“Sophie, I’m so disappointed,” Clark murmured. “After all I did for you! I mean, I even put Daniel in the ground. For you. I made sure Griffin couldn’t talk—”
“You killed him,” she whispered.
He nodded. “And then I ran to the scene, joining in the hunt for…me.”
Such a twisted bastard.
“I’m a really fantastic shot,” Clark said, raising his voice. “But even a piss poor shooter would still kill this close.”
“Let her go!” Ethan yelled.
Clark shoved the tip of the gun deeper into the underside of her chin. He tugged her around a bit, moving so that they both faced Ethan. “You have your weapon, Ethan. Instead of pointing it at me, point it at yourself. Lift it up, and put it right to your temple.”
Insane. She clawed at his hand, but he didn’t so much as flinch. Was her screwdriver still in his back?
Ethan wasn’t moving. She could see his still form.
“Put the gun to your head or I will shoot her right now!” Clark yelled.
That yell had her flinching.
And it had Ethan lifting the gun. “No,” Sophie whispered. What the hell was he doing? She couldn’t see his gaze, not in the dark. It looked as if he were staring right at her. He couldn’t do this. Couldn’t!
“You love Sophie, don’t you, Ethan?” Clark never moved his weapon.
Ethan didn’t speak.
“Let’s see how much. Either you pull your trigger or I will pull mine.”
No!
“Pull your trigger…” Clark shouted. “Or I pull mine!”
“No!” Sophie yelled. “No, don’t you do it, Ethan! He’s not going to kill me!” She was supposed to buy that this crazy freak had been secretly stalking her for years and now he was going to kill her in a blink? Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. He was just trying to play some kind of head game with Ethan.
No, he’s trying to get rid of Ethan. He’s trying to get rid of everyone in his way. Lex, Ethan…
Ethan had his gun pointed at his temple.
“If you do it,” Sophie shouted, “I will kick your ass!” She fully believed Clark wouldn’t kill her—okay, she thought he wouldn’t kill her right then. So that meant she could fight him. If he had the chance, though, hell, yes, she thought Clark would kill Ethan—and he’d finish Lex. I won’t give him the chance.
“I knew you were trouble, Clark,” Ethan said. He didn’t sound frightened. He sounded pissed. “The first time your rich ass came into my neighborhood. You wanted drugs, and I told you I didn’t run that shit. But you saw something else that got you addicted, didn’t you? You saw Sophie.”
“Sophie was meant to be mine! She never loved another man, barely let any other lovers get close. She held herself back, for me!”
Ah, and now she knew just how to break free. “Newsflash, there, ADA Eastbridge. Lex got close.”
His hold slackened.
“Want to know just how close?” She made her voice go velvety, husky. Seductive. “So close that I love him.” Sophie drove her elbow back into his stomach and when he grunted, she lurched forward.
“Run, Sophie!” Ethan bellowed.
No way. She wasn’t going to run and leave Lex. She needed a weapon, she needed—
“And I…love…her…” Lex snarled.
Lex.
She looked back. In the dark, he’d risen. He grabbed Clark and threw him against the side of the car. The screwdriver hit the ground with a clatter. She lunged for it, but when she looked up, Clark was trying to aim his gun right at Lex.
“Stop it!” Sophie screamed. “Don’t you hurt him! Don’t!” She would stab that bastard right in the heart.
She didn’t have to.
Lex knocked the gun out of Clark’s grasp. She knew he broke Clark’s wrist because she heard the crunch of bones. Then Lex pounded his fist into Clark’s face again and again. Clark attempted to fight back, but he was no match for Lex’s fury. No match for him at all.
Sophie stepped forward, but hard arms wrapped around her. “Let him finish the bastard,” Ethan whispered in her ear. “Then you’ll never have to fear Clark again.”
Lex was in a killing fury. His wounds didn’t seem to slow him down at all. His hands struck in a blinding rush, and the thud of flesh on flesh—the crunching of bones—had her shuddering. Lex wasn’t stopping.
And she couldn’t watch him murder a man. “He isn’t you,” she told Ethan.
His arms fell away. Sophie hurried to Lex. She reached out, touching his shoulder. “No more.”
At her touch, Lex stilled instantly.
Clark slid down the side of the car, then fell, slamming face first into the cement.
Lex turned. He stared down at her. His eyes glittered.
“I’m okay,” she told him. “He’s done.”
Lex’s hand—bloody—reached out to touch her. But right before his fingers slid against her skin, his hand clenched into a fist. “I…love you.” His voice was so rough.
“I love you, too.” Saying the words wasn’t hard. In fact, it just might have been the easiest thing she’d ever done in her life. She threw her body against his, holding on tightly to Lex. “I love you.”
His arms closed around her.
Clark. Clark did this. The ADA! She couldn’t wrap her mind around that, couldn’t understand it all, not yet. In that moment, it didn’t even matter. Lex was alive. She was alive—that was all that mattered.
Sirens wailed—seemingly far off.
“Someone called the cavalry.” Ethan’s voice was mild. “That usually happens when shots are fired. Tell you what…how about I kill this asshole before the boys in blue come rushing to the scene? Trust me, this ending will be better for everyone. Lex can still be your hero, you can sleep peacefully at night, and I’ll feel one hell of a lot better about the world in general.”
She shook her head, but didn’t let Lex go.
Killing like that…there had been enough death. She didn’t want it. “He killed my parents. He killed Griffin.”
“There’s not going to be any evidence to tie the guy to those crimes,” Ethan argued. “He’s slick. Hell, he’ll just toss out some insanity defense and get away with it all. So what if he actually is insane? He’s been hooked on you for years. You think he’s ever just going to let you walk away from him?”
She couldn’t kill.
Lex seemed to stumble against her. Her hold tightened on him. “Help me, Ethan! Clark shot him.” She’d thought he was all right. The way he’d fought, but…
Lex was sagging. Slumping.
Ethan hurried forward. “Shit. When you’ve got bullets in you…” He slid his shoulder under Lex’s right arm. Sophie put her body under Lex’s left arm to help brace him up. “Maybe let me do the ass kicking?”
Lex grunted. “You were…busy…about to shoot…self…”
“I saw you moving behind him. I knew yo
u just needed me to keep him distracted.” They were shuffling forward. Moving toward the flash of blue lights. “I did my part, buddy. You’re welcome.”
Sophie glanced back. The men weren’t even looking at Clark. Was he still breathing?
“Now do yours…”
Wait, had Ethan just said those words? They’d been so low she thought she’d imagined them. They shuffled forward more. The cop cars raced toward them. The first vehicle braked with a screech that hurt Sophie’s ears. The driver’s side door opened and—
“What happened?” Faith Chestang shouted. “Seriously…let me handle this shit sometime! Don’t always fight on your own!”
Then she was running forward.
And there was a rustle behind Sophie. The whisper of clothing?
“Mine…” Such a low, furious growl. “Or…no one’s…”
Clark wasn’t dead, and, apparently, he still had a whole lot of twisted rage left in him.
Lex shoved Sophie to the side. Ethan shouted her name and the guy jumped on her. What?
And—
Clark ran toward them. He had the screw driver in his hand. The screwdriver that had fallen when Lex was fighting him. Clark had that screwdriver raised and was charging forward.
But he didn’t get very far. Because Lex fired at him. Just shot with cold precision. Once, twice. The bullets sank into Clark’s chest, hitting perfectly in the heart.
“No one owns Sophie,” Lex said. His arm lowered when Clark hit the ground.
Ethan rose, moving off Sophie. “And now it’s over.”
“Damn, damn…” Faith ran forward. She kicked the screwdriver away from Clark’s still form. “The ADA just went batshit.”
No, he’d been batshit for a very long time. He’d just been good at hiding his dark side. Sophie was on the ground, the cement biting into her hands. Lex walked toward her, his steps slow, but not staggering. Had he really been that weak before? When he’d suddenly needed both her and Ethan at his side?