“Of course you didn’t. How could you? I heard you ask who was at the door, and I made some excuse of having the wrong apartment. I didn’t stick around for her to ask any questions. I just had to get out of there.”
Josie waited for his response, but when he didn’t say anything, she continued, “The first time when I woke up with you by my side, I thought God was playing a cruel joke. I would’ve never believed in a million years our paths would cross again, but there you were again the next morning. It was like you were like a bright angel sent to save me from darkness and evil. It all seemed to good to be true.” After another brief moment of silence, she felt another kiss, and a flood of tears streamed down her face. “But now look what I’ve done. Instead of just harming myself, I’m responsible for dragging you into this,” she sobbed. “Don’t say that,” he commanded. “I was involved the moment I took you from Keystone.” “I killed Daniel,” she went on. “That’s the real reason I didn’t want to go to the police.” “Shh. It’s okay. I’m sure Michelle had more to with that you think.”
Josie shook her head. “And I dropped a picture of you in the house today. Michelle put two and two together and that’s how she found you.” “Josie, we can go back and forth, and it’s not going to change anything. We need to figure a way out of this mess.” That was impossible until Josie remembered. “I have a .22 in a ankle strap.” “What?” “Tammy said a girl should always carry back up.”
“Who?” He shook his head. “Never mind. There’s hope. If I could just try and reposition myself, I can try to undo your hands with my mouth, and then we can work our way from there.”
Hope flourished throughout her body. “Do you think you can do it?”
“I’m going to give it a try.”
#
Michelle was on top of the world as she drove down the hilly landscape toward the lake at the bottom of the property. In a few minutes, she would be rid of Josie forever and her transformation would be complete.
“Who’s a lost cause now?”
It’s not over until the fat lady sings.
She chuckled. “You just can’t give me credit for pulling this off, can you?” Her laughter deepened. “It doesn’t matter. Once I get to Rio or something and find a new quack doctor to prescribe my lithium pills, I’ll be rid of you, too.”
“Are you talking to us?” gorilla number one asked.
Michelle’s eyes narrowed. “Did I call your name?” Not that she knew it.
The high cackle reverberated throughout the walls of her brain. Is that what you think? You can get rid of me? Please, I’ll always be here, watching you screw up everything. And trust me. You’ll screw this up as well. You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t.
“A lot you know.” Michelle gritted her teeth and swerved to miss a bush.
The men in the car stared at her again.
Look at you. You’re going to kill us before we even get there.
Michelle slowed, not that she agreed with her inner voice, but because they had reached the lake. “This is it,” she whispered, and an anxious smile ballooned on her face. Stopping a few feet from the lake, she and her men climbed out of the car. “Are you sure this is such a hot idea?” the gorilla challenge. “What if the lake isn’t deep enough?” “It’s deep enough,” she assured him. “What if the car doesn’t sink?” She stared at the clueless man. “And why wouldn’t it sink?” He shrugged. “I don’t know. Luther?” Luther hunched his shoulders. “All I know is that D’Angelo didn’t say anything about killing nobody.” “I’ll pay him later for the favor.” Luther shook his head. “Those type of things need to be negotiated up front.”
“Fine,” she hissed. “I’ll do it myself.” She stormed back to the driver’s side door and pulled out the Glock they’d confiscated from Josie. She shifted the car into drive, and then moved out of the way when it started to roll into the lake. When it passed her, she aimed the gun at the trunk. “Watch and learn,” she said, slow like freshly sapped maple, and fired two shots.
#
“Gunshots fired! Gunshots fired!” Tyrese shouted as he still huffed toward the mansion. He dropped the phone and reached for the gun at his waist. He was still too far away from the house let alone from whatever was going on in the back.
Behind him, two pair of headlights appeared. He turned and instantly recognized the police vehicles rushing toward him. The first one slowed long enough for him to open the back door and jump inside.
“Something is going on in the back,” he shouted.
The car sped off and within seconds crest the hill in back and then accelerated even more toward the three figures by the lake. Each stared up at them like deer caught in headlights. # “What the hell!” Michelle lifted the gun at the first car and fired straight at the driver. The car swerved off course and her next shot missed the person sitting in the passenger seat. Suddenly, the night was alive with gunfire. D’Angelo’s men found themselves caught in the crossfire. Luther was the first to go down.
Michelle didn’t see what happen, nor did she care. She was too busy scrambling behind the bushes. She heard a splash and peeked around to see the car she’d shot at hit the water, but she also caught sight of a tall Asian woman rolling away from the lake.
I don’t think it’s wise to be shooting at the police, Michelle.
“Shut up!” She glanced around, spotted another bush, and made a mad dash for it. After another glance, she saw the man she’d referred to as gorilla was holding his own in the mist of the chaos.
Here’s to another screw up.
Michelle rubbed the gun against her head. “Shut up!” Her gaze found the house off in the distance. “I just need to make it up the hill.”
#
An unfathomable terror swarmed through Josie as she kept her head above the water that poured in around her. “William, where are you?”
She struggled against her ropes and tried to flip over. Was he hit? Was he dead?
“Dear God, help us,” she said through short, asthmatic like pants. She wiggled some more, hoping to at least feel William body somewhere near her, but she was caught off guard when her hands unraveled from the rope. William’s head splashed above the surface, though it was clear that he’d swallowed a good dose of water. “Hurry up and undo me.” “Are you okay?” “Hurry.” His head slipped back under the water. Seconds later, both were submerged in the dirty, silty water as the car plunged to the bottom of the lake.
Chapter 37
The moment Ming had hit the ground and rolled away, she realized only she and Tyrese escaped the car. “Jorge didn’t make it out,” she shouted to her partner. “I’ll get him. You go after Andrews!” She climbed to her feet and sprinted for cover. Tyrese dived into the muddy lake water like an Olympic diver.
A bullet zinged past Ming’s left ear. Stunned, she cupped her ear with one hand and shot at her attacker with the other. Her first bullet took one of the muscle-bound men down; the second one missed his partner.
The other two officers sprayed the perimeter with bullets, though just like a bad movie, somehow they all missed.
The initial numbness in Ming’s ear morphed into an excruciating pain. Determined it wouldn’t slow her down, she sprinted into the long line of short-cropped bushes and struggled to make out Andrews. It was hard to see anything while trying not to lose a chunk of her backside.
Michelle had to be headed toward the house, Ming deduced, and ran that direction.