Chapter Nineteen
Remi’s pulse pounded in her ears as Eloise stood there, her gun steady, aimed at Tarrant.
Brody’s fury was palpable, radiating off him in hot waves, and Remi felt her own anger simmering just beneath the surface. “Eloise, you put my sons in danger,” Brody growled.
Eloise barely spared him a glance. “I’d do anything to avenge my son.” Her voice was flat, devoid of any emotion beyond the steel-cold determination in her eyes. “Tarrant took my child from me. I was making sure he paid for that.”
Remi had to unclench her jaw just so she could speak. “You used Brody’s children as bait.”
Eloise let out a sigh, as if she was growing tired of their outrage.
“I needed to get to Tarrant, and you two were my best shot at making that happen.” She nodded toward Brody.
“Zeke planted a tracker on your cruiser. That’s how I knew where you were, where you’d go next.
If you got close to Tarrant, I wanted to be able to reach you before you lost him again. ”
Langley cursed, holding his injured shoulder as he leaned against his car. “You’re a monster.”
“I’m a mother who loved her son,” Eloise snapped back.
Christina made a raw sound of protest. “You leaked the story about Brody’s twins, didn’t you? That’s how Tarrant knew where to go.”
Eloise didn’t deny it. “Of course I did. I knew if Tarrant saw the story, he’d come after Brody and Remi, and it worked.” She narrowed her eyes at them in disappointment. “But you two wasted the opportunity. Instead of taking him down, you were too focused on saving the babies.”
Remi’s stomach twisted with the realization that Eloise had calculated every step of this mess, manipulating all of them. “You left the first twin in the cemetery, didn’t you?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
Eloise lifted her chin. “No, but Zeke did. He was the one who posed as John Smith. I told him where to leave the child so you’d be the one to find him.
” Her lips curled in a slight smirk. “You were the only one who ever got close to capturing Tarrant. I knew you’d never let this go once you found the baby. ”
Remi’s fingers tightened around her gun, her fury threatening to explode. “You used innocent lives, babies, to lure a killer. You don’t get to act like you’re some grieving mother just trying to do the right thing.”
Eloise’s cold gaze flicked to her. “And yet, here we all are, standing right in front of the SOB. You can hate me all you want, but at least I got results. I set a plan in motion and covered my tracks by getting rid of anyone who could point the finger at me.”
Before Remi could respond, Tarrant let out a dark chuckle. “I’ve got to say, Eloise,” he mused, “you’re even colder than I gave you credit for.” His smile widened, his grip on Maria tightening. “And you’re still not going to get what you want.”
He jerked Maria roughly, pulling her closer as a shield. “I told you the rules. You got your confession. Now, let’s see if you’ve got the nerve to take the shots.”
Eloise didn’t hesitate. She raised her gun, aimed and fired.
The first shot missed, embedding into the wooden frame of the inn’s entrance.
The second shot clipped the edge of Tarrant’s helmet with a sharp metallic ping. He let out a pained shout, his body jerking as the impact sent him stumbling onto the ground. He managed to drag Maria down with him, keeping his gun pressed against her temple.
Remi’s breath caught. The bullet hadn’t penetrated the helmet, but she knew enough about ballistics to know that a shot like that could cause a concussion or even knock someone unconscious if it hit at just the right angle.
But Tarrant was still very much conscious.
And still just as dangerous. Maybe even more than he had been seconds earlier.
Gritting his teeth, he sucked in air, his body swaying slightly as he tried to recover. His fingers tightened on Maria’s shoulder as he cursed Eloise through ragged breaths. Maria sobbed, her body trembling in Tarrant’s grip.
Remi could see the moment Tarrant forced himself to push past the pain, his hand shaking slightly as he adjusted his grip on the gun. And then he lifted it. This time, aiming directly at Eloise.
“Well, lady,” Tarrant growled, “now it’s my turn.”
Brody muttered a curse under his breath. “I can’t let this go on.”
Remi knew he wasn’t saying that for Eloise’s sake. Not after what she had done, what she had risked with his sons. But another shot in this mess could kill Maria. Or Christina. Or even one of them if this turned into a gunfight.
Tarrant adjusted his grip on his gun, his eyes burning with rage as he steadied his aim on Eloise. His finger tensed on the trigger.
“Everyone down!” Brody shouted.
Then he moved. Brody came out of cover, raising his gun in a split second, and took the only shot he had. A clean one straight at Tarrant’s foot.
The bullet hit with a sickening crack.
Tarrant howled in agony, his knee buckling as he collapsed farther, his grip tightening on Maria as she screamed.
“You son of a—” Tarrant gasped through his pain. “I’ll kill her. I swear, I will.”
Remi’s heart pounded. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t. If he lost Maria, he lost his human shield. Tarrant had to know that. But then his face twisted in fury, and he snapped his gun up. Not at Maria this time.
But toward Brody.
And he started shooting.
The gunfire erupted, forcing Brody and Remi to duck back behind cover. Bullets ricocheted off the cruiser but also off some of the stone construction materials, splintering debris into the air. Tarrant wasn’t aiming. He was firing wildly, erratically, desperate to pin them down.
Remi gritted her teeth. They were trapped. And as long as he had Maria, they couldn’t risk taking him out. Unless they found another way.
Gunfire exploded in the air, chaos breaking loose as Christina and Eloise unloaded their weapons at Tarrant. Shouting, Tarrant scrambled into the inn, barely in sight now.
But that still didn’t cause Christina or Eloise to let up.
“Christina and Eloise, stop shooting,” Brody ordered again, voice sharp with authority. “Or I swear I’ll shoot your guns out of your hands.”
Christina hesitated, her breathing ragged. Then, with a snarl, she yanked her finger off the trigger and lowered her weapon.
Eloise didn’t.
She fired again.
Brody didn’t hesitate. He raised his weapon, took careful aim and shot the gun clean out of Eloise’s grip. She let out a sharp scream, clutching her fingers as her weapon clattered onto the gravel.
Tarrant cheered. Actually cheered. “Oh, that’s beautiful. Come on, give me more of that.”
Brody’s eyes were murderous as he shifted his focus onto Zeke. “Restrain your boss. Now. Before she gets us all killed.”
Zeke’s face was like stone, his jaw clenched tight, but he obeyed. He grabbed Eloise’s uninjured arm, wrenching her back toward the car as she shrieked in rage.
Brody’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, keeping his gaze locked on Tarrant but glancing briefly at the screen. A text from Harlan.
Still no clean shot. I want to step out, draw his attention. Maybe he turns, you take him down.
Remi read the message over Brody’s shoulder. She bit her lip, assessing the situation. “I’m not sure Tarrant will go for a distraction like that,” she murmured, keeping her voice low. “He’s no fool. He’ll know it’s a trick.”
Brody blew out a hard breath, his grip tightening on his gun. “Yeah. He probably will.” His voice was tight, edged with frustration. “But we have to do something. Maria’s running out of time.”
Remi’s stomach knotted as she stared at the scene unfolding in front of them. Tarrant was still crouched in the shadowed entrance of the inn, half dragging Maria in front of him like a shield. Blood streaked down Maria’s arm from Christina’s wild shot, and her face was pale with terror.
Remi made her decision.
“I’ll be the distraction,” she said.
Brody’s head whipped toward her. “Hell, no.”
Remi met his glare head-on. “This will work because Tarrant wants us dead. If I dive out of cover, he’ll try to take aim at me. He won’t be able to stop himself.”
“That’s exactly why you’re not doing it,” he snarled.
She pressed on, determined that this was an argument she was going to win. “Having Tarrant take aim at me will mean adjusting his position. Just a little, but it could be enough. My advice? Aim for the helmet again. Or his neck, if you can get it.”
“Remi, it’s still too risky.” His voice was low, tight, barely controlled.
She reached for him, pressing her left hand to the side of his face. “Anything we do at this point is a risk.” Before he could argue again, she kissed him—quick but deep. When she pulled back, she searched his eyes. “And the biggest risk of all could be if we just sit and wait.”
Brody’s jaw was clenched so tightly she could practically hear his teeth grinding. He wouldn’t say yes, but he also wasn’t stopping her as she moved into position.
“I hope nobody’s planning anything stupid,” Tarrant shouted. “I still got a lot of ammo, and the next one will go into Maria’s kneecap.”
Remi had to force back a shudder. The man was twisted and sick.
“Text Harlan and tell him to hold his position but to be ready to take the shot if he gets it. I’ll come out from behind the cruiser door,” she added to Brody, keeping her voice at a whisper. “I’ll stay low and zigzag to the back of the cruiser, where I’ll take cover again.”
“No,” Brody immediately snapped. “That puts you too close to Eloise. She might gun you down just to clean up loose ends.”
Remi groaned, cursed. Because he was right. Eloise wasn’t exactly an ally. “Then, what?”
Brody’s eyes darted toward the ground, calculating. “I’ll come out from cover and scramble underneath the cruiser instead,” he said. “When Tarrant shifts to aim at you, you put a bullet in him.”
She was shaking her head before he finished. “You’ve got better aim than I do.” And it was true. After she’d become a cop, she and Brody had done target practice together, and he was by far the better shot.
No way could he dispute that, but his muttered profanity told her that he didn’t like it. Still, the arguing was done. It was go time.
“Okay,” she said, adjusting her grip on her gun. “I’ll get under the cruiser. You do the rest.”
Brody let out a frustrated breath and touched her arm. “You better come out of this in one piece.”
Remi’s lips tilted in a small, humorless smile. “You, too.”
And she prayed that would be true for not only them but Maria and the others as well.
While Remi didn’t especially care about Eloise after what she’d done, it was best for the woman to stay alive so she could be arrested and prosecuted.
After the nightmare she had created, a bullet from Tarrant would be too quick an end for her.
Remi crouched behind the cruiser door, her heart hammering as she waited for Brody to send the text. He was giving Harlan the order to hold his position, to be ready to take the shot the moment he had a clear one. She had no idea if this was going to work, but they were out of options.
Tarrant’s voice rang out across the site, laced with that same smug arrogance that made her want to pull the trigger herself. “I didn’t get my shot at Eloise,” he called. “I want it now. And if I don’t get it, then Maria will.”
Remi’s pulse spiked. They were out of time.
She sucked in a breath, steeling herself. Then she moved.
The second she dove out from behind the cruiser, Tarrant fired. The bullet slammed into the metal just inches from her, the sound deafening.
“Come on, Brody. Harlan,” she muttered.
Remi stayed out in the open another heartbeat. Then another. That brought two more shots her way. One hit the cruiser, but the second one skipped off the shoulder of her vest.
Too close.
Another inch to the right, and the bullet would have hit her in the neck.
She hit the ground and scrambled toward the undercarriage of the cruiser. Her breath was coming fast and sharp, and her pulse was pounding in her ears, but she heard the next shot.
Remi flinched as another gunshot rang out, louder than the others. Turning her head, she saw Brody upright behind the cruiser door, his gun trained on Tarrant. He fired again.
Tarrant made a garbled sound of pain, a raw, guttural noise that sent a chill through Remi’s blood. The sound of a man dying. But he wasn’t dead yet.
Brody didn’t lower his weapon. “Maria, move away from him,” he ordered, his voice steady, despite the tension rippling off him.
Maria was still sobbing and bleeding, and she stumbled backward at first before finding her footing. She turned and ran toward Brody.
Remi pushed up onto her elbows, ready to move. But then she saw it: Tarrant, still alive, shifting, his fingers tightening around his gun.
He was going to shoot Maria in the back.
Brody saw it, too.
And fired.
The bullet struck Tarrant directly in the neck, and this time there was no question. He went down hard, collapsing into the dirt. His fingers twitched once, then went still.
It was over.
But it wasn’t.
From the corner of her eye, Remi caught a blur of movement. Eloise. The woman had slipped free from Zeke’s hold and had bolted out of her car. Zeke lunged after her, but Eloise was already on her feet and was raising her gun.
Her target wasn’t Tarrant. It was Brody.
“If you and Remi are dead, there’s no one to say what I’ve done,” Eloise said, her voice cold, unshaken, her finger tightening on the trigger.
Remi didn’t hesitate. She turned. And fired.
The shot rang out, sharp and final.
Eloise’s eyes widened in shock as the bullet struck her square in the chest. For a heartbeat, she stood frozen, as if her body hadn’t yet caught up with the inevitable. Then she crumpled, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
Dead.
With her pulse hammering wildly and her breath gusting, Remi kept her gun trained on Eloise’s lifeless body. The entire world seemed to hold still.
Brody turned to her. Their eyes met. And in those eyes she saw the only truth she needed.
Now it was over.