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“I flipped my world upside down for you.”
She listened as he turned it all around and took on the role of savior. She gagged on the thought. “I never asked for it. I was happy with my mom.”
“Do not talk to me about that stupid cow.”
“Lindsey, no.” Holt yelled and reached for her.
She was already moving. She grabbed the gun and pointed it right at Simon’s chest. She fired once and then a second time. The gun kept clicking, but it didn’t fire any bullets.
Holt blew out a long breath. “It wasn’t loaded.”
She had no idea how he knew. Her whole body shook as the unspent adrenaline coursed through her. After a few seconds she looked up into her uncle’s evil eyes.
“You will pay for that betrayal,” he said.
He’d offered her the out and now that she took it he held her accountable. If he wanted to play games, she would. “Now give me one with bullets.”
Simon stared at her for long minutes. The hatred pummeled her as the disdain dripped from his lips. When he finally spoke she almost wished he hadn’t. “Now it’s my turn to fire the gun.”
Chapter Nineteen
Holt knew they were officially out of time. Simon had played this out and put Lindsey through the wringer. He planned every minute in order to suck the life out of her. Now she stood there looking devastated with her energy draining into a puddle on the floor.
He got it. She’d been fighting with this man, hiding, for years. In her position, he probably would have taken the shot. But he’d known the gun was empty. It was the reason he didn’t tackle the guy and steal the gun. That personality type, narcissistic and unbound by social conventions, Simon thrived on the chaos. He liked to create fear.
He was sick and Holt had no idea how someone as special as Lindsey had come out of a household that included Simon.
“Get on your knees.” Simon gave the order as he waved the gun around.
It was a novice move and it worried Holt more than all the threats. “I’ll stand.”
If Simon wanted to kill him, he could look him in the eye and do it in front of his face. Holt intended to hold firm but then, with a simple nod of his head, Simon issued the one argument Holt could not counteract. Todd stepped up and put the gun right against Lindsey’s head.
In other circumstances with family members, Holt might not be so ready to agree one family member would go through with killing another. But Simon’s logic had gotten all twisted up. He lived in a place where belief in something should matter, but he seemed utterly devoid of any sort of personal code. His motivation turned out to be simple and timeless—greed.
Holt looked over and saw the fear in Lindsey’s eyes and the gun right behind her head, and his knees started to buckle. He would not lose her to pride.
“Very good.” Simon turned to Lindsey. “Now you.”
She didn’t hesitate. She hit her knees, kneeling close enough that their shoulders touched. Her fingers tangled with his. Holt gave in to a second to enjoy the touch. Her hand had turned ice-cold and he took that hesitation to try to warm them.
But he had no plans to die today.
No way was he allowing any harm to come to her, and this was not his time. He always thought he’d know. When he lay bleeding in that sand, convinced that was the end, his mind had rebelled. Just as he’d accepted his fate, he found a new burst of energy. This was how they would get through this time, too.
He might only have one shot. If Cam and Shane had infiltrated the camp and this building, all would be well. They’d unleash firepower from above and take Simon and Todd right out. There would be others in camp they’d need to interview and possibly remove, but Simon was the key. Take him out of the equation and the whole thing might unravel.
Holt tried to think of a way to clue in Lindsey. They would need to go together. Both duck and roll. Both move and keep going until the shooting stopped. Holt just wished he had a gun. Todd had taken his, but he’d missed the knife. Big mistake.
Simon pointed the gun first at Holt. “You will die for thinking you could infiltrate my camp without consequences.” The barrel moved to Lindsey. “You will die for failing me.”
“Do it,” Todd egged his boss on as he stood over them with a weapon of his own.
Holt gave Lindsey’s hand a squeeze as he prepared to go. He started the mental countdown.
Since Simon seemed to be dragging this out and enjoying every minute, Holt didn’t know how much time he really had, so he took one more shot. “All this is over money.”
“I am able to do something others failed to do.” Simon’s ego took over. He shifted focus from the weapon to his perceived brilliance.
