Chapter 47
Max didn’t move when Hadley disappeared into the trees.
But he felt the shift, the space she’d left behind.
Now it was just him and Kendra.
And the gun.
He kept his hands raised, and his posture loose, nonthreatening—even as every muscle in his body stayed coiled and ready.
“You did the right thing,” he murmured to Kendra. “Letting her go.”
Kendra watched him, her breathing uneven now. Her emotions flickered across her face too quickly to track. Relief. Doubt. Hope.
“You came for me,” she said again, like she needed to hear it one more time.
“I did.” He took a slow step forward. “Why don’t you give me the gun? We don’t need it anymore.”
Kendra’s grip tightened instantly. “No.”
“Okay.” He nodded as if that made sense. “That’s okay. You can hold onto it for now.”
Her shoulders eased a fraction.
Max let a second pass, then another, allowing the tension to settle before he spoke again. “We had some good times, didn’t we?”
The edges of her expression softened, her focus narrowing on him like everything else had faded away. “Yes, we did.”
“Are you the one who sent me those texts, threatening to expose me?” he asked.
“I needed you to know that I’ll still be there for you, even when no one else is. Your past doesn’t matter to me. I needed you to know that!”
Max forced himself to stay steady, to keep her there, grounded in something that wasn’t anger or fear. “You’re special, Kendra. I wouldn’t have spent time with you if you weren’t.”
Her lips parted, hope rising again, fragile but powerful. “So . . . when this is over, we can get married?”
Max hesitated. He couldn’t lie. Not about that. Not when it mattered this much.
“Kendra . . .” He swallowed hard. “You need help.”
As the words landed, everything changed.
The softness vanished from her expression like it had never been there. Her eyes hardened, something dark and volatile snapping back into place.
“Help?” she echoed, her voice rising.
Max knew instantly that he’d said the wrong thing. “I’m saying we can figure this out. Together. But not like this—”
“You think there’s something wrong with me?” she snapped.
The gun came up again, this time faster and more certain.
Max stilled, his pulse kicking hard against his ribs as the barrel aligned with his chest. “Kendra—”
“You’re just like them. Just like her.” Her voice shook as anger and hurt twisted together. “All of you. You think you know better. You think I’m broken, and I need to be fixed.”
“That’s not what I—”
“You lied to me.” The accusation cracked through the air.
Max’s mind raced as he searched for something—anything—to pull her back from the edge.
But he could see it now.
She was already standing on the verge of doing something she could never walk away from.
Hadley edged closer through the trees, keeping low, her breath shallow as she watched the scene unfold.
Max stood just a few yards away from Kendra, his hands raised, his voice calm.
But she heard the strain beneath it now.
Something had changed. She could feel it even from here.
Kendra’s posture tightened.
Her arm lifted.
The gun came up.
Hadley’s heart slammed against her ribs.
No!
Everything seemed to narrow in that instant—the trees, the cold, the pain in her ankle—all of it falling away until there was nothing left but the sight of that weapon aimed at Max.
There was no time to waste. No time to second-guess herself. Hadley burst from the shadows, throwing herself forward with everything she had left. Her shoulder slammed into Kendra’s side just as the gun went off.
The crack split the air.
They hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the breath from Hadley’s lungs. Pain flared through her ankle and shoulder, but she barely felt it as she scrambled, her mind racing.
Max.
Her gaze snapped up.
He was still standing.
Alive.
Relief flooded her so fast it made her dizzy.
But it didn’t last.
Kendra twisted beneath her, stronger than Hadley had assumed.
Kendra’s face contorted with fury as she shoved Hadley back. “I knew I should have gotten rid of you when I had the chance!”
Hadley tried to push herself up. But her limbs felt heavy and sluggish.
Kendra lunged for the gun where it had fallen in the snow.
No!
Before she could reach it, Max was there.
His hand closed firmly around the weapon as he stepped back, putting distance between them. “It’s over, Kendra.”
Kendra froze, her gaze darting between Max and the gun in his hand.
For a second, it looked like she might still try something.
Then movement came from the trees. “Sheriff’s department! Don’t move!”
Voices echoed as deputies emerged from the darkness, weapons drawn, surrounding them in a tightening circle.
Backup.
The tension that had been holding Hadley upright finally snapped, and she sank back against the cold ground, her breath shaking as the world tilted.
Snow seeped through her clothes, but she didn’t care.
It was over. It was finally over.