Anthony dropped his hands into his lap. “Shane wrapped her fingers around the knife.”
Eudora’s face turned a strange shade of reddish purple. “What are you saying?”
“You were so unhappy. So miserable. I wanted to make you happy again. I wanted to end the turmoil.”
“What did you do?” Her words were like a lion roaring at a target.
“They screwed up… Pete wasn’t supposed to die,” Rory said.
Rory’s heart stood still. No…her blood seemed to drain to her feet.No…this couldn’t be.
Eudora turned to her, and Rory realized she had said the words out loud.
She held Rory’s gaze. The shock and realization there made it impossible for Rory to look away.
“No!” Eudora screamed, her attention swinging back to her husband.
Rory stood. She was getting out of here.
Eudora grabbed the gun from the floor and wheeled toward Rory before she could get through the door. “You are not getting away with this.Youkilled my son.”
Rory froze, her mind rushing to determine the right thing to do. “No. Shane killed him. Didn’t you hear what Anthony said?”
“But it’s your fault,” Eudora snarled.
The story suddenly unfolded in Rory’s mind as if she’d opened a map detailing the events of that night.
“Oh my God. Shane was supposed to killme. Instead he raped me while his psycho friend Rick Hill tortured Pete. But Hill went too far and killed him, didn’t he?” Her heart sank at the horrible images playing out in her mind. “Then Shane had to cover it up to protect Pete’s father…to protect himself.”
“You are insane,” Eudora sneered.
Fury rocked through Rory. “No. It was all to protectyou. You killed him,” she accused. “You and your twisted sense of self-righteousness and privilege. I wasn’t good enough for you, and your son died because of it.”
Eudora leveled her aim on Rory. “I will not let you live when my son lies dead in the cold ground.”
Rory dove for the hall.
The weapon fired. The bullet struck its target.
Anthony was shouting. Eudora was screaming.
Rory scrambled forward away from the bedroom door, her skin burning where the bullet grazed her upper arm.
Chance was suddenly there. He pulled her to her feet. “Go. Now. Get in my car and drive away.”
She hesitated.
“Go!”
She rushed out the door, blood slipping down her arm. Ran across the yard. Headlights rolled across her, blinding her. The car slammed on its brakes, and someone got out.
“Stop right there!”
Fowler.Rory froze. Her left arm suddenly hurt like hell.
The thudding in her chest threatened to steal her breath completely. She had just escaped a madwoman, and now she was facing the detective who likely helped Pete’s parents thwart the law. Dear God, Anthony had done this. How was that possible? What kind of person would go so far to make his wife happy? To stop a marriage?
Rory had signed a prenup. She was no threat to the family’s money. She had done everything right. Apparently her only mistake was in loving the son of psychopaths.
