FightFlight
Vera
There are sights no one should ever endure: a dying child, a field of corpses, an animal tortured for sport, and murder up close. Holly’s last sound was a glass-shattering scream before Erin’s bullet shattered her skull.
I shouted Holly’s name, but received no response.
Crimson fluid seeped into my dress while I grappled with what was happening.
Pieces of her skull were on my lap as her body lost its life.
“This isn’t h-happening. I-it can’t be,” I stammered.
I was in too much shock to mourn or cry.
I didn’t dare look at Holly again. My eyes couldn’t unsee what they had already seen, and once was enough.
I chose the first, fleeing from Holly’s lifeless body to protect Alistair. Call it instinct or protectiveness, I was ready to fight for him.
“No,” he growled, shielding me from Erin.
“Step away, Scotty. I don’t want to hurt you. It’s her blood I want,” she ordered, pointing the gun at me.
“Why?” I asked. She looked deranged with her unkempt hair, hollow eyes, and gaunt cheeks.
“Holly was an easy kill,” she said, glancing at the dead body before fixing a hateful glare at me. “Do you know that the area between the eyes and nose is the best place to shoot you dead? It’s called the T-box. All it takes is good practice at the shooting range.”
Alistair stared hard at Erin. “Put the gun down.”
Ignoring him, Erin’s crazed eyes widened. “Beyond the T-box is the lower brain. It houses the brain stem that allows our vital organs, including the heart, to function. When I hit it, bam. Instant shutdown.”
She tilted the gun higher. “I gave your friend a quick death. One shot. No pain, no time to scream. If you’re lucky, I’ll give you the same. Want to know how it feels to die?”
“No,” I said. “I am not dying today.”
“SHUT UP!” Erin’s scream blasted through the room, my ears ringing from the force. Her lips curled tight. “The last thing you’ll see is this gun before your brain bursts.”
“Don’t do it,” Alistair pleaded. “Think of Camilla and Oliver. Think of our family.”
“Family?” Erin shrieked. “Oliver left me. He took Camilla. All because of that slut of yours, Scotty.”
The words hit like whiplash. “What? Why?” I gasped.
“You leaked my story to the press.”
“What the fuck?” The disbelief ripped out of me. “You think that was me?”
“Take your phone out of your handbag over there.” Erin pointed the gun toward my Hermès Birkin bag on the table by the window.
I hesitated, taking a careful step.
“Do it. Now,” Erin ordered.
My eyes locked with Alistair’s, begging him without words to trust me. I brushed my fingers over his, a silent promise I’d be okay. He nearly didn’t let go. For him, surrendering control was agony. For me, it was survival.
Finally, his hand slipped away. I crossed to the table, lifted the bag, and pulled out my phone. The screen lit under my thumb as I unlocked it, the glow sharp against the darkness closing in.
“Now, go to Lester Harbor Exposed. What’s on the home page?” Erin snapped.
Oh, God. No.
“Read it aloud. I want Scotty to hear what you’ve done.” She flicked the gun like a pointer, daring me to refuse.
The words blurred as I stared at the screen, my fingers trembling. “This week’s exclusive story: Who fathered Erin Everton-Scott’s child? Lester Harbor lawyer Vera Richland reveals the ugly truth about Camilla Scott.” My voice faltered on the last line.
“Erin, this wasn’t me,” I protested.
“Read it.”
“Miss Richland, who is billionaire Alistair Scott’s live-in lover, claims he is the biological father of Erin’s daughter.” My throat closed on those words. “This is preposterous. I swear to God, it wasn’t me. I never spoke to the press.”
“You’re a liar.” Erin sneered. “You aired my filth to the press.” She whipped her gaze to Alistair. “Don’t you see? She’s the thorn between us. She’s manipulating you.”
“Manipulating me?” Alistair scoffed. “The only one pulling the strings here is the woman pointing the gun.” His eyes flicked at Holly’s corpse, then back to Erin. “We can clean this mess, but not if you pull the trigger.”
Her grip trembled, desperation seeping through the rage. “You and I… We still have a chance, don’t we?” Her wild eyes begged him for something that no longer existed.
He pressed his lips and bowed his head. His green eyes sparkled like jewels when he looked up. Except, the sparkle wasn’t joyous. His eyes glistened with tears. “Don’t do it,” he pleaded hoarsely.
“You don’t understand. Vera destroyed everything I had.”
“Who fed you that bullshit?” he demanded.
“Does it matter?”
“I want to know everything, Erin. Who’s been whispering in your ear? And were you responsible for the media attacks against Vera and me?”
Erin’s swollen lips gave way to a smirk as she tilted her head. “The smear campaign was Oliver’s idea. He wanted to have a little fun, so I asked a friend for help.”
Alistair’s lips lost their color when they tightened. “Who is this friend?”
“Saira Quinn.” Erin’s smirk widened. “She and I met at a few social events. She said she’d pull strings on Lester Harbor Exposed.”
My stomach turned cold. “Saira is poison, Erin. Poison to your soul.”
“She’s my friend, and she’ll be out of jail before you know it. She called me this afternoon about the article. Said you’d be at the brothel, catching Alistair fucking that whore.”
Oh, my God. Can Erin be any dumber?
This was Saira’s chaos. She weaponized Erin’s stupidity.
Holly would kill Alistair, and Erin would finish Holly and me.
Curtain down, grand finale. I could still see Saira’s evil smile when she said, “There’s a broken animal who’s on the loose.
” She meant both Holly and Erin. That’s how she saw us all: tools, weapons, and beasts in her menagerie.
Of course.
Holly fed Saira the details: time, place, and the willingness to lure Alistair. All Saira needed was a phone. Even behind bars, money bought her access. A bribe here, a favor there. Gold promised, strings pulled.
I shook my head. “You let Saira control you.”
“My enemy’s enemy… I guess that makes Saira my friend. For now.”
“Erin,” Alistair cut in, “Saira used you to destroy me. Do you still trust her? Did you…” His eyes narrowed. “Did you tell her about our affair?”
Erin froze, lips pressed shut.
“Christ,” Alistair cursed. “Don’t you see? Saira twisted what you gave her and paid a journalist to fabricate that garbage.”
“What?” Erin’s blank “What?” The blankness in Erin’s stare was almost childlike.
Saira had pegged her perfectly. For all Erin’s vanity, she was gullible, a pawn who couldn’t tell left from right.
“But why would my friend do this to me?” She swung the pistol again, reckless, the barrel slicing the air. I flinched. “Vera’s the one who’s always wanted to ruin me.”
“Erin, put the gun down and think.” Alistair’s command was pure steel.
“Oliver left me.” The admission fell out of her in a broken whisper. Tears streaked her hollow cheeks.
“Camilla still needs you,” I said, steadying my breath. “You can fight for her.”
Erin faltered. For a second, I thought she might lower the gun, but her grief curdled into hate.
“No. Picture this. You love a man who swore forever, only to watch him forced into another marriage. Years later, he’s free, and you still love him.”
“What about Oliver? You chose to marry him,” I said. “There’s nothing innocent about that. Affairs only end one way. Someone gets hurt.”
“You don’t get it, do you?” Erin hissed at me before snapping her gaze to Alistair. “Scotty, do you remember swearing you’d love me forever? I thought the night we conceived Camilla bound us for life. But then your whore came along and destroyed everything.”
Alistair’s jaw locked. “Never call Vera that. What happened between us has nothing to do with her. You’re clinging to the past. Let it go.”
Erin’s voice trembled. “You can’t love her. It’s not right. She’s not me.”
Alistair’s eyes didn’t leave hers. “That’s why I love Vera. Because she’s not you.”
She raised the gun, the barrel locked on me. “I can’t live with that,” she spat. “You’re poison, Vera. All you’ve ever done is ruin the Scott family from the inside.”
“I can see you’re hurting, Erin,” I tried reasoning. “I’ve been through pain, too. I was enamored with a man who didn’t love me back. My ex-boyfriend abused me.”
She aimed straight at my chest. “You deserved everything you got. I want you to feel my pain.” Her finger tightened on the trigger.
“Erin, please,” I begged for my life.
“Vera Richland, I have determined you are no longer fit for purpose. Your use-by date has expired. One of us must die.”
She stepped closer, her finger tensing on the trigger, and smiled. “And I choose you.”
Alistair moved before I even had time to breathe. One second, the gun was aimed at me. The next, his body slammed into mine, knocking me to the ground. The crack of the gunshot split the air. My scream tore out as he shielded me.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered with a weak smile, then collapsed, sliding against a chair before hitting the floor.
“Alistair, please.” I dropped to my knees, gathering him into my arms, my tears soaking his shirt.
The door burst open, two armed officers storming inside. Frank Berry and Constance Fraser swept the room in seconds. Erin stood frozen, gun limp in her hand, her face twisted in shock. Frank wrenched the weapon away and dragged her out while she screamed Alistair’s name like a banshee.
“Get an ambulance here. Now,” Constance called out.
All I could focus on was the man bleeding in my arms.
Alistair Bryce Scott took a bullet for me.