A Cry in the Dark (Carly Moore #1) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,135

I’d just made a direct hit. Surely this was over.

But Carson hunched over, as though catching his breath, then stood, his face contorted in pain.

“Bulletproof vest,” Marco muttered.

Dammit. I’d just wasted three of my four shots, and even though his left arm was bleeding, I doubted it was going to stop him from killing us all.

“Leave her alone!” Jerry shouted, moving closer. “I’m not gonna let you hurt anyone else!”

“I think I’ve heard enough,” Carson said with a grunt. He was spinning around to make a run for Jerry, when something flew out of the air and struck Carson in the side of the head. Both the object and Carson fell to the pavement, and I realized it was a baseball-sized rock.

Wyatt burst out from around the front of the tow truck and sprinted for Carson, who lay moaning on his side. Wyatt picked up the rifle, tugging it from Carson’s loose grasp, and pointed it at the dazed man. “You’re not goin’ anywhere.”

Jerry closed in, pointing his gun at Carson’s face, his hand shaking so badly I wasn’t sure if he’d hit his target even at the four-foot range. “You’re gonna pay for what you did. You’re gonna pay for bringin’ that poison to Drum. You’re the one who killed that boy and his mother. You didn’t pull the trigger, but you’re still responsible. Just like you killed George when he said he was gonna turn you in.”

Sirens wailed in the distance and Carson pushed to a sitting position, blood running down the side of his head.

“Don’t do it, Jerry,” Wyatt said. “You think this is what you want, but it’ll eat you up inside. Let the justice system do its job.”

Carson released a laugh. “You think I’ll stay in jail? I work for Bart Drummond.”

“Who will turn on you in a heartbeat,” Wyatt said with a sneer. “You’re about to bring disgrace to the Drummond name, and he will cut you off with a chainsaw. Didn’t you learn anything after what he did to me?”

The sirens were closer, and Wyatt was still holding Carson’s gun, so I walked over and reached for it, tugging slightly. Wyatt glanced at me, his eyes intense with fear and anger, but he must have known what I was doing because he released his grasp, letting me take the weapon. We both knew we couldn’t risk him getting in trouble for holding a gun, even if it was to protect all of us. Marco would back me up and confirm that it belonged to Carson.

Flashing lights appeared at the entrance to the parking lot and three sheriff cars pulled in.

“It’s over, Carson,” Wyatt announced with barely restrained rage. “And you’re about to go away for a very long time.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Carson launched forward, tackling Jerry to the ground, and wrestled for his gun.

I tried to point the rifle at Carson’s head, but they were rolling around too much for me to get a clear shot.

The sheriff SUVs came to a screeching halt, and deputies poured out of the vehicles, surrounding us.

“Freeze! Everyone put your hands up!” a deputy shouted.

I dropped the gun and threw my hands up, but Carson and Jerry were still tangled up and thrashing around.

A gunshot went off in their heap and both men went still.

“Jerry!” I cried out.

The deputies rushed at the two men and rolled Carson onto his back. The handgun clattered to the pavement. The blank look in Carson’s eyes, along with the bloody hole under his chin, made it clear he was dead.

Beside me, Wyatt still had his hands raised high, but as I turned my gaze on him, he lowered his arms and scooped me into his embrace, holding me so tightly I could barely breathe.

“Whoa! Whoa!” Marco shouted at the deputies who had trained their guns at us. “Don’t shoot! They’re with me!”

Wyatt tilted my head back and looked deep into my eyes. “I thought he was gonna shoot you. I thought I was gonna lose you before we could even see where this thing between us might go.”

“I’m fine. You’re fine,” I said with a soft smile. “We’ll be okay.”

He nodded, his jaw tight, like he couldn’t quite believe it was true.

“I think we both deserve a little happiness, don’t you?” I whispered with tears in my eyes. “I’d like to find my happiness with you.”

His eyes turned glassy and he nodded. “I want to find it with you too.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

The sun shone brightly for Seth’s graveside service, warming the nearly two

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