Page 95 of Made of Steele
Drew fired an angry look at Vito. “And you left her with a killer?”
Vito lifted his hands. “I freaked out, okay, and ran. Then the earthquake knocked them down, and I figured since she had a gun that she would come out on top.”
“And you don’t know if she did?”
“No.”
Drew wanted to strangle the man, but he wasn’t surprised that Vito ran. Many people would. Their first thoughts were to save their own lives. Just the opposite for law enforcement. They ran into danger.
“I’ll be going into the house when we get there,” Drew said. “You get down on the floor and stay hidden in the car. Resist the urge to look up no matter what you hear.”
Vito grabbed for Drew’s arm. “You can’t take me back there.”
Drew jerked his arm away before the guy could take hold. “You’ll be fine in the car. There’s a deputy on the way. If anything happens to me, he’ll take care of you.”
“I don’t like it.” Vito shuddered. “That man is terrifying. If I’d known he was Rossi’s boss, I would never have agreed to get involved with Rossi.”
Drew realized Vito still thought he was Dylan. In all the excitement Drew had forgotten. He must not have let anything slip to give his status away, and he had to be careful that he didn’t until it benefited him to reveal his real identity.
“You really like Teagan, don’t you?” Vito asked.
“I do.”
“She’s great. If I was younger, well…” He shook his head. “What am I saying? She’s way out of my league. But still, a guy can fantasize of what might’ve been if he didn’t stay in the shadow of his two bullying brothers.”
“Why have you?” Drew asked.
“Because we’re family.”
“Well someone in that family sold you out if Jabal tried to kill you.”
“Yeah, that’s what he told me. Said that I was the weakest link, whatever that means. I haven’t done anything wrong. I haven’t done anything really. Maybe that’s the point. But I told him my mouth was shut. I would never tell anyone about him.”
“He didn’t believe you. Couldn’t risk you talking. Not after he’d kidnapped you and you could ID him.”
“Yeah, figured as much.” Vito sat back. “Gotta give him props for his creative way to end a life, though.”
Drew wouldn’t give the killer props for any of it. Especially not if he’d already taken Teagan’s life too.
Jabal removed a shiny sword from his bag of tools. “You know the drill. Run!”
Teagan stared at the guy. She couldn’t comprehend that she’d lost and would have to run for her life. Who knows. Maybe she was in shock.
He lifted the sword and expertly stripped the controller from her hands. It hit the floor and bounced a few times before coming to a stop under the table.
Jabal ground his teeth. “I said run or I will end your life right here.”
She looked into his eyes. Found a disconnect with reality. The evil. The excitement.
She took a breath and bolted. Charging across the room. Out the door. Over the porch. And toward her car.
If she could get inside her car before he caught up, she would survive. But he was a former soccer player. Forward. He’d once had great speed and endurance while moving a ball downfield. Now his feet were free to run without a ball. Maybe the sword would slow him down. Or his career-ending injury. Maybe not.
She charged over the damp grass. Thick. Heavy. Tangling in her shoes. Wanting to take her down. She raised her stride. Lifted. Powered ahead.
A car pulled into the drive. The lights dark.
Could it be Drew?
