Chapter Twenty-Six #3
I’m close by, he texted to Gary. At corner of Lansing & Heeser. Realized it was a trap. Penny is ok. I’ll park and walk the rest of the way.
That way his SUV wouldn’t spook Ashton.
Gary’s reply was terse and to the point. Hurry.
Ronan drove a little farther, parked, then hurried. He’d put on his bulletproof vest before starting out to save Penny, so he was as protected as he could be.
But Elle wasn’t. He hadn’t given her a vest.
Why hadn’t he given her a vest?
Running faster, he rounded a curve, the wide space of the headland coming into view. His heart nearly stopped again, this time from fear.
Elle and Ashton were facing off and Ashton was using Eunice as a shield. Ashton was also too damn close to the edge. One or two more steps and the young man would plummet to his death, dragging Eunice with him.
Their voices carried on the wind, Elle shouting that Ashton was too close to the edge.
Ashton didn’t believe her.
As Ronan watched in horror, Elle threw her arms wide and shouted, “You want me? Let her go and come get me.”
For a moment, he couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.
Then a lifetime of reflexes kicked in. His feet began moving in the shadows swiftly, stealthily. He drew his gun and flipped off the safety.
He spied Gary crouching behind a parked car less than fifty feet from where Elle and Ashton stood. Ronan ran to crouch beside him.
“I don’t have a clear shot at him,” Gary whispered. “I’m afraid I’ll hit Eunice. Wind’s too high.”
Ronan agreed. The wind had to be at least fifty miles per hour tonight. That could alter a bullet’s trajectory. “She’s trying to bait him into letting Eunice go. When he does, be ready. You come from the right, I’ll come from the left. As soon as he’s dropped Eunice, shoot.”
Gary nodded grimly. “That was my plan.”
Ronan moved to the end of the car. Which was Eunice’s. Ashton had stolen it, just as he’d stolen Steve Garfield’s Ford Explorer.
Ashton stared Elle down before abruptly dropping Eunice to the ground and leaping at Elle, his gun pointed straight at her.
Ronan ran as fast as he could.
Elle had her own gun in her hand before he could blink. But Ashton was fast, despite his limp. He mowed Elle down and then the two of them were grappling like wrestlers, rolling around on the ground.
Ashton howled in pain and Elle rolled to her knees, then leapt fluidly to her feet. Ashton followed, charging toward her.
They were both close to the edge.
Too damn close.
“Elle!” Ronan shouted. “Too close!”
He shouldn’t have said a word. Shouldn’t have shouted. Because he’d fractured Elle’s focus.
Her gaze flicked to him for only a moment, but it was enough for Ashton to grab Elle’s ponytail. Somewhere in their struggle, they’d both lost their weapons.
Ashton was desperately looking around for his, all the while pulling her closer to the edge of the bluff.
No. No, no, no.
Ronan ran faster, then blinked when Elle balled up her fist and hit Ashton squarely in the jaw. The young man staggered back, one step, then two.
Elle threw herself to the ground, which was the smartest thing she could have done.
Pride filled his chest. Good job, Elle.
To keep his hold on her hair, Ashton had to bend over, but he didn’t stop trying to drag her toward the edge.
“You…will…do this,” Ashton panted. “You will go over.”
Elle put her hands to her hair, trying to free her ponytail. Ashton reached down and drew another gun from his boot.
“Do what I say!” he screamed, pointing his backup gun at Elle’s head.
Ronan fired before Ashton could pull the trigger. The young man yelped and took a stumbling step back, releasing his hold on Elle’s hair.
But then a slow grin curved his mouth.
Vest. Ashton was wearing Kevlar. He pointed his gun at Elle again.
Ronan ran closer and fired twice more in rapid succession, aiming for the same place on Ashton’s chest that he’d hit before.
Hopefully Ashton would throw his weapon down and surrender.
If Ronan kept shooting, one of his bullets would either break Ashton’s rib or break through his Kevlar. He didn’t want to kill the young man.
He just wanted him to stop.
The two-shot punch had Ashton taking another step back, but he wasn’t smart. He aimed at Elle one more time.
She stared at Ashton calmly. “Even if you kill me, you won’t escape today.”
Ronan got to Elle and put himself between her and Ashton. “Drop the gun, Ashton. You can’t win this. One more step backward and you’re dead.”
“Fuck you!” Ashton fired again and it was Ronan’s turn to stumble backward, his own vest absorbing the blow.
Shit. He’d never been shot before. Even with a vest, it hurt like a bitch.
“Ronan!” Elle screamed at the same time as a final shot was fired.
At first Ronan thought Ashton had fired at him again, but startled, the young man stumbled backward.
And then the bluff did the rest, crumbling beneath Ashton’s feet. There was a moment of shock, then fear, and then Ashton disappeared from view.
For a moment they all stared in shock, and then Gary moved carefully to the edge and looked down. He turned around, shaking his head with a grimace.
It was done.