He focused his gaze on something over Roger’s shoulder and forced a smile. “I don’t think what you want will matter much in a minute.”
Roger wheeled his body in the direction of Blake’s gaze, and Blake snatched up the thermos and threw it with all his might at Roger’s head. It connected and Roger fell off his perch on the airboat’s elevated seat.
Blake leaped onto the older man and grabbed his wrist holding the gun and slammed it back against the metal boat hull.
The gun flipped out of Roger’s hand and slid to land three feet away. Blake let go of Roger and crawled toward the gun. He nearly had it in his hand when Roger grabbed his ankle and tried to haul him back.
Blake kicked out and his foot connected with Roger’s chest. Roger let go of Blake’s foot, and Blake lunged forward.
His fingers closed around the butt of the gun and he stood and turned toward Roger. “Stop!” His finger switched off the safety. “I won’t hesitate to shoot you, Roger.” He gestured with the gun. “Hands in the air.”
Roger scowled but slowly raised his arms. “Let me go, Blake. I’ll leave the country.”
“You should have thought of that before you had Dean snatch Paradise.” She was out there somewhere and needed him.
The drifting boat bumped against the shore, and he gestured with the gun again. “Get out.”
Roger’s eyes filled with hope until he surveyed the area. “Get out here? It’s an island. I’ll be trapped.”
“That’s the general idea. If you force me to shoot you, I will. Out.”
Scowling, Roger swung his legs over the side of the boat and eased into the seagrass. Dark water stained his jeans up to his knees and he waded onto drier ground. Clouds of gnats and mosquitoes billowed around him. It wouldn’t be pleasant waiting until the police came to get him.
Blake started the engine and moved away from the island with his phone in front of him. The dot was no longer moving and he had to find her. His inadequacy might result in her death. He groaned out a prayer for God to protect her, because all of this was beyond his ability.
Had Blake realized she was gone yet? Paradise didn’t think Dean would wait much longer to make his move. Her senses sharpened as she stared at the boat’s gray hull—the birds’ chatter increased, and something splashed in the water on the port side. The hum of the insects intensified and she caught a whiff of wildflowers under the swamp’s stench. She felt her lungs inhale and exhale as the boat swayed gently in the water.
Was this where her life ended? She wasn’t afraid, but her heartsqueezed at the thought of Blake’s grief and how much her loss would affect him and the little boys. Jenna too. They’d all quickly become her true family.
It was do or die time. The tiny gun in her pocket was her only chance to spend more years with those she loved.
She infinitesimally lifted the left side of her body to give her a little more room on the right so she could get at her gun. “Lots of gators out here. Cottonmouths and copperheads too. Do you know it well?”
“Me and Uncle Allen used to fish for largemouth bass and catfish here. I’d thought about disposing of him in our favorite spot, but it needed to look like an accident.”
Only a sociopath would consider killing his own uncle in such a gruesome way. “How could you attack Mary? She loves you.”
“I had to stop her from calling Jane. With a crowbar.”
Paradise shuddered at his matter-of-fact monotone that held not an ounce of remorse. “She’s not dead. I’m sure she’s at the hospital by now.”
“Guess I’d better tend to business and get out of town.”
If only Blake were here, he’d know what to do. But he’d taught her how to protect herself, and she had to gather the courage to do it. “I’d like to get up. I’m cold and my arms hurt from being under me.”
“Probably a good idea to finish this. I have a date later and need to get back.” For the first time he sounded animated and eager for the next few minutes to arrive.
She tensed as his hard hand grabbed her left shoulder and hauled her to her feet. In that same instant the ropes dropped to the hull. She worked on yanking her gun out of her right pocket, but it was resisting her. She bent over and plowed her head into his stomach.
Anoofjoined the chorus of frogs to their left, and she finally managed to pull her gun free from the pocket of her sweats.
Dean straightened and his gun came up. Paradise dove off to one side as he fired. She brought her gun up and took her firing stance as best as she could. “Drop it!”
“I should have frisked you.” The arm holding his gun steady never wavered, and he kept it trained on her chest. “I bet I can shoot you before you shoot me. You can’t quite bring yourself to shoot a man, can you? You’re a healer, not a killer.”
“And you’re not a man—you’re a monster. I’ll have no problem putting you down.” But despite her brave words, she wasn’t sure he was wrong. She didn’t want to pull the trigger, but she would have to. He wasn’t letting her go without a fight.
A whooshing sound rose above the noise of the swamp. Another airboat coming this way? She smiled with more confidence than she felt. “Sounds like help is on the way. You’re going to jail, Dean.”
