Page 98 of The Engagement Party

“What the hell is wrong with you? Your husband is dying.” Sierra could barely get the words out over her shock.

This bitch didn’t stop. Cassie wanting the secrets of the island to stay on the island was bad enough. This disregard for Alex’swell-being plunged her into a realm of evil that might be different from Dylan’s, but it ended in the same place.

“I’m trying to save Alex,” Cassie insisted.

Mitch sat back on his haunches. “You claim to do a lot of saving.”

“I know you’re angry with me.”

Mitch shook his head. “That word doesn’t touch how I feel about you right now.”

“Well, I’m done.” Ruthie aimed her gun at Cassie. “You have ten seconds to tell us the truth about that night twelve years ago.”

“I already have.” This time Cassie’s gaze didn’t meet Mitch’s.

“Not even close,” he said. “And we need that ambulance right now.”

Cassie didn’t say anything for a few seconds. She studied the gun in Ruthie’s hand. “I took your bullets.”

“All of them? Are you willing to bet your life on that?”

One bullet.Sierra swam through the anxiety swamping her. Forced her mind to focus and think back to the dock. Ruthie had exactly one shot, but shedidhave that one shot.

“And before you answer, I saw her reload the gun with the bullets she smuggled out that Dylan didn’t know about. Remember, Dylan is dead.” That came close enough to the truth. Sierra didn’t think Cassie deserved explanations anyway. Giving her a sentence only allowed her to dissect it, and they were done with that.

“Don’t make me shoot you,” Ruthie said.

Cassie’s gaze shot to the gun she’d dropped after she shot Alex. It had landed right near Alex’s head. She lunged but Mitch got there first.

He put his hand on the weapon and slid it closer to him, out of Cassie’s reach. “You’re not going to win this time.”

“When do I ever win?”

Sierra could not take this woman one more second. “Give it to me. I grew up with hunters. Have been around guns my whole life.” She walked over to Alex’s motionless body for the handoff from Mitch, so he could go back to watching Alex for any further decline. “Don’t test me, Cassie.”

Ruthie held out her free hand to Cassie. “While you’re at it, a phone.”

Cassie looked around like a hunted animal. Small and ready to spring. Scanning and looking for a break to run. “On the floor of the golf cart.”

Ruthie took off before Cassie finished the sentence. Sierra could hear Ruthie rummaging around in the smashed-up cart, but her attention stayed on Cassie. “Now, talk.”

“Save Alex first.”

“I’ll take care of him. You talk.” Mitch kneeled at Alex’s side, rotating between checking his pulse and keeping pressure on his chest wound.

Sierra prepared herself for the very real possibility Cassie would make a move and lunge. Sierra stepped back, just in case. She heard Ruthie talking on the call. She was trying to explain where they were. Ruthie had studied the island and would come the closest to describing this place, so Sierra let Ruthie handle that task.

“Please don’t make me count down. Answer the question about Emily.” Sierra had enough drama for one day . . . had it even been a day? She hadn’t slept or eaten and was runningpurely on adrenaline. When the energy drop came it would hit with the force of a bulldozer.

“They were laughing when I left. Alex started to doze off, which is what he does when he’s had too much alcohol.” Lawyer Cassie gave way to subdued Cassie. “Then I heard shouting. Emily was yelling and I started back to our group and could see Will grab her.”

Sierra didn’t trust the pauses or her flat affect. Cassie didn’t give up. This was a scheme more than a decade in the making and she would not willingly let it unravel.

“He held on to her arms and shook. She looked like rag doll and when Will let go, she fell.”

Too abbreviated. Sierra didn’t buy it. “That’s it?”

“She jumped back up and hit him. Hard. She was screaming aboutruininghim and how he didn’t have the right to touch her.” Cassie sat on the ground with her legs folded and her hand wrapped around Alex’s. “I’m not sure how it all started. Will came back to the labyrinth without Mitch and was joking about how Emily had tried every other guy on campus but him, and it should be his turn soon.”

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