Page 88 of Alluring

"I missed you, darling. Remember the kiss we shared last night? How special it was? I knew you couldn't stay away."

Jack's eyes quickly darted to the gun in Sabrina's hand, then just as quickly back to her face. He desperately wanted to go to Alexis, touch her, make sure she was okay. But, he couldn't take the chance of doing anything that would cause Sabrina to harm her.

"I've been waiting years for you, darling. Two years I waited for you to notice me. Then you finally did. We had a glorious night together. Remember how magical it was?" She asked, stepping closer to Jack. "And then you ignored me for months and months. But, I figured you were sowing your oats." Sabrina tipped her head back and laughed hysterically. "That's what my mamma used to say, men got to sow their oats before they'll settle down to just one woman."

"So I waited, again. Waited for you to realize how much you love me. How special that night was." She turned to Alexis. "And thenshecame along," Sabrina sneered, spittle flying out of her mouth as she pointed the gun at Alexis.

Jack acted instinctively. He put his body between Sabrina and Alexis, blocking Alexis from her view.

Sabrina looked up at him, madness shimmering in her eyes. "I don't blameyou. It was allher. She's a witch. The devil's spawn. She cast a spell on you, making you forget your love for me."

Jack stepped back a step bringing the back of his legs in contact with Alexis's knees. He felt better, instantly, with only that light touch.

"How was I supposed to compete with that? Awitchdoingsorcery. She needed to die, and I had to be the one to kill her. For only then would the evil spell be broken, and you'd remember your love for me, once more."

Jack's mind flashed back to the bedroom with the pictures all over the wall and the mannequins lying on the bed. This lady wasn't crazy, she was completely insane.

"Step aside, Jack. So I can kill the evil witch and you, my prince, will have me as your beautiful princess and we can live happily ever after."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"No, you don't understand. Your mind is clouded with her magic."

"If you kill her, the police will arrest you. Then we won't be able to be together."

Sabrina clutched his arms. Jack kept careful track of the gun, still in her hand. "They'll understand. They'll know I had to kill her to save you from the evil." She brought her body flush against his and laid her head on his chest. "They'll know I did it for us."

Jack took a few steps forward then turned them so Sabrina's back was to Alexis. He looked over Sabrina's head, his eyes intense with emotion, as he mouthedI love you. Alexis's lips trembled as she mouthed the words back.

Jack rocked Sabrina in his arms, cooing in her ear. And when she was distracted, he reached for the gun.

"NO!" She tried wrenching away. Tried aiming the gun at Alexis, but Jack had a hold of her wrist. He brought her wrist in, to grab the gun with his other hand, but his feet tangled in hers, and then they were falling. He landed on top of Sabrina.

And the gun exploded.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Alexis's whole body jerked at the sound of the exploding gun. She wiggled around frantically in her chair trying to get loose. Oh God, why wasn't Jack moving?

Jack!" she screamed, tears running down her face, a sob escaping her lips. She managed to scoot the chair forward an inch from her struggles.

Jack slowly rose to his hands and knees. Blood covered his and Sabrina's chest. He grabbed the gun from her lifeless hand and slid it across the wooded floor.

"Please tell me that's not your blood." Alexis managed to utter through her sobbing.

Jack shook his head. "Not mine." Jack checked the pulse at Sabrina's neck before standing.

The front door banged open and the room was soon overrun with law enforcement. A blur of activity surrounded her. The sound of walkie-talkies squawking. Feet thumping on the wooden floor. Raised voices shouting out commands. And through it all, Alexis and Jack stared at each other lost in their own little world. He took a single step toward her, then was on his knees right in front of her, cradling her face in his hand.

Time was disjointed, and she had difficulty keeping focus. She would learn later, she was in shock and had a mild concussion, but for now she just felt weird and slightly out-of-body.

She didn't realize she still cried until she heard Jack whisper lovingly, "Shh ... baby, it's okay. I'm okay. We're okay." He was caressing her face and neck soothingly, trying to calm her. But her emotions couldn't be contained. From the time she was taken until now, she had blocked the possibility of her death. Later she would be happy it was all over, but for now, she needed to deal with the fact they were both alive.

Seeing Jack, lying there so still after hearing the gun go off would haunt her for a long time to come. She had never been so scared. Not even the thought of her own death scared her half as much as Jack's.

"Baby please, calm down. You're gonna make yourself sick."

Alexis took a deep shuddering breath and let it out slowly. The next breath was easier to take, and then the next was even easier. When she'd gotten herself under control, she said, "I love you. Don't scare me like that again."

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