Just One Kiss (Whisper Lake #4) - Barbara Freethy Page 0,94
had she listened to Kelly? She should have called the police first.
She forced those regretful thoughts out of her head. She couldn't change what she'd done. She had to figure out a way to get that gun away from Tom.
"Oh, God," Kelly gasped, suddenly using her free hand to clutch her stomach. "It hurts. It hurts so much." Her sister started to breathe so hard that Hannah scrambled to her feet.
"I told you to sit," Tom ordered.
"Then shoot me, because I'm going to help my sister." She got up and moved to the bed, putting her hand on Kelly's abdomen. She was looking for contractions, rigidity, but she felt nothing. Kelly had to be faking it. Now what? She needed to get Tom out of the room.
"I need a knife," she said abruptly.
Kelly's eyes widened in shock.
"From the kitchen," she told Tom. "I need to puncture her abdomen. It's filling with air. She's going to die if I don't do that. Can I get it?"
"No way. You're just going to run."
"Then you get it. We're not going anywhere. Unless you want my sister to die. Is that it? I thought you loved her."
"I do love her. She's mine. The baby is mine. We're going to be a family," Tom said, his words becoming more frantic and desperate.
"Then help me save her life. Please." She had no idea what she was going to do with the knife if he actually brought her one, but if she could get him out of the room, she could lock the door and maybe buy them a little more time, although the flimsy lock on the door probably wouldn’t hold him back long. Her mind raced as she calculated how long it would take her to shove the dresser in front of the door. He could shoot his way through the wood.
This could be the worst plan she'd ever come up with.
Kelly screamed in agony, even as her hand stroked Violet's back. The baby began to cry, too.
Hannah felt like joining them. She needed to release the tension and the fear, but she had to stay strong. "We're going to lose her," she said. "Help me, Tom."
"You're lying," he said, shaking his head. "You're not going to cut up your sister. She's faking. She's not dying."
Her ruse was not working, and a sense of overwhelming despair came over her.
What was she going to do now?
And then she heard a loud bang.
Tom's gaze flew to the door. Another bang came from the front of the house, louder this time.
Her heart sang with relief, as Tom raced out of the room. She ran to the bedroom door just in time to see the front door of the cabin swing open. Tom took several wild shots.
She screamed, terrified that it was Jake that Tom was shooting at.
But then out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jake come out of the kitchen. He launched himself on Tom's back, taking him down to the floor. The gun flew out of Tom's hand. She closed the bedroom door and then raced forward to grab the gun. Once she had it in her hand, she didn't know what to do. The two men were fighting for their lives, knocking over furniture, landing punishing blows, but they were so tangled up together, she couldn't pull the trigger and accidentally shoot Jake.
Tom had at least fifty pounds on Jake, but Jake was punching with a ferocity she'd never seen. Still, she didn't know if he could take Tom down. She wanted to help. She had to do something. She had to save Jake and her sister and her niece and herself.
As Tom shoved Jake off him with almost superhuman strength and lunged to his feet, she had her chance. She fired a single shot, hitting Tom square in the chest.
Tom's eyes widened in shock as he fell to his knees and then onto his back.
Another man came through the door, and she turned her gun in his direction.
Davis McKenna quickly put up a hand. "It's me, Hannah."
She blew out a breath, her hand still shaking. She needed to let go of the gun, but she couldn't get her fingers to move. And then Jake was there.
"Give me the gun, Hannah," he said quietly.
She met his gaze and his eyes reassured her. She let him take the gun, relieved when it was out of her grip. She was reeling. Blood was racing through her veins and her heart was beating way too fast.