Page 119 of Brew
“If you say one more word!”
“You’re not a bad person,” I go on. “But he brainwashed you, just as he did me and countless others.”
“No. We’re doing the Lord’s work?—”
“They were involved in human trafficking.” I shake my head. “You can’t dispute that, no matter what youthinkhappened, Steven was as much a master manipulator as Vincent was. I’m sorry, I really am, but you’re not going to hurt my friends or my family.”
“You don’t make the rules around here. Don’t come any closer.” She grips the gun with her other hand, she’s shaking like a leaf.
“Erica, be careful,” Bronco says. “Do as she says, back off.”
I lived with this woman for years. I know her. I know when she’s confident in doing something and when she’s not. She’s not going to do it.
“You won’t shoot me,” I say. “You’re not made like that.”
“Stop it!” She turns the gun, pointing at the wall as she shoots. The gun goes off, and I jump. “I will shoot you if you say one more word!”
“Put the gun down and let’s talk this through. You’re going to go to jail, is that what you want? For your kids to never see you again?”
She immediately starts to cry. If I didn’t despise her so much, I might even feel sorry for her. She’s a mess.
Knowing her tact isn’t working, she turns the gun and points it at her head. “It’ll be on you now.”
“No!” I shout. “Jude don’t.”
“You wanted this, didn’t you?” Tears stream down her face. “You wanted all of this?”
“No, I didn’t. I just wanted to live my life how I wanted,” I say truthfully.
Suddenly, there’s a commotion at the door and Jude turns the gun that way. I don’t think — I act. I pull the gun from behind me, out of the waistband of my pj pants, and aim it at her. She fires into the abyss, and before I know what I’m doing, I’m firing at her. She drops the gun from her hand, and it skitters across the room as she drops to the floor. Bronco leaps over the bannister, landing on the couch as he grabs his gun, as well as Jude’s, and aims his piece at the door.
“Erica!” Brew yells. “Holy fuckin’ shit, what the fuck?”
Relief floods through me when I hear his voice.
“Brew?” I cry out, my legs giving way.
Jude lies crumpled on the floor as I take in what just happened. I shot her. I may have killed her.Oh, my god.
Bronco gets to me as I crumble to the floor, then Brew bursts into the room with Haze on his trail, guns blazing. “Erica!” He runs toward me, and I stare up at him with tear-stained eyes.
“I’m okay,” I whisper.
“Olive? Where’s Olive?”
“She’s fine,” Bronco answers for me, pointing upstairs where Amber has shielded her eyes as she cradles her in her arms.
“It’s over,” I mutter as Brew cups my face in his hands. “It’s finally over.”
CHAPTER
FORTY-ONE
Brew
I stare at the scene in front of me, trying to piece it together. “Who?”
“Jude,” Erica mutters. “Steven’s other wife. She… she must have followed us from work.”
