TO DIE FOR (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Book 8) - Willow Rose Page 0,70

she had tried to roll away just as it came down on her. The shoulder looked to be in an odd position, dislocated, and now Sarah was screaming.

But screaming meant she was alive.

The question was for how long.

Lynn didn’t seem to have noticed me. She was focused on her task and pulled the hammer back up into the air, getting herself ready to swing it at Sarah again. Sarah was screaming like a wounded animal, and I knew that she wouldn’t be able to move this time. Her shoulder had been crushed. She was frozen in pain, maybe even drifting into unconsciousness. Meanwhile, the hammer lingered in the air above her as Lynn got ready to let it fall on her again.

What do I do?

I did the only thing I could do. I gathered myself, then stormed with everything I had, all I knew how to, toward her. I blasted into her by her hips and pushed her away. Lynn screamed, and the hammer was dropped, falling on my arm hard. I tumbled on top of Lynn, screaming in pain as she kicked and pushed me, trying to get me off her.

She got to her feet, then went for the gun she had put on the kitchen counter while I struggled to get back up, my arm pounding. When I finally got up, she was standing in front of me with the gun pointed at me. Her nostrils were flaring, her eyes manic.

She didn’t even say anything.

She simply pulled the trigger.

But right when she did, somehow, Sarah had gotten herself onto her feet and managed to grab a plate on the counter and throw it at her. The plate hit Lynn straight in the face, causing her to fall back right when the gun went off. The bullet whistled through the air and hit the cabinets behind me.

A second later, I was on top of Lynn, pinning her down with my one good arm. I sat on her—not letting her move an inch—until the police and EMTs arrived.

Chapter 74

It was four in the morning before I finally made it back home, my arm heavily bandaged. It wasn’t fractured, they told me at the hospital, and I had suffered a concussion from the hit with the glass tray, but I was good to go home if I made sure I got a lot of rest. I wasn’t sure I could live up to that promise with two babies in the house, but I didn’t tell the doctor that.

I opened my front door and stepped into the living room, feeling all kinds of exhausted. I threw my keys on the small table by the door, turned on the lights, then gasped, startled.

“Matt?”

He was sitting in the recliner, staring at me.

“Gosh, you scared me,” I said, clasping my chest.

He didn’t wince. He stared at me, his eyes dark and sinister.

“I waited for you,” he said.

I looked at him, trying to figure out what he was talking about.

“Oh, no,” I said as the dime dropped. “You went to Pompano’s?”

He nodded. “I waited three hours. I called you and texted you, but nothing.”

I looked at the display on my phone. It was pitch black.

“It died hours ago,” I said. “That’s why I didn’t call from the hospital. Plus, I knew you were all probably sleeping. I wanted to tell you everything in the morning. I didn’t have time to call earlier or text you back. It was a matter of life and death.”

“It always is, isn’t it?” he said.

I approached him with an exhale. I rubbed my forehead. “All right, maybe I could have called you back. I did see that you had tried to reach me earlier, but to be honest, I didn’t want to fight with you, and I didn’t have time to explain what was going on. I didn’t want you to get mad at me. I had promised not to deal with this case anymore. I just couldn’t, Matt. You must understand that. I can’t not care.”

“Just not about those that love you.”

“That’s not fair, Matt.”

“It’s not?”

I sat down in the recliner in front of him. I could hear my dad snoring lightly by the fireplace. They were leaving in the morning. I was looking forward to getting the house back, but I was sad to see them go.

“I found Sarah Abbey tonight, Matt. I was right. She was in great danger. I actually saved her if it’s of any interest.”

“That’s great.”

“Yeah, well, she got badly hurt, and they’re not sure