Page 165 of Girl Between
Monroe grinned; gun leveled at them.
“What’s happening?” Amelia whispered.
Dana’s only answer was to pull the frightened girl further behind her.
“There’s no need for that,” Monroe said. “I’d never hurt Amelia.”
“Right,” Dana scoffed. “How many other women have you made that promise to before murdering them?”
“Murder?” Amelia squeaked.
“It’s over, Monroe. The police have the building surrounded,” Dana said, buying every last second she could. “Give up now and I’ll tell them you’re cooperating.”
Monroe only laughed. “Usually, the one with the gun gets to make the demands.”
“You know I’m right. You can hear them coming, can’t you?”
Dana wasn’t bluffing. In the moments she’d held her breath, trying to stay out of sight, she’d heard the building come to life. It wasmore than the usual groans of disrepair. The police were here; she just needed to keep Monroe talking and give them time to find her.
The gunshots had been foolish on Monroe’s part. If she could draw his fire again, he’d have one less bullet, and the police would have a better understanding of their location.
Dana took a step toward Monroe.
He sharpened his aim. “Did I say you could move?”
“If you wanted me dead, you would’ve done it already,” Dana taunted.
His tone turned deadly. “I wouldn’t test that theory if I were you.”
Dana swallowed her fear and took another step toward him. Monroe did the same, his gun leveled at her face. “Do it,” she dared him. “Pull the trigger.”
“No!” Dr. Landry burst into the room. His sudden appearance shattered the standoff, and the night detonated into chaos.
Amelia called out to her father—Monroe whirled toward Landry—Dana lunged for the gun.
In the blink of an eye, Dana gained the upper hand. But not before Monroe got off a shot. It was meant for her, but Landry got in the way. She wasn’t sure where he’d been hit. She was too focused on going for the gun, which skittered across the floor after she collided with Monroe.
Three of the four people in the room hit the ground. Only two got back up. Only one had the gun.
The click of the hammer cocking echoed through the darkness with finality.
Dana’s eyes gleamed with pain, but she held enough strength to finish what she started. Gritting her teeth, she leveled the gun at Monroe and squeezed the trigger.
149
In the blink of an eye,Dana lost the upper hand she’d fought so hard for.
Her aim was true, but she should’ve known Monroe would have an insurance plan. Dana watched in horror as he deployed it without hesitation.
While Dana’d been scrambling after the gun, Monroe had positioned himself perfectly. Dana’s bullet hit Monroe in the thigh, where she intended, but that hadn’t stopped him from dragging Amelia into the fray. Now, he held the frail girl in front of him like a human shield, knife to her throat.
“Please,” Dr. Landry said, dragging himself toward his daughter on his knees. “She’s all I have left.”
“Whose fault is that?” Monroe yelled, spewing vitriol.
“I told you,” Landry implored. “I tried, but there was nothing I could do for Rebecca.”
“Lies!” Monroe swiped at his twitching eye with the back of his hand. “I should take Amelia from you, so you know what it feels like.”
