Page 58 of Jolene's Justice

Breathing heavily through the worst of it, he racked his brain for something to say to defuse the situation. There would be no reasoning with her. He realized that now. She was too far gone. Maybe a little reverse psychology?

“What’s the plan, Angelica?”

“What?”

“What’s your plan here? You know people will miss me eventually. I have a job I need to go back to. If I don’t show up, they’ll report me as missing. Then the police will get involved. They knew where I was going. They know about this cabin. I was sent specifically to this cabin to rescue someone who was stranded up here. They’ll find the helicopter. Then the cabin. So what’s the plan?”

“I . . .”

“This wasn’t very smart. You’ve led the authorities right to you. When they discover what you’ve done, you’ll be arrested. Making a false police report is a crime. You lured me here under false pretenses. You used law enforcement resources fraudulently. You held someone against their will. Assaulted them. All crimes.”

“No. No. That’s not what happened. They’ll never believe that story. You attacked me. You kept me prisoner.”

“I’m the one with the bruises,” he reasoned.

“I had to defend myself. You were such a brute. I didn’t have a choice but to defend myself. That’s why I grabbed the knife. There’s no way they won’t believe me. The man is always the guilty one.”

“Not this time. There’s too much evidence of the things you’ve done in our divorce proceedings. Remember my dad’s video?”

“No!” The sound of the knife slapping against her thigh echoed through the quiet room. The sharp tip caught on her pants and tore a small hole. She didn’t react. He didn’t think she even noticed.

“Yes, Angelica. It’s over. Walk away while you can.”

“No!” The force of her scream was so powerful that it caused the glass in the windows to vibrate. “No. It’s your fault. You came after me. They’ll believe me. I’m a woman. They’ll believe me. I had to defend myself.”

She suddenly went still, and Finch felt a chill race down his spine. She looked down at the knife, then over at him. Whatever she was thinking couldn’t be good.

“I had to defend myself.” She took a step toward him. He worked his way to his feet, agony shooting through every nerve ending. He ignored it, needing to be ready for whatever she was planning. “I had to defend myself. It was the only way.”

She lifted the knife, and the glint of the blade caught his eye, causing his heart to race. She advanced fast with the knife aimed at his stomach. Despite catching her wrist, the tip still managed to nick him. It was a sharp stab of pain that he brushed away. She tried to push forward with the blade, but he held her back, his grip strong and unyielding. His muscles strained. Jolene’s face flashed through his mind. There was no way he was leaving her. Not like this.

The sound of an engine in the distance made them both freeze. He smiled. He should have expected Jolene to send help when he didn’t show up for dinner like he’d promised. And from the darkness outside, it appeared he was extremely late for dinner.

The noise grew louder. He tilted his head to listen. Were there two vehicles? He guessed they were probably ATVs, since that was the most logical vehicle to use in this terrain in the aftermath of the mudslides.

“It’s over, Angelica.”

“No,” she hissed.

The engine noises were directly outside now. They shut down. Then there were boots clomping across the porch. The door opened and Grady, Brodhi, and Sorcha entered. They took in the scene, and Sorcha growled. Angelica took one look at the three of them and backed away from him.

“I had to defend myself,” she muttered.

“Then why is he in zip ties?” Grady stated the obvious.

“I had to defend myself,” she repeated.

“Yeah, yeah, lady. Tell it to the judge.”

Grady took out his handcuffs and made a move toward Angelica.

But then Jolene stepped in behind them.

She must have seen the agony on his face, since she didn’t hesitate to rush to him. “Omigod, Finch!” she cried.

Angelica lost her shit at seeing Jolene. Finch could only watch in horror as his ex-wife lunged forward, her eyes on Jolene. With a scream that would live in his nightmares, Angelica’s grip tightened around the knife, the sharp blade glinting in the dim light of the room. The woman he loved was caught in the crosshairs of a crazy woman’s desperate attempt for control. And he was powerless to stop it.

Chapter 25

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