Page 191 of Trapped with the Billionaire

“Why did damned Lara have to go poking around?” he ranted. Spittle flew from his lips.

I couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Why?” I sobbed. “He welcomed you into the family and gave you everything.”

Ernst’s face went even redder. “A fucking job in purchasing? You call that everything?”

“I know he was training you for more,” I lied. There had to be a way to calm him down.

He came close enough that I could smell his awful breath. “Bull-fucking-shit. He was going to put you in charge. He was going to havemework foryou, a fucking snot-nose kid with no experience.”

A car alarm blared from the front of the house.

Ernst backed away and turned his attention to the noise.

The closest weapon I could see was the block of knives on the counter.

The alarm stopped and then started again.

Ernst paced to the hall and waved the gun toward the street. “Shut the fuck up,” he yelled.

He was about to lose it.

The back door flew open, and Josh launched himself at Ernst’s back.

The gun skittered across the floor as Ernst face-planted on the wood, Josh on top of him.

Ernst reached for the gun.

Josh pummeled Ernst’s head, still not uttering a word.

I scrambled for the gun and reached it before Ernst did.

Josh grabbed his hair and pounded his face into the wood a few times.

Getting to my feet, I pointed the gun at Ernst’s head through teary eyes. “He killed my parents.”

Josh stayed straddling the man I wanted to kill. “Don’t.” The single word was a command. He motioned for me to lower the gun. “Nickels, you’re better than him. Please put it down. I’ve got him.”

My finger tightened on the trigger with all the hatred I felt. “Don’t you understand? He killed them.” I couldn’t keep the gun steady.

The sound of the front door flying open came from behind me.

Ernst struggled, and Josh pounded his head against the floor again.

I wanted Josh to do it a hundred times more. I couldn’t see straight through the tears.

“Put it down,” Constance said over my shoulder. “You don’t want to do this.” She slowly walked around me with her gun pointed at Ernst. “You don’t want Josh to have to visit you in prison. He’s the one who deserves to be locked up, not you.”

Josh’s eyes pleaded with me. “I know you’re hurting, but this isn’t the way.”

I lowered the gun, and Constance took it from me.

“I couldn’t wait for you,” Josh told her.

“Still stupid on your part,” she said. She produced a set of handcuffs, and in a few seconds she and Josh traded places.

“He has a knife in his pocket,” I said.

She located it and slid it across the floor.

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