Page 59 of Dark Terror
There was no emotion in the bastard’s voice, no sound of regret for what he planned. Gabe crushed his rage. To save Cara he couldn’t let his feelings for her dictate his actions. One wrong move and it could all go horribly south.
Cara stared into those cold-as-a-glacier eyes and knew no matter what she said, the man was going to kill her. But she still had to try. “There’s no way the police are going to believe your father murdered me since he’s not here and you are.”
“You have no imagination, Ms. Jenner. Once the deed is done, I’ll call him.”
“And tell him what? That there’s a dead body in his house? He’ll call the cops.”
“See what I mean about no imagination? I’m going to tell him that I’ve done some horrible things that I can’t live with. If he thinks I’m going to take my own life, dear Daddy will definitely come. All I have to do is make an anonymous phone call to the local police and they’ll arrive on the scene right after he does.” He held up the gun in his rubber-gloved hands. “Like I told you, this is his gun with his fingerprints on it.”
“I hope you like prison food because the cops aren’t as stupid as you think they are.” She hoped so, anyway. There was always the chance his plan could work.
He raised the gun, pointing it at her chest. Somehow, from the time he’d kidnapped her until now, this hadn’t seemed real. But looking down the barrel of that gun, into that black hole a bullet would fly out of, her heart thudded with the realization that she was going to die tonight. She thought she should be screaming, but she was eerily calm. In only seconds she’d be seeing her parents and brother again, and she thought it was for that reason alone that she was at peace with her fate.
Her only regret was for Gabe. He was the kind of man who would blame himself for not keeping her safe, and she wished she could tell him not to feel guilty. He would, though, and she was sorry for that.
She lifted her chin and stared her killer in the eyes. “I forgive you.” The words weren’t planned and surprised her, but with them said, she recognized them as true. She didn’t want to die with hate in her heart.
His eyes widened in surprise. “You almost make me sorry I have to do this, Ms. Jenner.”
Movement caught her attention, and she gasped when Gabe appeared behind TJ. He’d found her!
He held up his weapon. “Police. Drop your gun, Mr. Sherman.”
Her kidnapper stared at her for a few seconds before giving her a smile that chilled her to the bone. “Seems you get to live after all, Ms. Jenner.” Then he swung his gun toward Gabe.
“No,” Cara screamed.
Chapter Nineteen
In the split second when TJ aimed a gun at him, Gabe knew the man’s intention was suicide by cop. Before he could pull the trigger of his weapon, a window shattered and the man who’d killed one woman and planned to kill another stared down at his chest as if wondering why his shirt was turning red. The gun dropped from his hand, and his body folded into itself as he fell to the floor.
Gabe managed to holster his weapon before Cara landed in his arms. He hugged her tightly to him while trying to calm his racing heart. He’d come so close to losing her, and it was going to take a long time to get the image of a gun aimed at her out of his head.
“I thought he was going to kill you,” she said.
He leaned away so he could see her face. “Never. We have unfinished business, you and I.” He brushed his thumbs across her cheeks, collecting her tears.
She gave him a trembling smile. “Yeah, we do.”
And because he had to, he kissed her. Harry rushed in, followed by the local cops. Gabe reluctantly pulled his mouth away from Cara’s, but he didn’t let go of her. He couldn’t.
“You okay?” Harry asked, putting her hand on Cara’s shoulder.
“I am now.” She darted a glance at the body on the floor, then buried her face against his chest. “Can I wait outside?”
“I’ve called my chief,” Rex Wilder said. “The coroner’s on the way.” He smiled at Cara. “I know it’s been a difficult night for you, but we’re going to need all of you to come to the station to give statements.”
Cara let out a weary sigh. “I understand.”
As much as he wanted to take her home and take care of her, he knew they had no choice. This wasn’t their jurisdiction, and the locals had been cool in letting them come into their territory and control the situation.
There was one person he needed to thank. “Where’s Max?”
Harry waved a hand at the door. “Waiting for us outside. He said he had no desire to see…” She glanced at Cara.
He nodded, understanding that Max didn’t want the image of the man he’d killed in his head. “We’ll wait with him.” He took Cara’s hand and walked onto the porch with her.
Max was leaning against the railing, his arms crossed over his chest, his head bowed, and his eyes closed. Cara pulled her hand out of his and walked up to Max, stopping a few feet away from him.
