Page 70 of The Engagement Party

“Let him leave the island. We’ll be safer,” Will said.

Alex winced. “We can’t let him go.”

“He’s not going to leave,” Sierra said. “He’s not done with us.”

Cassie picked up one of the knives and turned to Ruthie. “Tell us his plans.”

Her distrust wasn’t misplaced but Ruthie still hated this woman. “I have no idea.”

All but Alex stood around, talking this out. Being out in the open, easily viewed through the windows, struck Ruthie as a terrible idea but no one cared what she thought.

“What about your injury?” Mitch asked Alex.

Alex. Yeah, the man looked like crap. Between the glassy eyes and bloody shirt, Ruthie thought, he couldn’t be of much helpin a fight except for possibly arguing someone to death with his lawyer nonsense.

“Hurts like hell but I think it’s a flesh wound.” Alex touched his shoulder then hissed.

“But you have a concussion,” Cassie added.

“Right. You stay with your wife.” Mitch pointed at Will. “We’ll go find Dylan.”

Will shook his head. “That’s ridiculous.”

“He’s going to come back here. Reload and continue killing.” Mitch shoved a knife and a hammer into his pockets. He looked around the fireplace for additional, informal weapons but quickly gave up. “Sierra’s right. He hasn’t gotten his answers.”

Cassie groaned as she sat on one of the barstools. “I’m tired of this topic. We don’t know anything.”

Sierra and Mitch were right about hunting Dylan down. But the lack of urgency among the others made Ruthie more anxious. Talking about tracking Dylan, debating the pros and cons, only gave him a chance to regroup and attack. She didn’t think Sierra had done much damage with that knife, except to piss him off even more.

“We need to go on the offensive.” Sierra turned to Ruthie. “Is it loaded?”

Ruthie realized the gun was still strapped to her thigh. She unfastened it and held it in a tight clench. “Yes.”

Cassie rolled her eyes. “Loaded? You have a gun? What am I saying, of course you have a gun.”

Alex went a step further. He held out his hand. “Give it to me.”

The wind kicked up, rattling the windows. Ruthie tightened her grip on the only weapon they had that could take on Dylan’s gun. “Never going to happen.”

“She keeps the gun.” Sierra didn’t give any of them a second to argue with her. “We go out there and track Dylan down. We have knives and a gun. We attack, search him, strip away that weapon of his, and tie him up.”

“Come on.” Alex shook his head. “I want him stopped, but this plan is too risky. This is real life. He’ll kill you.”

Sierra sighed. “He’s going to kill us all anyway. The question is if we go out fighting or just surrender.”

Alex turned on Ruthie. “You did this.”

Ruthie refused to take the blame for their terrible decisions. “No, you all did. Not Sierra, but the rest of you. You know what really happened to Emily and Brendan. Your lies birthed this.”

Mitch ignored the bickering and kept moving. He stood by the back door. “Ready?”

“Wait.” Sierra sniffed then made a face. “What’s that smell?”

Mitch backed away from the door. “Fire.”

Chapter Fifty-Two

Alex

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