Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
Noah
A thin ray of light glows beneath the door.
“You.”
The shriek is sharp, warped—nothing like Alicia.
Cold shoots through my veins. She’s not alone. Alicia’s not alone.
Every muscle goes tight.
My fingers curl in.
My vision tunnels.
The hallway narrows to the one door.
I twist the knob.
Locked.
“Alicia?”
I lean back.
Jam my shoulder.
Once.
The door quakes.
Lean back.
Kick.
Bam.
The wood splinters.
The door swings.
Slams against the wall.
Jessica’s cornered.
Half-lit.
My gaze locks on the revolver.
Alicia’s five feet back.
The desk between her and a gun.
Pointed at her. Not precisely.
A tremor.
Too damn close.
A flash of terror steals my wits.
For one slashing second, every nightmare I’ve had about losing someone detonates behind my ribs. Then training shoves terror aside.
“Jessica. Put it down.”
Her arm jerks—pointing the gun at me.
That’s better.
My weight falls over the balls of my feet.
Shoulders forward.
Hands slightly open.
Ready to strike.
I inch forward.
Slow.
Imperceptible.
The gun trembles.
She’s panicked.
Or high. Or gone.
“Lower it.”
The whites of her eyes flash.
“What’re we doing here, Jess?”
“Jessica’s going to leave.” Alicia breathes out, voice soft.
Scared.
“We’re going to—”
“Shut up!” Jessica shrieks.
The finger around the trigger curls.
Alicia inhales sharply.
Jessica swings the barrel.
I lunge.
Diagonal.
Arms out.
Low.
I torque her wrist outward, pivoting on my hips, forcing her arm away from Alicia and toward the floor.
The gun clicks.
Jessica stiffens against me.
She struggles—but I’ve got a tight hold.
A scream pierces the air.
High. Sharp. Feral.
Rage. Pain. No fear.
An elbow digs into my ribs.
But my hand’s on the muzzle.
The metal slips from my fingers.
She kicks back.
Getting air.
The back of her head slams against my sternum.
My grip tightens.
She twists.
Nails dig into my skin, down my jaw.
With a grip on her bicep, I spin her.
She slams against the wall.
Her head hits.
The crazed eyes calm. Stunned.
The gun drops.
A metallic clang on the hardwood.
I step forward. Kick it away.
Eyes locked on Jessica.
Arms out—ready to grab should she make a break.
She lunges.
A mountain lion.
Claws out.
She swings.
Scratches.
Grabs my collar.
Spits.
Mascara streaks down her face.
Her punches are untrained.
Wild, glancing blows.
The one thing I register—she’s no longer a danger.
But she is a train wreck.
I catch her wrists.
Corner her against the wall.
Neutralizing the threat.
Her body twists—with less heart.
“Stop. It’s over.”
“Noooo.”
It’s half wail, half trapped animal.
She crumples, knees giving way.
With her full weight hanging from her wrists, I let her fall to the floor.
Alicia steps forward, picks up the gun, and passes it to me.
I spin the chamber. Empty.
She brought an unloaded gun.
“He was supposed to choose me.”
Tears and sweat mar her face.
“He said—he said—he loved me! We were supposed to be a family.”
Alicia’s dark blue eyes lock on the quivering wreck on the floor.
Stoic. Horrified.
Jessica lifts her chin and glares past me—directly at Alicia.
She looks at Alicia like she’s something beneath contempt, and I might as well not be in the room.
“You ruin everything. You always have.” Her tear-blurred eyes lock on Alicia. “People see you and they just—choose you. You ruin lives.”
Her voice cracks. Visible tears cascade. “All perfect. So untouchable. He loved me. Me!”
The cadence is manic.
Almost childlike.
Mentally unstable.
“He wouldn’t move forward while you were still in the picture. He said once you were gone, everything would fall into place.”
Once she was gone?
Fury detonates in my chest. Gone? She believed that—actually believed removing Alicia would fix her life.
I shift back, taking her in.
“Stella is happy with us. I’m good for her. She’s good with me. But you…you wouldn’t stay out of the way. A miserable, fucking gatekeeper.”
What’s terrifying is that this woman seriously believes every word she’s spewing.
Her eyes snap wide.
She pushes up.
I react. Arm over her shoulders.
“Richard was supposed to be mine!”
Hair sticks to the side of her face.
Alicia’s frozen, one hand pressed to her chest. Shocked.
Jessica struggles—but it’s half-hearted.
Fast, heavy steps grow louder.
Gabriel bursts in.
Gun drawn.
“Don’t move.” His voice is ice.
I’m still.
But that icy voice is what Jessica needs.
She stills too.
Gabriel steps forward. Cuffs her.
She slumps onto the ground.
In a low, cracked voice, her dark eyes trained on Alicia: “You don’t deserve him. You don’t deserve any of this. And it’s not just me.” Her gaze sharpens, glassy and hateful. “You have no idea how many people hate you. Want you gone.”
Alicia’s frozen. Gabriel’s at my side, scanning the room.
“Jake send you?” I ask.
“He’s outside. Circling the perimeter. There’s a ladder against the side of the house.”
“Unloaded gun,” I say, gesturing with my head to the desk.
He lifts his eyebrows in acknowledgment. Doesn’t say anything, but I read him.
She’s a crackpot.
“Cops en route. You got this?”
“Yeah,” I say, taking in Alicia.
“I’m gonna go clear.”
I understand what Gabe’s saying.
There could be others.
Outside the window, blue and red lights flash.
Hesitant to leave watch over Jessica, I hold an arm out.
Alicia steps forward, close enough I can touch the side of her face.
“You hurt?” Her gaze stays locked on Jessica. “Alicia—talk to me.”
A police officer enters the room. There’s another behind him.
I catch his eye and step back, gathering Alicia against me.
The officers round Jessica.
Alicia rests her head against my shoulder, sinking into me.
“You’re here.” Her voice breaks. “You got here in time.”
I press my lips to the top of her head. “Always.”