Page 79 of The Engagement Party

“You know I can shoot. We practiced together at the range.” Ruthie saw Cassie shift and feared a very savvy person was about to do something very foolish. “I shoot you. You shoot me. They all go free. Is that really what you want, Dylan?”

“I will kill anyone who tries to stop me. Including you.”

Dizziness filled her head as time ran out.Aim for the leg. The stomach. Somewhere that would stop him but still give him a chance to survive. A chance he hadn’t granted Tyler or Jake. She gripped the gun tighter.

A smile inched up the corner of Dylan’s mouth. “Do you honestly think I’d let you keep a loaded gun all this time?”

Mitch’s head dropped. “Shit.”

Sierra leaned against him. “This can’t be happening.”

“I told you about the cameras. About watching every move.” He nodded in Sierra’s direction. “Including seeing Sierra find you with the weapon.”

Cassie’s mouth dropped open. “What?”

Mitch scowled at Sierra. “When did this happen?”

“I didn’t know who she was back then. An hour ago.”

Ruthie blocked the panicked grumbling and the choking sensation as the last spark of hope flickered out among the group. She hadn’t fired that last shot but she intended to fire this one, or at least make him think that she would. “I reloaded the gun. I’ve had it with me every second since then.”

Dylan’s amusement was obvious. “Are you sure?”

Yes?Waves of fear combined with a numbing sense of failure, attacking her memories. She couldn’t separate out the wishes from the reality. She questioned her brain and her hands. Every part of her rejected his gloating but the mental picture didn’t become any clearer.

“What are you doing? Shoot him. He can’t fire back at all of us at the same time,” Cassie said.

“Are you willing to bet his life on it?” Dylan aimed at Will then Alex. “Or his? Because Will and Jake didn’t act alone, did they?”

“You heard the truth.” Cassie’s usually strong voice faltered. “Alex wasn’t there.”

Will stood up. “It was me.”

“Fine. Then you win.” Dylan didn’t telegraph his moves or his decision. He said the words and fired two shots right into Will’s chest.

The loud booms rang out as Will’s body dropped. He sprawled on his back, unmoving.

“Wait...” Stunned by the sudden move, Ruthie’s hand went slack and the gun dropped. Her breathing kicked up as she slid across the grass and landed on her knees beside Will’s still body. She grabbed his hand, watching the blood soak through his shirt and his dark eyes fill with pain.

Bloody coughs shook through him as he fought for air. Hedidn’t try to talk but he stared at her, almost willing her not to let go. But she had no idea how to help. The only way was to rewind the last few months and, this time, not drop into his life.

The group gathered around his bent legs and heaving chest. Cassie fussed with Will’s head and Mitch shouted something about stopping the bleeding. Alex laid nearby, propped up on an elbow with his legs stretched behind him. His hand rested on Will’s calf as if he needed to touch his friend and forge a bond one last time.

The cold air filled with whispers of encouraging words and soft cries as Will gasped, desperate to draw in air while he drowned in his own blood. The labored breathing went from quick and shallow to quiet. His chest stilled and his eyes stared blankly at the dark sky. Ruthie watched the life seep out of him as his hand dropped from hers.

The man she had silently vowed not to care about and insisted she hated, the one who had delivered so much damage and lied about it for years, vanished. She ached for the imperfect, damaged man he was. One who owed amends but was hunted and executed in isolation so far from home.

They all sat slumped on the wet grass with the rain still pelting them. Only a throat clearing broke the silence.

“Two down.” This time Dylan pointed the gun at Alex. “You’re next.”

Ruthie saw Sierra and realized she hadn’t been huddled around Will at the end. She stood behind Dylan, fireplace poker in hand. And swung.

The metal made a sharp cracking sound as it slammed into the side of Dylan’s head. His eyes closed and his snarky expression crumbled. The gun tumbled and his knees buckled. He wentdown in a boneless whoosh. Fell into a heap and didn’t move. The gun landed in the leaves a few feet from his hand, but he didn’t reach for it.

Mitch got up and approached Sierra with careful steps, like he might approach a wounded animal. “Sierra?”

Ruthie tried to process the last few minutes. The hopelessness. Sierra’s bravery and quick thinking. She still held the poker in the air, but Ruthie could see her arms shake.

---