CHAPTER 30
Aiden’s heart beat steady and strong, his instincts on high alert as he crept slowly down the stairs. In the dim light he could make out Lily and another woman. Both had their backs to him as he carefully moved forward and that was good. He cursed himself for not locking the front door, and although he didn’t know what was happening yet, his gut told him it was nothing good.
He’d only had time to pull on jeans, and although shirtless and sockless, pinpricks of sweat erupted all over his body in the cool air.
He wondered where Rex was. Why hadn’t the dog protected Lily? Where was he now? Aiden’s heart sank at the prospect of his demise.
The stairs creaked beneath his weight, stilling him. Something else stopped him too. The woman faced him, and a glint of metal flashed, revealing itself as a gun pointed at his chest.
“Sit,” she said, but it was Lily she was talking to. “You move; I shoot him.”
“What do you want?” Aiden called.
The woman walked slowly backward and reached out with a hand, feeling for the light switch. Finding it, she flicked it on. Her eyes darted between Aiden and Lily, keeping the gun trained on the more dangerous of the two, Aiden.
“Come down here and sit on the other couch.”
He held his hands up where she could see them, walked the rest of the way down the stairs, and did as he was told.
“Hey! I know you. Natalie Lyons, right?” He tried to sound as harmless as possible, even friendly as he took a seat. He threw Lily a look, sending a message everything would be OK. After all, he could handle Natalie. She was just a scrawny, young girl.
“Why are you here, Natalie? I’m sure whatever’s bothering you can be discussed civilly. You don’t need that gun.” He waved a dismissive hand. “Why don’t you put it down and we’ll talk.”
Natalie’s lips turned up in a snarl. “I’m not just some troubled kid who needs a hug to make everything better.”
Aiden noticed her finger tightening on the trigger. He had to say something to calm her and fast. “Look, we all know you don’t intend to use that thing. Please, Natalie, put it down before you accidentally hurt someone.” He smiled warmly and patted the spot beside him. “Come sit, and Lily and I will help you.”
She steadied her arm by grasping her wrist. “I have no use for you.”
“This is ridiculous,” he tried again.
She pulled the trigger. Two shots rang out. One caught Aiden in the shoulder, the other bored into the flesh of his abdomen, sending him flailing backward. Surprise registered momentarily before his face shriveled in a look of pain. This couldn’t be happening.
“No!” Lily screamed and ran to him.
Natalie didn’t bother to pull her away, only opened her pill bottle and downed three more. She’d just shot a man. So what? It really didn’t feel as if she’d done something wrong. It was the right thing to do under the circumstances. He was dangerous and might have jumped up and grabbed the gun off her at any moment. After all, he’d been trained for such things. She smiled inwardly. She’d just outwitted him, and it felt damn good.
He’d underestimated her. People did that all the time, and she was sick of it. Always trying to placate her. Mother plying her with those stupid cupcakes; Dad, hugging her and calling her honey, taking her to doctor after doctor as if something was wrong with her. She shrugged off her satchel and set it on the floor, opening it.
“How does it feel to be alone again?” she said to Lily. “Alone, just like I am?”
Lily was too preoccupied to answer. With blood-slicked hands, she tried to staunch the flow bubbling from Aiden’s abdomen. She grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and pressed it onto the wound in his gut. His shoulder was a mess too, but Lily kept her hands rooted to the worst of the wounds.
“Won’t do you any good. He’s as good as dead.” Natalie’s words were punctuated by a sigh of contentment.
Headlights lit the room, and a moment later, the door flew open. Deputy Antonio Deluca ran in with Rex behind him. The dog sauntered over to his bed by the fire, turned in a circle, and curled up.
“Thank God!” Lily yelled. “Call an ambulance. Call the sheriff. She just shot Aiden!”
“Holy shit, Natalie. What the hell?” Antonio bellowed, taking in the scene.
Natalie smiled, her eyes heavy-lidded. “I shot the private dick and now I’m watching him die.” Her words were flat as if she were reading off a menu.
Antonio’s hand flew to the butt of his revolver.
“Draw that gun and you die too,” Natalie said. The drugs may have dulled her senses but not enough to make her careless. She noticed Deluca was out of uniform. He had no cuffs, no radio, no Mace.
“I don’t understand why you want to hurt these innocent people. If you put the gun down now, I might be able to help you. But if Aiden dies, you’ll go to prison for the rest of your life.” He moved to grab his cell. “I have to call an ambulance.”
A bullet sent him skittering backward. He crashed to the hardwood, the back of his skull no longer there, splattered instead on the wall behind him.