Page 61 of Silent Ritual

Star struggled against Solberg's grip, but he held fast. His breath was ragged, and his eyes were wild with a desperate energy that chilled Sheila to the bone.

"No," he sneered, pulling Star even closer to himself. "We're in this together now."

Sheila felt a surge of fury. He was using Star as a pawn, a shield against the justice he knew he deserved.

"I said let her go," she repeated, never taking her eyes off him. She could feel the cool metal of her gun against her skin, and she wanted more than anything to gun this man down and rescue Star. But did she dare take such a risk? What if she missed?

Solberg just laughed. "Or what? You'll shoot me? Go ahead! I dare you."

Sheila knew she couldn't risk shooting Star. But what if he tried to get away with Star? He might promise to let her go, but there was no guarantee he would do so. If anything happened to Star…

Don’t think about it, Sheila told herself. She’ll be okay—you’ll figure this out. You just have to find a way to—

“Sheila, is that you?” a voice called. It was Finn. Solberg spun toward the sound of the voice, and then Star kneed him hard in the groin. He doubled over, releasing her, and Star followed it up with a pair of jabs to the man’s face. Then, as he was reeling, she kicked him hard in the side with her shin, watching as he toppled to the ground.

Sheila stared at Star, stunned by this turn of events.

“What?” Star asked, blowing a lock of hair away from her eyes. “You’re the one who taught me.”

"I guess I didn't think you were paying attention," Sheila said. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Star. Star resisted at first, but then she relaxed, hugging Sheila back.

Sheila squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a sudden rush of relief and fear mingling. She was proud of Star—proud of her for fighting back, for not allowing herself to be bullied or abused any longer.

"You did good, kid," she whispered, her voice hoarse. She pulled back and gave Star a stern look. "But don't ever do that again, you hear me? Following us when we go after a serial killer, I mean."

Star nodded vigorously, her eyes wide and serious in the starlight.

Solberg groaned, pushing himself to a sitting position. Sheila pushed Star behind her, ready to confront Solberg.

“You think you can stop what the stars have already set in motion?” he demanded. “You think—”

Before he could get any further, Finn crept up behind him and wrenched his arm behind his back, cuffing his hands.

“Not another word,” Finn growled at Solberg. The man let out a hiss of pain as Finn tightened the cuffs, but he didn’t struggle.

“This isn’t over,” Solberg said. “I’ll be back—you’ll see! You’ll see!”

Just then, a trio of police cars raced toward them, kicking up salt and dust. As they came to a sudden stop and the officers started spilling out, Finn pushed Solberg toward them.

“You boys mind taking this man in?” he asked. “Don’t let him out of your sight.”

“You got it,” a burly officer said, clamping a vise-like hand around Solberg’s arm. As the officers led Solberg away, Finn walked back over to Sheila and Star.

“Well,” he said, sighing, “it’s been an eventful evening, hasn’t it? You two alright?”

Without a word, Sheila threw her arms around his neck and gave him a long kiss.

“Get a room,” Star said, making a gagging motion. “I’m serious. If you’re going to have your boyfriend over to fool around, you can forget about being roommates.”

“We’ll behave,” Sheila said, winking at Finn. “For now.”

Finn smiled. “For now, I’ll settle for a hot meal, a hot shower, and a long, long sleep.”

Staring at him, Sheila felt a sudden urge to be open with him, perhaps more open than she'd ever been before. She took his arm and led him a few paces away so that Star wouldn't overhear their conversation.

"Listen," she said. "This weekend, my dad and I are going to Natalie's cabin to look through her things." She paused and swallowed hard. "I want you to come with us."

Finn studied her with his kind, gentle eyes. "You sure about that? You don't have to bring me along just because we're dating."

---