Page 110 of Cougar Point

“This has been going on all along, hasn’t it? You and him against me from the beginning.”

She takes a hesitant step toward him. “Len, I swear?—”

Len knocks Missy onto her butt. She drops the bag on the floor. Vinnie backs Victoria against the wall and shields her, and at that moment she realizes why the bag looks familiar. It’s Jack’s. It must contain the ransom.

Missy cringes with her hands up, pleading. “Please, Len. You can have it all. You don’t have to do this. Please.”

“How did the police get my name? Huh? Was it you or Duke?”

Duke appears in the doorway, a pistol in his hand. “She’s not your problem anymore, Len.”

Thundercloud turns but Duke is faster. The first shot hits Len in the neck and blood erupts like a fountain. Thundercloud drops the gun and both hands go to his neck. His legs fold and he goes down on his side with his hands still trying to stem the flow, his mind not knowing he’s a dead man. Duke steps close and kicks the gun out of Len’s reach. “You always thought you were better than me.”

Len tries to speak and coughs up blood. His eyes fix on Duke and his voice seems to be coming from underwater. “You’re adead man…” Blood trickles down his chin and he smiles. “When I tell?—”

Duke shoots him in the face. “Len Thundercloud. What a joke. You’re just a cloud now. A ghost. How about that?”

Missy is trembling all over, her face a mask of fear. “Thank you, Duke. He made me be with him again. I didn’t want to but he forced me. He’s evil. Oh God, he was going to kill me.”

Duke shoots her twice in the chest and she slumps back against the wall.

“You never did know when to shut up.” He turns the gun toward Vinnie and Victoria. “It’s not too late, Vinnie. I don’t have a problem with you. We can share the money. I’ll take care of your sister. All you have to do is kill those two meddling detectives when they show up.”

“She’s my niece, Duke.”

Duke looks incredulous. “So what? You don’t owe this bitch.” He waggles the gun at Victoria. “She kept you away from your family just as much as that asshole husband of hers. You don’t even know your niece. You and me are friends, Vinnie. I’m the only real family you’ve got.”

Vinnie doesn’t speak. He just holds Victoria’s body against the wall with his own.

“Okay. I understand you being mad at me for punching you around. But it was the only way I could get you in here. Thundercloud would have killed you if I brought you here all nice-like. You help me get patched up and when I get better you can punch me. How’s that?”

“I don’t want to punch you, Duke.”

Duke says, “Okay. How about this? We don’t kill your sweet sister. We can use her to get even more money. How much do you think she’s worth?”

“Stop pointing the gun at her, Duke. I can reason with her and she won’t tell. In fact, she’s divorcing him. She can havesome of the money to start a life of her own. No one ever needs to know. You and me will be rich. With that kind of money just imagine what we could do. Hell, we could start our own cartel, Duke.”

“That sounds good, Vinnie. But I still need you to kill those two cops. They know too much. And I’m going to have the pleasure of killing that shitbag Lucas.”

Vinnie shakes his head. “If we kill a cop, we might as well put a gun to our own heads. They’ll never stop looking for us. Right now you can come out of this with a lot of money. This was all Thundercloud’s doing. Missy was in on it with him. Victoria will swear you killed them in self-defense. They were going to kill her. I’ll say I came here with you and we stopped them. They both had guns. You’ll be a hero. You can keep the money, and her husband will give you a reward. Vicki will make sure of it.”

“That doesn’t work for me, Vinnie. I’m an escapee. I can’t explain that. Or how I came by a gun as a convicted felon. The cops have to go. No witnesses.”

“Okay. You can keepallthe money. Stow it somewhere and we’ll say these two must have hidden it. You can still get well on this, Duke. You’ll do what? Two years at most. You’ll get out of prison a rich man.”

He turns the gun back on Vinnie and Victoria, shaking his head. “You’d turn me in and get the reward for yourself. Len was going to keep everything. He never was going to split the money three ways.”

“Duke—” Vinnie starts, but it’s too late.

Duke pulls the trigger. Vinnie jerks, then staggers back against Victoria, his hands going to his stomach. Their eyes meet and she watches the light leave his as he collapses on top of her. A trickle of blood runs onto her upturned face and she screams.

“Oh God, Vinnie. Vinnie! Oh God. Oh God.”

Vinnie’s body pins her to the floor, protecting her even in death. She holds her brother’s head against her shoulder and turns her hate on Duke.

“You bastard. He wouldn’t have told anyone. What is wrong with you people? You aren’t human.”

“I’ll be a hero like Vinnie said.” He steps closer and shoves Vinnie’s body over with the toe of his white Reeboks.

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