Page 57 of Deadly Alliance

“He did, the man I loved. Even my own mother. Now she won’t speak to me, and he rejected me. But I know deep down he loves me, he just has to keep up appearances until I can figure out how to get rid of his wife without causing trouble, then we can be together. He will see now how good I am. Now that I’ve killed Beatrice and when I kill you.”

“Why me? I never underestimated you.”

“Because everyone who’s like Beatrice need to be eliminated now. Just like all the women who look like his wife will be.”

Emme seriously needed to change the subject. “What is he like? The man you love?”

Immediately the woman relaxed, her look forlorn. “He is perfect. He was my EOD instructor. He was tall, dark, and handsome. He made me feel so special. Said I had great skills and a bright future ahead of me. I knew he loved me then. We couldn’t be together then, so when I moved on from his command I started following him and leaving him cards and gifts. His wife got wind of it and made a fuss, so he had a restraining order filed to keep her happy. Then he rejected my application, saying Beatrice wouldn’t consider it. I knew then what I had to do to prove myself to him.”

“Sounds like you have it all planned.”

“I do, and I am going to record this one, so he can see how much I’ve improved for him.”’

Oh, Jesus, I’m going to be blown up.

She watched as the woman retrieved a camcorder from the bag at her feet. She had at least put the gun down, so that was a start. Now she just needed to get the trigger that was standing between her and certain death out of her hand. As the woman bent down, Emme caught a flicker of movement from the window and thought she might faint with relief when she saw Shane’s familiar eyes. He quickly moved away as the woman stood and began speaking to the camera.

“My name is Ellen Long, and this is my love story to you, Michael Johnson.”

“Can I have one last request?” Emme said stalling for time. Long looked at her with a frown before relenting.

“What is it?” she asked sharply.

“Can I have one last sip of wine before I die?”

Long seemed to consider it. “Fine, where is it and no tricks or I will blow you into a million tiny pieces before my video is done. See, Michael, I am so benevolent,” she giggled into the camera.

“Wine is in the fridge, and the glass is in the top cupboard above it.”

Long kept the camera rolling as she continued to speak to the man she thought she loved. Luckily that meant she had to put the trigger on the counter to retrieve the glass and pour the wine. Emme could see her clearly through the double doorway that allowed the space to be opened into one room.

As she poured the wine, Emme heard the crack of glass as a shot was fired through it and Long went down, dead before her body hit the ground as a bullet pierced her frontal lobe in a perfect kill shot. The glass in the woman’s hand shattered as it hit the floor and the red wine inside it spread out around her.

* * *

The door slammed open,and Shane rushed in followed by Lance.

“Are you okay?” he demanded as he knelt at her feet and looked her in the eyes.

“Yes, but I don’t know for how long.” He saw the fear in her face that she was trying so hard to hide and fell in love with her even more. She was so brave and so strong, and he would do anything to keep her safe.

“Don’t worry we have someone who is going to help with that.” He swiped a tear off her face that he knew she didn’t know had fallen.

“I’m so sorry, Emme. I should never have said what I did. You are so much more to me than a fling, and when we get you out of here, I’m going to do everything in my power to show you how much.”

“I love you, Shane,” she whispered.

“Oh, baby, I love you too, so much and it terrified me, so I acted like an asshole.”

“Too right you did,” snarked Lucy from behind him. “How are you doing, Emme?”

“Okay, but I really don’t want to die. I have some grovelling to enjoy from the man I love,” she said with a smile.

“Well, that’s where I come in darling,” said a tall, muscular man with a dark beard and hair that flopped over his eyes. His words were light, but his eyes were examining the explosives as he bent down and followed the wires.

Zack stepped in. “Emme, this is a good friend of mine, Kingsley Knight. He’s an ex-Royal Navy Fleet Diver and explosives are his speciality.

“Great,” she said, trying to smile.