Page 97 of Second First Kiss

“She’s already caught up in it,” Eli said. “And I said stop moving!”

But Kat kept walking at a slow pace as if backing away from a hostile bear. Body big, arms making an X, chest puffed out as full as it could get. Slowly she approached the corner of the house, and Eli, unused to people not following orders when he held a gun, just kept it aimed on Kat.

“If you want to shoot me, fine. But I am going to let my sister go around the side of the house. I promise you can still have me. I won’t bolt. Just let Tess go.” When Eli didn’t answer, Kat, smart thing that she was, said, “She’s just a kid, Eli. Just like yours. You know she has nothing to do with this.”

Eli paused, but wasn’t moved enough to let a witness walk away. “Sorry, no deal.”

“Tessa, go,” Kat said.

“I won’t leave you,” Tessa said.

“This is one of those moments where you trust me and I trust you,” she whispered to her sister.

“No one is going anywhere,” Eli said.

“Go now, Tess,” Kat said, waving her arms and moving to the right, then the left, like a shield. Tessa listened and raced behind the side of the house where Nolan knew she would be pulled into the arms of one of the female agents on the other side.

“Why the hell did you do that?” R. J. asked. “She’s going to go straight to the cops.”

“Go get her,” Eli said to R. J.

“On it.”

“Good luck with that,” Kat said, and Nolan could tell she was working really hard not to look his way for confirmation that her suspicions were correct, and Tessa was going to be safe.

“You,” Eli pointed to Kat with the gun. “You’re coming with me.”

“No.” She folded her arms. “Oprah taught me to never go to the second location. Sorry. If you’re going to kill me, kill me here, where your DNA is everywhere.”

Eli considered this and Nolan knew his ex-partner didn’t like to be pushed into a corner. He was a wild card, so Kat’s tactic could go either way, which was why Nolan and his team stepped out and, with his weapon drawn, Nolan said, “I wouldn’t do that, Eli.”

Eli charged Kat and grabbed her, using her like a human shield, pointing the gun at her temple.

“Put it down,” Nolan said, but Eli didn’t move. “There is no way out and you know it. Your house is being searched as we speak, you know we’re going to find evidence. No one is that clean. Don’t make this worse on yourself.”

Eli hesitated.

“What, are you going to do shoot your way out?” Kat said. “Everyone knows the truth. You won’t get away even if you do shoot me. All you’ll get is a single shot, but you’ll end up on the ground. Read the room, man.”

“She’s right,” Nolan said, his eyes meeting hers, silently asking her if she was okay.

She nodded slightly.

“Let me help you,” Nolan said gently.

“It’s too late. I’m dead either way. I got in too deep and I can’t get out.” Eli’s voice broke.

“Then put the gun down and I’ll do what I can, but if you don’t let her go, there are a dozen barrels aimed at your head right now, all of them ready to take you out.”

Realizing the severity of the situation, Eli looked around at just how many officers and agents were present. All armed and all with one common target—him. But instead of backing off, it increased his determination to go out with a bang.

Kat seemed to sense this as well, because she looked Nolan dead in the eye and mouthed the three sweetest words—I love you. Then she went completely limp in Eli’s arms.

Nolan’s heart fell to his toes as he watched the woman he loved fall to the ground in a heap. He waited for the ear-piercing shot, but it never came. Then he realized she’d dropped on purpose.

Unprepared for the shift in weight, Eli stumbled forward, losing his balance as Kat went crashing to the ground. A single bullet cracked through the spring day, hitting Eli square in the shoulder. An immobilizing shot but not a deadly one.

Nolan wanted to take him out of play but make sure he lived out his life behind bars.

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