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Mike took a few steps back, waving his arms to keep Grant away.
“I’m not buying it, man. I know she’s here. I want to see her.”
“She’s not here. Her car is gone.”
“I want to see Mia!”
This was shouted by the now furious man standing only a few feet from Grant. He’d gone from zero to sixty in a flash.
Spit had flown from Mike’s mouth as he flung his arms wildly from left to right, clearly working himself into an angry lather. Grant had seen this sort of behavior a few times and it usually was coupled with some sort of extreme mental distress. He needed to get Mike as calmed down as possible. What usually followed was unpredictable behavior that could get someone injured.
Grant slowly moved forward but Mike was too skittish, stumbling back to keep the distance between them and then falling awkwardly to the floor. Grant immediately reached out.
“Shit, let me help?—”
“Don’t touch me,” Mike growled. “I want to see Mia.”
Grant was a cop, and an experienced one, and he should have been ready for it. But he wasn’t.
Mike had reached into the pocket of his baggy shorts and pulled out a gun which was currently pointed at Grant’s chest.
With adrenaline pumping through his veins and the roar of blood in his ears, Grant raised his hands and stepped back, putting as much distance between him and Mike as he dared. He’d looked down the barrel of a gun before, but each time he’d had a weapon of his own even if it was holstered.
This time? He didn’t have shit. He had to keep his wits about him, try to calm the man down, and delay long enough for either Trey or the sheriff to get here. Assuming either one of them was even coming.
“Easy, Mike. You don’t want that thing to go off by accident. We don’t want anything bad to happen here today. We’ve had enough bad stuff to last a lifetime. You don’t want to upset Mia, do you? You want her to be happy, right?”
Mike crawled to his knees, the gun still aimed at Grant, but the limb visibly wavering with the weight of the firearm. He was still weak from his injuries and hospital stay. The walk here must have taken all of his energy.
“I’ve done so much for her, but she doesn’t understand.”
“I think she does, Mike. She says that you’re family.”
“She doesn’t understand,” Mike repeated, tears beginning to fall down his red cheeks. His other arm came up to steady the gun. “I have to talk to her and make her understand. Everything I’ve done in the last three years is for her. Everything. I told my brother about it, but he thinks I’m wrong.”
“I know, and you’ve done more than anyone could ask. When she gets here, you can tell her. But we need to keep calm until she does. She’s probably on her way now. She might be here in just a few minutes.”
The sound of sirens were in the distance, coming close and louder with every passing second. Mike must have heard them, too, because his tears fell faster, his body wracked with sobs.
All Grant needed was an opening. Just a smidge of a moment. If Mike would simply look away that would give the opening that he needed.
The other man, however, wasn’t through with surprises. The gun that had been pointed at Grant was now pointed at Mike’s temple.
“Steve’s says I’m crazy. Maybe I am. I just love her so much. Will you tell her that I loved her?”
“You can tell her yourself,” Grant said. “She’s going to want to see and talk to you, Mike. Let’s not make any rash decisions here. You don’t want to do this. You’ve got a whole life ahead of you. Don’t do something that you can’t undo. What you’re thinking about is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. It’s not the answer. It never is. Put the gun down. Just set it down and we can talk this out. When Mia gets here, you can talk to her. You can tell her that you love her.”
Mike was shaking his head, but no words were coming out. The sirens were getting louder and louder while the kneeling man swayed back and forth, crying so hard he was physically shaking.
Every instinct inside of Grant said that this was a do-or-die moment. He had to do something because Mike was rapidly falling apart. He was going to pull that trigger.
Grant had to act now.
* * *
Mia had given the keys to Trey as she was too rattled and upset to drive even the short distance between the houses. She could hear sirens growing closer as they neared her home. When Trey pulled into the driveway, several sheriff’s vehicles pulled in right behind.
They both jumped out of the car, but Trey stepped into her path, keeping her from climbing her front porch steps.
