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A man’s howl.
Bowen lifted his head and his gun, trying to take aim. The killer shifted, staggering a little. Enough to let Cullen know that he’d hit his target. But the killer quickly recovered. At the exact moment Leigh reached the side of her house, the killer pivoted, hooking his arm around Jamie’s neck and dragging his human shield back in front of him.
“Big mistake,” the killer yelled. “Now Jamie dies.”
The words were like fists, but Cullen now knew exactly who they were dealing with because he had no trouble recognizing the voice.
Rocky was the killer.
LEIGHHADKNOWNthat it could be Rocky behind the wheel of the truck. But it still brought on an avalanche of emotions. Anger, betrayal, shock. He’d worked side by side with her, and until the last twenty-four hours, she hadn’t seen any signs that he was a killer.
But she was seeing them now.
Rocky had a gun to Jamie’s head, and Leigh knew with absolute certainty that he’d kill Jamie. In fact, the only reason Rocky hadn’t already pulled the trigger was because he needed a shield, and the terrified Jamie was it. However, it wasn’t Jamie Rocky wanted.
No.
He wanted her. Probably Cullen, too, but Leigh wasn’t sure she knew the reason for that.
“Have you always wanted me dead?” Leigh called out to him. “Or were you worried I’d prove that you’re the one who murdered Alexa and McNash?”
“You don’t deserve the badge,” Rocky spat out.
His response surprised her. Not because of his obvious venom, but because he’d answered her at all. Leigh had figured he’d just spout out his demand for the cruiser so he could make his escape.
Something she wanted to make sure didn’t happen.
That’s why Leigh glanced around to try to figure out how to stop him. Rocky was going to pay for the murders—which he hadn’t denied. Pay for the attacks against Cullen and her, too. And he was especially going to pay for the hell he was putting Jamie through.
From the angle she had now, she could no longer see Bowen, but it was possible he’d try to sneak up on Rocky. Which wouldn’t be a good thing. It could cause Rocky to have a knee-jerk reaction and pull the trigger. Especially since Rocky was already hurt. There was blood on his leg just above his boot.
Cullen was still on the ground, using the boulders for cover, but he also had his gun aimed and ready. If he got a shot, she could count on him to take it—and not miss.
She didn’t know where Vance was but suspected the text she’d just gotten was from him. Probably asking for instructions on what he should do. Without taking her attention, or her aim, off Rocky, Leigh motioned toward the last spot where she’d seen Dawn. If Vance hadn’t gotten to her already, then maybe he’d do that now.
The one person Leigh didn’t want to look at was Jamie. She could practically feel the fear coming off him in hot, slick waves, and she couldn’t let her worry for him get in the way. He could help best by diffusing this mess.
“So, you wanted me dead because I’m the sheriff,” Leigh called out to Rocky.
“You’re sleeping with Cullen Brodie,” Rocky snapped. “Now, quit yapping and get me that cruiser.” He peppered thatrequestwith a lot of crude profanity.
Again, she wasn’t surprised that Rocky was enraged about her relationship with Cullen. With a Brodie. Jeb’s anger toward Bowen might not have erupted into violence, but it had spilled over to Rocky. Still, she wasn’t putting a drop of the blame on Jeb. This was Rocky’s deal, and she was betting at the core that it had less to do with his feelings about Cullen than it did about him trying to cover up Alexa’s murder.
And she’d try to use that.
“You killed Alexa in the heat of the moment,” Leigh said, trying to keep her voice calm. “That’s second-degree murder. Maybe even manslaughter.”
Rocky gave a hollow laugh. “You expect me to believe you’d offer me a deal! Don’t insult me. I’m a cop. A better cop than you’ll ever be.”
She could have pointed out that he was a killer and had also committed numerous other felonies, but that wouldn’t help diffuse this. Maybe nothing would help, but she had to try for Jamie’s sake.
“Maybe you are a better cop,” she said. “Because I can’t figure out why you’d kill Alexa.”
“No more yapping,” he yelled. “Get me that cruiser now.”
“It’ll take a couple of minutes. Vance used it to get Dawn to the ambulance. She’s hurt, Rocky, and she needs the EMTs so she won’t bleed out.”
Rocky cursed. “She got in the way. She got herself shot. Like Alexa.”
