Jake’s team.
“Wallace Henedy has your niece and his wife in the waiting room. He has a revolver. His wife is covered with blood.”
Jake’s blood ran cold. Now, he understood what Jacobson was doing.
He was steps behind Jacobson.
In time to see the man enter one more door.
And then he heard a scream.
Followed by a gunshot.
Jake swore and moved.
He caught the door before it could shut and lock electronically at the very last minute.
He lowered himself in a crouch, weapon in hand, and evaluated the situation—even though his heart was pounding hard enough to break his own damned teeth.
Izzie.
115
Wallace raised the gun and fired again. Just once. Enough to have Allen freezing in his tracks. There was a wild look in the younger man’s eyes. Wallace understood. He held out one hand. “I’m not going to hurt her, Allen. But you need to stop moving. Stay right where you are.”
“Is everyone ok in here?” Allen asked. He practically devoured Izzie with his eyes. Drawn to her. “Tell me that. Izzie?”
She nodded. Her eyes…she adored Allen, too. It was right there for them all to see. It was too late. She’d fallen for the younger man completely.
Maybe that was ok. Maybe the two of them were good for each other. Allen would definitely take care of her, at least. Protect her from the harsh world they lived in. He’d be her hero.
Like Wallace had once been with his Jenny. He risked a look toward her.
She’d perched on the edge of the chair, her body language shouting her anger.
At him. Wallace looked back at Allen, a man he’d always respected. No. Allen would never deliberately hurt little Izzie. “We’re fine. No one’s going to move. We’re going to clear the air here. Then…then I’ll finish what needs finished.”
“What is that?”
“A mess I made twenty-five years ago. Thirty-five, really.” Wallace looked at Jennifer. “We probably never should have married. I’m not…proud…of the things we’ve done. I’ve hurt people. So have you. I…don’t you think we should stop now?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I…you’ve gone off the deep end now. What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to clean things up the way I should have before. When I first realized…”
“Realized what? That you can’t keep it in your pants. Please.”
Her disgust was so…tangible.
“When I realized what you did to Miranda. When you killed her and buried her body near the cabin. I…know what you did.”
She paled. “You knew? All along?”
“Yes. I watched you. I saw the whole thing. I saw you smother her with your own pillow. I watched you bury her in the woods. I should have stopped you after that. I…but I couldn’t. I killed Miranda, as sure as you did. Because she wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for me.”
“No kidding. Everything I’ve ever done, I’ve done for you and the children. All of them. But this…you’ve really fucked up now, Wallace. Ruined everything for me. Thanks for that. I hope this little whore was worth it,” Jennifer said coldly. She didn’t care. She had no regrets about killing Miranda.
He was driven mad by his own regrets and she didn’t care at all.
“You would have had Izzie killed tonight and not even cared one bit. Even though that child has never hurt either of us,” he said slowly, fingers flexing on the handle of the gun. It was unfathomable. She was a mother herself. How could she ever…
No. He had so hoped it wasn’t like that. She’d been so loving with the boys, with him. For years. But it was all an act. A show. “Anyone else who got in your way. It’s you that’s the monster, not me.”
“Wrong. We’re both the monster. What are you going to do now?”
“What I should have done a long time ago. Clean up your own messes, Jennifer.”
Wallace raised the gun. He had three more bullets left. That would be more than enough for what he had to do now. The door swung open.
Wallace squeezed the trigger. Ended it for her once and for all, as a heavy weight slammed into him from behind and he fell forward.
The last sound he heard was little Lizzie’s scream.
And Jennifer crying out his name.
Oh, Jenny, what have we become?
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Jennifer crawled to him. His blood…it had splattered on the wall. On her. On the nurse. Everywhere.
No, not Wallace. Why had he done this? She never would have thought he’d do this to himself. Even to get back at her.
Someone grabbed her and yanked her out of the