Page 139 of For the Birds

Chapter28

“Come out,come out, wherever you are,” Merv called out in a singsong that sounded wrong in his deep voice.

I stayed quiet, moving around to the passenger side of his car in my effort to hide. I tried to open the car door, but it was locked.

There was banging on the warehouse doors, and James’ muffled voice shouted myname.

“I should have made him choose,” Merv said, his voice getting closer. “He would have chosen you. It would have been . . . entertaining to watch his brother’s face when that happened.”

I stayed quiet. How was I going to get away? If I ran for the door, he’d shoot me. Only these two cars provided any cover. Would we circle around and around until he caughtme?

James was still banging on the door and shouting threats atMerv.

“Come on, Rose,” Merv said. “Don’t you want to know how I guessed he’d chooseyou?”

I didn’t care one fig what that man thought, so it showed how stupid he really was to think that would make mebite.

“I’ll kill Scooter.” He stomped closer, and I crawled back to the front of the car, but he strode toward the office, not even giving his dead brother a spare glance. He disappeared inside, and I noticed James’ larger gun ten feet away. I made a run for it and picked it up, thrown off by the weight. Did I have time to get to thedoor?

But Merv emerged from the office seconds later, dragging Scooter out with him. He held his gun pressed to Scooter’s side. Scooter’s arms were still tied behind his back, pieces of the broken chair dangling from them, and after seeing Jed do the same thing once, I wondered if James taught a class on how to escape such situations.

That crazy thought passed when I realized I was in the same situation James had been in with me less than fifteen minutes ago. The only difference was Merv still had a knife blade jammed into his right arm, but it clearly hadn’t stopped him. There was a reason he’d always reminded me of abull.

“Well, isn’t this a purty picture?” Merv asked with a menacing grin. “Skeeter Malcolm’s two reasons for livin’ in my clutches.”

“I’m not in your clutches,” I said. “Not anymore. I’ve got a gun on you, so you could say you’re inmine.”

He whipped his gun up and pointed it in my face. “Now we’re in a standoff.”

The banging had stopped, and I heard gunshots and ricocheting metal. James was trying to shoot his wayin.

“I’m okay with that.” I took a step toward Merv. “Let Scooter go, and let’s make this about you and me. It’s me you’re really pissed at anyway—am I right?” I said, repeating his earlier phrase. “You hate that James needed me last winter. That he used me and didn’t turn toyou.”

“You’re full of shit,” he sneered.

“Am I? You hated having to protect me last February. And you hate me even more after you got shot because of me. How dare I usurp your position in Skeeter’s life? It’s bad enough you had to contend with Jed. But you got rid of him. I was the only oneleft.”

“I’m not some seventeen-year-old girl with a crush,” he said in disgust as he moved closer, dragging Scooter with him as an afterthought.

“And neither am I,” I said. “I’d be easier to dismiss if Iwere.”

“He relied on you too much. Too fast. I spent years workin’ my way up the ranks.”

“I know,” I said without malice. “And I stole it fromyou.”

“I thought after Skeeter got rid of J.R. he’d be done with you, but he couldn’t let you go. He’s never been infatuated with a woman like he is withyou.”

“See? This is about me. So let his brothergo.”

“Skeeter killed my brother, so now I’ll kill his. An eye for an eye, just like the good booksays.”

“And it also says to love your neighbor as yourself.”

He gave me a wry grin. “Well, that’s just it. I suspect Skeeter Malcolm doesn’t think too much of himself thesedays.”

That caught me by surprise, but I held my tongue.

Scooter stood still, watching me with cautious eyes, but he didn’t seem to be jumping into the conversation, so I kept up my badgering. I needed to save him. I’d failed so horribly with Jeanne, and I couldn’t do the same withhim.

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