Zach landed a hard punch on Brody’s face and blood trickled down from his eyebrow. “That was worth more to you than a woman’s life?”
“I couldn’t let her destroy my life.” Brody laid a good right hook onto Zach’s jaw. “Especially since all I wanted to do was fuck her.”
“What about Kipp?” Zach returned the gesture, which sent Brody crumbling down to the ground.
“He got too close.” Brody stumbled back onto his feet. “He knew too much.” Zach lurched forward and pounded into Brody’s stomach a couple times. “If y’all had just stayed out of it,” Brody dodged the hits as best he could, “it wouldn’t have worked out this way. I didn’t want it to come to this. I’ve been following you since I discovered you in the file room, because Betty told me that you received a lead on the case. When you came here, I expected you to find nothing.” He dodged another one of Zach’s hits. “I never expected you’d lead me back to where I buried her.”
Zach punched him in the side, apparently searching for a kidney he could demolish. “If you’d kept your cock out of this, it wouldn’t have happened at all.”
Brody pushed Zach, sending him tumbling back. “I never wanted any of this to happen. I never wanted to kill anyone. But I’ve gone this far to protect my life. I won’t let you destroy it now.” He reac
hed into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade. After a quick flick, the shiny metal glowed in the moonlight.
I couldn’t see Zach’s expression, but his tense body told me he knew the trouble he currently found himself in. He attempted to lunge forward and grab the knife, but Brody managed to slice deep into Zach’s arm.
Blood splattered onto the ground as Zach backed away, groaning and clutching his arm. He hesitated only a moment, then rushed toward Brody, which landed him a knife in the same shoulder that had been shot.
His scream rang out around me and snapped me out of my stunned state. I gasped and coherent thoughts came back into my mind.
Apparently, Kipp had been in a similar condition because he suddenly said, “What the hell are you doing, Tess? Get out of here.”
Brody jumped on top of Zach and attempted to gouge his eyes out, but Zach did whatever he could to avoid the sharp blade. I tore my gaze from the fight and looked Kipp straight in the eye. “I have to help him.” Then I ran as I’d never run before.
“Stop…”
I ignored him, kept my focus on the gun on the ground and never looked back. The sound of Zach fighting for his life sickened me. Deep groans, shouts of pain as metal sliced against bone filled the air around me.
Oh God, give me strength!
In seconds, I reached out and fell to my knees. I wrapped my hand around the cold steel and gripped it tightly as I stood. I raised the gun and pointed it in Brody and Zach’s direction.
“Have you ever fired a gun?” Kipp asked, right beside me.
My breath hitched. “No.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” His composed tone told me that he wasn’t completely against the idea.
Zach used all of his strength to stop the knife from plunging into his chest. I couldn’t wait any longer. “What do I do?”
Kipp stepped in behind me and the coldness of his presence surrounded my entire body. It provided a much-needed comfort and a boost of confidence to know I didn’t face this alone. “Feet shoulder-width apart. Bring your left foot forward a little. Yes, that’s right. Lean forward slightly and make your firing arm strong, but don’t lock your elbow.”
The posture felt entirely uncomfortable; a gun in my hand seemed all wrong. I pushed the insecurity away. Another life would be lost if I didn’t act, and by the way it looked now, it wasn’t going to be the one who deserved it.
“Close your left eye,” Kipp said. “Focus on Brody—lock in your target.”
The gun wavered with each and every way Brody turned as I followed his movements. “How can I lock in on him? They’re not staying still.”
“I’ll get him away from Zach. Just keep your aim on him no matter what. When Zach is clear, shoot and don’t stop shooting until he’s down and not moving.”
You can do this! You can do this! You can do this!
“Take a deep breath in and don’t let it out until he’s on the ground.” Kipp bolted toward the brawling men on the ground.
He passed through my peripheral vision, but my focus held on Brody to clearly understand what his plan was. My chance of hitting him would be slim and I only had one shot. If I didn’t take him out, we’d all be dead, and I did not intend to become a ghost.
Right then, Kipp came into sight, hovering over Brody, almost as if he floated, and then a second later, he dropped down on top of Brody and seemed to enter his body.
Brody flew straight back off Zach with a look of utter horror on his face. I followed the movement and stiffened my arms to be ready. Come on…come on…Kipp…get out of there…