Page 126 of The House Beyond the Dunes

“No.” My conviction straddles shaky ground.

“You couldn’t have kissed me if you loved him.”

Reece stands between me and the door. My Jeep is disabled, but drivable if I don’t care about flat tires and rain.

“Reece, let me help Devon,” I say. “It’s going to take us both to save her.”

He shakes his head. “We’re not a team, Lane. Devon kept reminding me of that. I didn’t want to believe her. But she’s right. You’re an outsider.”

“You don’t live here anymore. You clearly want something different.”

Devon’s faint moans drift from the porch. “It doesn’t matter what I want. Now I need to help Devon.”

“Reece, help Devon and let me go. I don’t want trouble.”

“You came back here. You asked too many questions. You snooped. You wanted trouble.” Reece shakes his head. “When you kissed me, I thought you liked me, but you were using me.”

My head pounds. “I did—do—care about you. You have a good heart, Reece.”

“Devon said you’d say something like that.” He studies me closely. “She was right about it all.”

“She doesn’t know me. She doesn’t understand.” Images of the rope marks on the bedposts flash in my mind. I imagine the ropes cutting skin and rubbing wrists raw as desperation builds into a scream.

I whirl around and grab the coffee, and I rush him. I throw the cup’s contents. It’s not as hot as it was, but the liquid strikes him directlyin the eyes. He winces, wipes his eyes. I strike him on the side of the head with the cup so hard the stoneware breaks. He stumbles and howls. I run.

I reach the front door and race into the cold rain. I’m disoriented. I have no idea where I’m going or where I’ll hide.

Headlights glow on the street and I tense, wondering if help has arrived or the driver is another local who loved Kyle. Up here, I can’t trust anyone.

The sandy soil grinds under my bare feet as I rush down the stairs. Rain soaks the flannel shirt and my naked legs as a black truck pulls into the driveway. The headlights catch my frame, but I’m too desperate to care who it is.

My heart hammers, and I struggle in the glare of the headlights. I’m torn between asking for help and running. Footsteps thunder in the house. Reece is coming for me.

The front driver’s-side door opens, and a man gets out. For a moment, his face is shrouded in shadows, and then he steps into the headlights. It’s Detective Becker. Relief floods my system as he races up toward me.

When he sees Reece rushing the front door, he pulls me behind him and draws his weapon. He shouts, “Drop it! Now!”

Reece snarls and levels his gun at Detective Becker. I stumble back, searching for a rock or something I can use to stop Reece.

Detective Becker’s training kicks in, and he fires twice, the bullets catching Reece in the chest. The sounds make me flinch, and I look up in time to see Reece drop to the ground, his gun falling from his hand.

Detective Becker takes the stairs two at a time and makes quick work of kicking the gun out of Reece’s reach and rolling him on his back. He handcuffs his hands and pats down his body for other weapons. He raises his phone to his ear and instructs the sheriff’s office and rescue squad he needs assistance.

My hands tremble as I climb the stairs. Relief and fear carve into my sinew and bone, and my body begins to tremble. “Where did you come from?”

His gaze raises to me, and I can feel it trailing over my body, assessing damage. He shrugs off his coat and lays it on my shoulders. “I’ve been hanging out at the fire station. Are you okay?”

His coat cloaks me in his warm scent. “I’m okay. Devon tried to kill me. We struggled for the gun, and it went off. She’s still alive by the hot tub.”

Detective Becker pulls me past Reece, and I struggle to make my feet work. We move into the house and toward the side porch, where Devon is barely conscious. He removes rubber gloves from his pocket, dons them, and checks the pulse in her neck. He doesn’t try to move her.

“Help,” Devon whispers as her eyes roll toward me. “She tried to kill me.”

“Rescue squad and cops are on the way,” Detective Becker says.

“Reece?” Devon asks.

“Down.”

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