrink-wrapped bottles of orange juice.

Les hadn’t moved, and Benedetto shoved him back beside her.

She should act. Create a diversion. Get Les out of there. But her feet seemed stuck in cement like a gangster’s victim in a cartoon. Or real life?

All of a sudden, everything snapped into focus. The DEA’s mission was to stop contraband drugs. They’d gotten Paul arrested for white-collar crime, but they’d been watching him closely after he made bail. Why? To see if he contacted anyone else? Like his uncle?

Lloyd Benedetto might be the big boss the drug dealers were driving her and Mitch to meet. Did the DEA agent know about him?

Les stuck out that stubborn Hurley chin. She watched in horror as he opened his mouth. “Are you gonna tell me or not?”

“You saw too much.” Lloyd gestured with his gun. “You need to be eliminated. Both of you.”

“Why bother leaving a note?” Her brother’s jaw hardened. “Why not just wait and kill me?”

“I thought a warning would work, but I was wrong.” The corners of his mouth turned down. “Your tough luck.”

“I swear I haven’t told anyone. No one knows I saw you on the wharf.”

The wharf? Cath signed to her brother. “What are you talking about?”

“My drug buy.” Les waved a hand. “The one right before I got arrested.”

“Don’t move.” The muzzle of the gun shot forward. Less than an inch separated Lloyd’s index finger from the trigger and certain death.

Wait. Benedetto could only shoot one of them at a time. If she could distract him, Les would have a chance to escape.

“I didn’t tell anyone.” Les stared at the gun, too, and sweat glistened on his forehead. “Not even after I got arrested.”

“I’m not so sure.”

A shuffling noise came from the unseen depths of the stockroom. A male voice muttered. Into a cell phone? To another employee?

Her pulse pounded. If she screamed, would they come help?

No. As soon as she screamed, Lloyd would shoot her, but she could stall. “You don’t want to kill us now. There are witnesses here.”

The grocery clerk’s voice faded. Her insides twisted. There was only one witness. A door opened and cold air swept past them. The guy had stepped outside. So much for someone riding to the rescue.

Benedetto glanced over his shoulder at the sound of a door closing. The muzzle of the gun drooped. Now.

But before she could shove Les out of the way, he jumped on Benedetto.

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