AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Holt held his hand out. His eyes never wavered from the man holding the gun on me. “Okay, let’s just calm down. Let her go.”
“Not until she gives me the information we want.”
“And what would that be? Maybe I can help you. I have lots of contacts throughout the city.”
“I need to know what she and her sister did with all the money.”
“What money?” I cried. “I don’t have any.”
“The money you and Regis stole from my boss.”
“I didn’t steal anything!” I cried. Tears of helplessness started to fill my eyes. I had zero ideas what he was talking about.
“Shut up,” Blue Shirt said. The sirens were growing closer, and I could feel the tension in the man holding me.
“They’re getting closer,” White Shirt said, panicking. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Too late.” Blue Shirt shook his head. “Maybe she’ll talk better if she sees how serious we are.” He raised his gun and pointed it at Holt.
I wondered why Holt hadn’t pulled his own gun until I remembered the metal detectors inside the courthouse. Holt had to put his pistol in a locker, and he probably didn’t think he needed to grab it when he came outside.
“Nooooo!” I screamed, my voice echoing on the surrounding concrete steps and marble columns as the man pulled the trigger.
Holt jerked backward as blood began to flow from the upper left side of his chest. Amazingly, he remained standing. “Let her go,” he shouted.
“Tell me what we want to know or the next bullet will be two inches lower.”
I was shaking and would have fallen to my knees if the man wasn’t holding me so tightly. I began crying in earnest. “No, please don’t hurt him. I’ll go with you. I’ll try to figure out whatever you’re talking about.”
“No, Maddy. Don’t go with them,” Holt called frantically.
“Shut up,” Blue Shirt yelled at him. He raised his pistol at Holt again. Holt stared me in the eyes, love pouring forth as I cried his name.
“Noooooo!” I yelled again, struggling against my bonds. But it wasn’t enough. The roar of gunfire filled my ears.
37
Maddy
It felt like all hell broke loose. The man holding me flinched and released his grip. Tires screeched, sirens wailed to a stop, and people were screaming everywhere. I staggered forward, anticipating the sting of a bullet, but I needed to get to Holt. Holt lay several steps above me, and even in my tear-filled eyes, I could see a puddle of blood trickle down the stairs.
My stomach lurched and the ground started to swim, but I forced myself to half-walk, half-crawl the several yards to where he lay. Only when I got there, he wasn’t alone. A small woman with a hat covering her hair lay still a few feet from him.
I reached out trembling hands toward Holt as I got to him. “Holt!” I sobbed. “Please, baby. Please open your eyes.” I grasped his hands in mine. “You can’t leave me, do you hear? You promised to catch me if I fell, Holt. And you made me fall in love with you, so you don’t leave me, okay?"
His eyes fluttered open. “Is that your closing argument?”
Relief poured through me. My smile was shaky as tears poured down my face. “It is if it gets me the verdict I want.”
A shaky smile broke out on his face. “No further arguments from me. I love you, too, sweetheart.” He grimaced. “What happened? Where’d that woman come from? She seemed to just come out of nowhere.” He struggled to sit up, but I urged him to stay still. “Check on her, sweetheart.”
I turned to kneel next to her. Her back was to me. I touched her shoulder, but she didn’t move so I crawled around to her front. My hands flew to my mouth. Her eyes were closed, but there was no mistaking her face.
“Charly! Oh, Charly, what have you done?” I whispered. She hadn’t changed much since I’d last seen her. I gently brushed the hair away from her face.
Holt had been able to roll to his side and sit up. “She threw herself at me, Maddy. I have no idea where she came from, but I heard a scream and then suddenly I was on the ground. I think she pushed me out of the way.”
I gasped, and that was when I realized the blood on Holt wasn’t his, it was her’s. “Oh, my God! Charly! Honey, wake up! Please, talk to me.” My hands shook as I patted her face.
