Page 38 (1/2)

danger he posed wasn’t past They couldn’t afford for him to realize she wasn’t as cool and collected as she pretended

“You bitch! You shot me!”

Bile rose in her throat She’d gone hunting with her father as a girl, but she’d never hit anything Now she’d shot a hu Sure, he was a tweaked-out psychopath, but still she’d pulled the trigger and put a bullet in a person The reality of it allto twenty, she pushed back her inner turmoil into a closet in her mind She slammed the mental door shut She’d deal with it later

“You” She continued to aiet “Hands on your head” Isn’t that what they always said on TV?

He shot her a scathing look, rolled to his stoers behind his head “This is not right Why is everyone so against me?”

“I don’t think anyone is particularly thrilled with you right now” She pressed back against the bar for support, worried her shaky legs wouldn’t hold out er

Jake stood guard over hi handy nearby?”

“Suzie’s got a bar apron back here Why don’t you use that to tie his hands behind him?”

“Yes, ma’am” Jake kissed her on the top of her head and walked behind the bar to search for the apron

Her stoan to ache unbearably Who knew guns could get so heavy, so fast?

“Got it” Jake came back around, trussed up the man’s feet and wrists and reached for his cellphone He leaned down and whispered so in the killer’s ear

She couldn’t hear the words, but they hed, a cold soundas humor The man’s body stiffened

Claire lowered the gun to the bar and sank onto a stool Her stomach twisted and cramped She laid her head down on the dark wood The cool surface calave her a chance to think for a ht move Really, she never had another choice

Sirens cried in the distance With a relieved sigh, she slid off the stool Her knees shook a bit, but she maintained her someobbly stance She’d always heard it seemed like forever for law enforcement to respond Now she understood what that meant

“You okay? You’re not looking so hot” Jake tilted his head