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Olivia couldn’t believe her ears. “No one will believe that. David’s clearly been beaten.”
“Yeah, Mitch should’ve been more gentle with him.” Susan shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. You did a number on Bryce before the police caught him. I’ll make it look like there was a struggle.”
“Where is Mitch now?” She scanned the immediate area, discreetly looking for some kind of weapon. There was nothing.
“He’s driving back from the prison. We had to pay a hefty bribe to a guard in order to get Justin a cell phone, so he has access to his bank account. Once he transfers the money that was promised, I’m going to video chat with him so he can watch you die.”
She wasn’t bluffing. Susan’s expression had turned into one of cold-blooded hatred. Olivia couldn’t compute how the woman she’d worked next to for the last three years was hiding such a twisted dark side. She really was naïve. Or maybe desperation and panic had turned Susan into someone else.
Olivia stepped forward, still clutching the coffee mug. “You don’t have to do this. It’s not too late to change your mind.” She swallowed hard. “Susan… please… I thought we were friends.”
“We were until you hired David!” Susan’s outburst was violent and unexpected. Her face turned bright red with rage. “Then things changed. I hated him and asked you to fire him, but you wouldn’t listen.” She jabbed the gun in Olivia’s direction. “You did this. It’s all your fault.”
Like flipping a switch, Susan’s anger turned to sadness. She tucked a few loose curls behind her ears and then smoothed her blouse. “I’m sorry, Olivia, but this is how it has to be. I need the money.” Her expression turned beseeching. “It won’t hurt. I promise. And I tried to keep David out of it. If you hadn’t fought so hard, and Bryce had killed you, then none of this would’ve happened. I had to go to Plan B. It’s really all your fault, don’t you see?”
Unbelievable. Olivia was absolutely disgusted, but she took another step toward Susan. The only chance she had for survival was to get the gun away from the other woman. “I understand. This is an impossible situation. You have no choice.” She scooted closer. “There’s just one thing I don’t understand. When Cole and I asked you about David’s involvement, you denied it. If the plan was to frame him, then why tell us that?”
“Jeez, you really are slow. Listen, Olivia. Back then, that wasn’t the plan. I was paid only to provide information to Bryce. He delivered the notes and followed you around. I kept him advised of what I knew about the case from the police, which he also paid me for. Then he needed Mitch to break into your house, so we upped our ask, and we upped it again when he asked me to find out everything I could about Cole.” Her gaze narrowed. “I didn’t expect you to have a Texas Ranger following you around. That complicated matters. When you and Cole asked about David, I simply wanted to muddy the waters of the investigation to protect Bryce and myself.”
“That’s why you implicated Randy. Smart.”
“Exactly.” Susan beamed like a child being praised for solving a tough math problem. “Bryce was supposed to kill you and Cole, but he screwed up. That’s when Mitch and I figured we could make Justin a new deal. Problem was, we needed someone to pin the murder on. That’s where David comes in. Everyone’s heard about the incident the other night at Oak Gardens. It’s not a stretch to believe he was working with Bryce.”
Susan’s cell phone rang, interrupting their conversation. The screen lit up with an unknown number. It was Justin.
Olivia was out of time.
She threw the coffee in her mug at Susan. The woman recoiled and instinctively put her hands up to protect her face. She yelped as the still-hot liquid scalded her skin. Olivia tossed the mug at her head for good measure and then lunged for the gun.
She wrapped her fingers around the metal, but Susan was stronger than she looked. She wouldn’t let go. Olivia twisted, trying to get the upper hand, as Susan grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked. Pain erupted in her scalp, but she kept trying to get the gun away. Her heart thundered against her ribcage. She stomped on Susan’s foot.
Glass shattered in the lobby. Olivia heard Cole shout her name.
Then the gun in her hands went off.
THIRTY-ONE
Red and blue lights flashed across the sidewalk in stark contrast to the otherwise sunny day. Police officers, Texas Rangers, and EMS swarmed Olivia’s office. She’d brushed off any offer of medical assistance, content to take shelter under Cole’s loving embrace. His arm was wrapped around her waist and she leaned into him as two paramedics hurried past with a gurney. Susan was handcuffed to the rail, screaming defenses and nonsense, the leg of her jeans bloody. The bullet had struck her in the calf when the gun went off.
Susan spotted Olivia and started spewing obscenities. The hatred pouring from her was like a physical slap, and although Olivia knew she couldn’t hurt her anymore, it still stung.
She turned her face away. “I can’t believe I ever considered her a friend.”
“You’re a kind, warm, generous woman.” Cole gently lifted her chin until she was staring into his eyes. “Never apologize for believing in the best of people. It’s a strength, not a weakness. And it’s one of the things I love about you.”
Her heart skipped several beats, and she blinked, certain she hadn’t heard him correctly. “What did you say?”
“I love you, Olivia. With all my heart. I’m sorry I didn’t say it earlier. I was scared, but Nana gave me a good talking to and set me right.”
“I knew I liked her.”
Cole chuckled. “And she adores you.” His thumb gently caressed the curve of her chin, sending butterflies alighting in her belly. “My feelings for you are so deep and powerful… it terrified me. I’ve faced down deadly criminals, put myself in the line of fire, but when it came to dealing with what was happening between us, I was a coward. I tried to run from it.”
She’d figured that part out. “That’s why you didn’t want to be my bodyguard when Eli and Sienna suggested it.”
He nodded. “Then I tried to box it up. I kept talking about how much I don’t want to get married, hoping it would put up a wall between us. Nothing worked. What I felt for you kept growing until there was no way to deny it.” Cole’s gaze dropped to her lips. “And then you kissed me and my entire world went topsy-turvy. I’ve told myself for so long that I didn’t need love. Not this kind, anyway. But you smashed through all my excuses. It took time, prayer, and a conversation with Nana, but I finally got my head on right.”
He brushed a kiss across her mouth. “My past doesn’t define me, just like you said. I decide who I want to be.”
