35. Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Five
B rooke held Cody’s hand as they trudged up the stairs toward the bedroom. Susanne would be home soon. She’d stayed behind at the bookstore with a policeman protecting her to lock up once the police and fire department finished their investigation.
Exhausted yet amped on adrenaline, Brooke wasn’t looking forward to the crash. Or the nightmares of seeing Adam again, bringing up everything from the past.
“I’m going to draw us a bath, sweetheart.”
She stopped outside her bedroom door, not remembering closing it. She’d been anxious and in a rush to make it to the store on time. “Let me grab some fresh clothes.”
“You won’t need them.” His sexy smirk made her belly flutter. Cody’s plan to distract her from what happened tonight made her body hum with anticipation.
Maybe she’d slip into something sexy for him to peel off with his teeth. “I’ll need something to wear in the morning. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
He gave her a soft kiss on the forehead, then headed down the hall to his bedroom and the amazing soaker tub she couldn’t wait to slip into with him, so she could climb on top of him and forget everything for a little while.
She didn’t know why, but she approached her closed door cautiously, reaching for the handle and turning it slowly. She sucked in a deep breath, mustered her courage, and slowly opened the door to the dark shadows in the room.
Adam Harris stepped into the open doorway and grabbed her with one hand at the back of her neck, the other over her mouth. “Don’t scream. I just want to talk to you.”
She didn’t believe that for a moment, but nodded.
Her insides went cold. Her bones turned to ice.
Flashes of memories of his attack on her assailed her mind and made it hard to think.
He pulled her into the room, kicking the door shut with barely a sound, then turning them so his back was to the door. He walked her backward, toward the bed.
Cold terror paralyzed her mind. She needed to fight, but couldn’t make her body respond to that order as a cold chill ran through her.
Her knees hit the bed, and he pushed her down so she sat on the edge, then pulled a gun from behind his back and pointed it in her face. “I’m going to take my hand away. Don’t scream.”
She scrambled back on the bed, ended up on her knees, and held up both hands, palms up to block a bullet that would rip right through her. “Don’t shoot, Adam. Please. Leave me alone,” she begged, tears welling in her eyes.
He shook the gun at her. “Do you see me?”
She stared at him, from his black hoodie down his black jeans to his black boots. “Yes, Adam. I see you.”
He pointed the gun at the window. “They don’t. No one does.” He pointed the gun at her. “Only you see me.”
“I do. I see that you need help. You should be in the hospital.” How did he get out?
He brushed his fingers through his hair, pulling it when he reached the ends. “Fuck that place. All they want to do is keep me sedated and stupid.”
He went to the door, locked it, then turned back, pointed the gun at her again, and closed the distance between them. “I’m not spending my life in a place like that, wasting away.”
“Adam, the doctors can help you control your urges.”
He shook his head. “After tonight, I won’t need that.”
Her whole body shook. “What do you mean?”
“My parents want to leave me in that place. Lock me up and throw away the key. Their visits have slowed. It won’t be long until they don’t come at all. No one will remember who I am, or what I did, and they won’t have to accept that… They. Made. Me. This. Way!” He slammed his fisted hand into his head with each of those words.
She hoped Cody heard Adam’s shouted rant. “I understand you’re upset they sent you there. They want to help you.”
“I don’t need help! I deserve to be punished for what I’ve done.” His gaze went soft on her. “I love you. I never meant to hurt you.” He pressed his hand and the gun to his forehead. “You were supposed to see how much I love you. How good we could be together. But nothing went right. You didn’t want to be with me. You want to be with him !” Adam pointed the gun at her bedroom door. “I know you love him . I heard you say it at the bookstore. And now you’re getting married.” He stared at the ring on her finger on the hand she had fisted, clutched over her heart with her other hand. The one he’d broken.
She tried to explain her side of things. “Adam, I loved Cody long before I met you. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t like you, that we weren’t friends. You tried so hard to get my attention. You sent all those wonderful gifts, but you never told me how you felt. Not once when we spoke in person. You could have said something at the picnic, the Christmas party, one of the outings with all our friends,” she said, reminding him of the good times they’d shared, letting him know she hadn’t forgotten.
His eyes went soft as his body relaxed. “I wanted to, but the words wouldn’t come. My nerves got the better of me. I wanted so badly to whisper them in your ear, then shout them to the world. But we were never alone. I wanted it to be you and me. I wanted to spend time with you. I wanted so many things.” He shook his head with regret. “Now look what’s happened.” He hit the side of the gun against his head once, twice, over and over again. “I fucked it all up!”
“Adam, please, stop. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“It hurts so bad, knowing that I hurt you.”
“Then why did you do it? Why did you push me off that curb and try to burn down my store?” She knew he’d attacked her in a rage about the baby, but not why he’d tried to hurt her again if he felt this remorseful.
“You won’t believe me.”
“Maybe I will if you tell me the truth.”
His shoulders went lax. “It wasn’t me. Yes, I was following you, but only because I wanted to get you alone.” He gripped his hair and tugged. “Not like that. Like this, so I could talk to you.”
With a gun?
She kept her mouth shut about that. “Then tell me. If it wasn’t you, then who?”
“I don’t know. Some blonde. She saw you and slipped in behind you with the others. I thought maybe she was a friend of yours, though she’s a bit older than you. When she pushed you, I froze. I couldn’t believe it. Then I rushed forward, thinking that was it, you were dead. I’d never get to talk to you, to tell you…everything. And it would all be for nothing. No one would care.”
“About what?”
“This. Me. You. What happened. I need you to understand. To be with me.”
She didn’t understand what he meant. “Adam…”
“After you were okay on the street, I followed her back to her car.” He pulled out a wadded-up piece of paper and tossed it on the bed. “Blue BMW. That’s the license number. I didn’t think I’d see her again. Until I did, tonight.”
Oh my God!
She leaned toward him. “You didn’t try to burn down the bookstore, did you?”
His shoulders went lax. “I just wanted to see you on your big night. I snuck in the back.” His mouth tilted into a lopsided frown. “You should really lock that door during business hours.”
She thought she had, but maybe her mom or Cody had forgotten when they came through that way. Didn’t matter now.
Adam stepped closer. “I stayed at the back, so no one would notice me. But then she slipped out from one of the aisles while you were speaking and snuck into your office. I tried to grab her, but then I saw the smoke and saw the flames and rushed to put them out. That’s when you saw me. She’d already gone out the back door. I thought I could catch her, but she sped away in her car again.”
“I think it was Cody’s ex.”
His gaze narrowed. “She’s really got it out for you.”
“That bitch won’t get away with it. I have you as an eyewitness.”
“Who would believe me?”
“I do.”
He shrugged. “It’s finally over for me. Now you know, you can stop her.”
“What do you mean it’s over for you? What do you want? Why are you here?”
His gaze swept over her scarred arms. “I hurt you. I killed your baby.” Tears streamed down his face. His eyes pleaded with her. “It could have been our baby if I’d only done things the right way.”
Okay, now that was crazy. But who knew…maybe if Cody and Kristi hadn’t lost the baby and married, she could have moved on with Adam, and she and Cody would have simply been co-parents to their child.
No. For her it had always been Cody.
She shook off any thoughts of Adam being her baby’s stepfather.
“Brooke?” Cody rattled the nob. “Why’s the door locked?”
“Do you see me?” Adam raised the gun and pointed it at her again.
“Brooke!” Cody pounded on the door after hearing Adam’s voice, shaking it in the frame.
Adam held the gun steady. “All I wanted was you. I love you. You’re my everything.”
He’s going to kill me, then himself.
“Please, Adam, don’t do this. Please.”
“I love you. I never wanted to hurt you .” He put the gun to his head.
She had only a second of relief before his teary eyes locked on hers.
“Do you think you ever could have loved me?”
“Adam. Please.”
“Do you see me?” His soft, anguished voice broke her heart.
She held her hand out to him, hoping he didn’t do what she thought he was going to do. “Yes, Adam. I see you. I see you. Please, don’t do this. I’ll help you. I see you .” She reached for him.
The gun went off. The side of Adam’s head exploded in a burst of blood.
She flinched and her whole body froze in that moment, her eyes glued to Adam’s soulfully sad gaze.
Cody kicked in the door. It swung wide and slammed against the wall. Cody ran toward her.
Adam fell to his knees, hit the floor, his head bouncing on the carpet, his cold, dead eyes staring at her.
Cody wrapped his arms around her, pulled her off the bed, and ran out of the room with her like she weighed nothing. She stared back over his shoulder. One last glimpse at Adam’s dead body lying sideways on her floor, blood staining her cream carpet deep, dark red.
No. She didn’t want this. She’d never wanted this.