And Hollaroy would get away.
I jogged down the hall to answer the incessant knocking. Four men crowded in, one shoving a badge in my face, but my heart stopped.
Behind them, I saw a familiar vehicle. A sheriff’s patrol SUV.
And out of it were climbing two very familiar figures. Theo and Holt.
I fell to my knees with relief. They were alive.
Theo and Holt had survived the gunshot wounds. They weren’t dead. My plan had worked!
Why, then, when their gazes found me, did it seem like they hated me?
My dad gripped my arm and hauled me to my feet. “Stop that, Ali. You’ve done nothing wrong,” he said gruffly. He was lying, of course. At least, he thought he was lying. He’d stood right beside me when I’d shot two law enforcement officers in cold blood. They hadn’t even been armed.
Except, I hadn’t done anything.
Well, I had—I’d saved the lives of the two men I loved. I stood rooted to the spot as strangers—DEA agents—forced both my dad and me into handcuffs, and started reading us our rights.
They led us outside into the early morning light where Theo and Holt still stood by Holt’s SUV, simply watching the events instead of rushing in to help. Their arms were crossed and they looked so serious. Why weren’t they calling to me? Pulling me into their arms? Telling me everything was going to be okay?
“Theo? Holt?” I croaked.
Finally, Theo walked forward and nodded to the agent escorting me to the car. “I’ll take her in myself,” he said gruffly.
“Of course, Agent Decker,” the female agent said.
“Have you read her her rights?” he asked.
She nodded, as if this was something they’d done before. “Yes, sir.”
“Good.” Theo didn’t look at me as he took my upper arm and led me to the car. His grip was gentle, but his direction was sure. Holt opened the door to the back seat and put his hand over my head to protect it as he pushed me inside.
“Guys?” I said, but neither had looked at or spoken to me.
They climbed into the front—the area separated from mine by bars—and drove away.
“What’s happening?” I twisted to watch my dad being put in the back of one of the other cars. “Guys?”
“You don’t seem surprised to see us alive,” Holt said coolly.
Tears pricked my eyes as I jostled on the plastic bench seat. With my hands behind my back, it was hard to keep balance. “I’m not,” I said. “Wait—did you not know I shot you on purpose?”
Now Theo finally twisted in his seat to look at me. “Well, it seemed pretty obvious you shot us on purpose, sweetheart.” He raised his hand and although I couldn’t see well, appeared to be rubbing his chest.
I opened and closed my mouth. “Theo! I knew those bullets wouldn’t hurt you. Don’t you see?” A tear streaked down my cheek. Oh my God, they didn’t believe that I’d saved them. “Yes! I shot you on purpose, but not to murder you! I shot you to keep you alive.” I couldn’t hold back the tears and began to sob—releasing all of the fear and anguish, heartbreak and panic since Hollaroy arrived at the house the night before.
“Pull over,” Theo said tersely.
Holt swerved sharply and the car skidded to a stop on the side of the road. He twisted to look at me as Theo threw his door open and climbed out.
“Holt,” I choked, tipping my chin down.
“Fuck, baby.” Holt also flung his door open.
A moment later, both men were sandwiching me in the back seat.
“Don’t cry,” Holt murmured, pulling me onto his lap. My head bumped the top of the cab and he immediately turned and lifted us both out of the car. Theo stomped around to the same side, where he picked me up by the waist and plopped my butt down on the hood like I weighed nothing. His hands didn’t leave my waist. I blinked back tears and stared into their faces. They were right in front of me, leaning down so their gazes met mine.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Theo murmured. “We couldn’t be sure what was going on. Tell us what happened.”
“Unlock the cuffs,” Holt said roughly. He seemed angry, although I couldn’t tell who with.
I sniffed as Theo did just that. Once the cold metal was off, I threw myself at Holt, wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms tightly around his neck, starting to cry again. They were alive!
“Shit,” Theo muttered, rubbing my back as Holt held me snug against his body.
“I’m so sorry,” I said on a sob. “I… I hoped you’d have understood. And I planned to explain when I took your cell phones and wallets, but you’d passed out, and Hollaroy was coming over so I couldn’t.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Holt murmured, his hand cupping my ass to keep me super close. “We’re both okay. The worst was thinking you’d betrayed us.”