“Shoot him!” Genevieve begged. “Stop him! Help me!”
His hands were around her. Cale ran forward. He kicked the man back. If he could take the man in alive, then they’d find out exactly who was involved in the plot to abduct Cassidy.
“Kill him!” Genevieve cried. “After what he did to me, make him pay!” She tried to lunge for the discarded gun, but Logan was there, stopping her. He pulled her back and held her in his arms as she cried.
“Genevieve?” Cassidy’s hesitant voice. “Genevieve, I am so sorry.”
Genevieve looked up at her. Tears slid down her face.
Cale pulled out his phone and called for backup even as he kept his gun aimed on the fallen man.
Cassidy hurried toward Genevieve. “I never meant for you to be hurt.”
Genevieve stared at her with glistening eyes. Logan’s hands slowly fell away from her.
Logan eased back from the women. Cale saw him turn to make sure that the man in the car wasn’t a threat.
It was hard for dead men to be threats.
“You didn’t mean...” Genevieve’s breath shuddered out. “I know what you meant. I know.” Then she was hugging tightly to Cassidy, and Cassidy—she was looking straight at Cale.
Thank you. Cassidy mouthed the words as she held her friend close.
Cale nodded. He didn’t need her thanks. For Cassidy, he’d do anything.
“Don’t worry, Gunner,” Logan called as he headed for their car and the trapped EOD agent. “We’re going to get you cut out of there.”
Yes, they would and—
A bullet slammed into Cale’s back. He stumbled as white-hot pain erupted near his spine.
Logan swore. “Shooter! Looked like the shot came from the third—”
A bullet blasted toward Logan. He ducked for cover.
Cale’s gun slipped from his fingers when he hit the pavement.
“Cale!” Cassidy screamed.
Then she was there, running her hands over him. Only he couldn’t feel her touch.
He couldn’t feel anything but that white-hot pain.
“Told you...” Genevieve’s voice drifted to him. But it wasn’t a voice wild with fear or desperation. It was calm. Cold.
Cruel?
“I told him that a sniper was waiting. He just needed the right signal to fire,” Genevieve said in that same cold voice. Cale wanted to see Genevieve’s face. But he couldn’t see anything then. Not even Cassidy. “I gave him the signal,” Genevieve finished, “right when I hugged you.”
“You,” Cassidy breathed, sounding lost.
“You took something from me, Cassidy, someone that I loved. I thought it was only fitting that you watched while I took away the man that you loved.”
Cassidy didn’t love him.
Did she?
I love her. But he hadn’t told her that. He should have told her. Just like he should have told his parents when they’d dropped him off that day.