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Chapter Nineteen
Luke was outraged to find Randy was in his home. How had the guy even gained access in the first place? He knew Terri was only siding with Randy to keep him pacified and avoid a disaster. But Luke had to pretend to be fooled, considering the level of danger they were now dealing with.
Luke had combed every inch of the house, installing all kinds of security measures and checking to be sure they worked. Short of a natural disaster, he was almost positive the house was sealed tighter than a vacuum packed pickle jar, which everyone knew was nearly impossible to open. Clearly Terri wouldn’t have opened the door and invited him in for tea, so what had gone wrong?
He let them pass because he needed a moment to think. He also needed Randy to believe that he was going to let Terri go without a fight. The guy was that arrogant. As if he alone held some claim to her, that there was an unbreakable bond, an invisible tether that somehow made her his and his alone. It was incredible to him that anyone could be so blind, but then people were some of the most screwed up species on the planet, weren’t they.
He was toying with the idea of shooting Terri’s husband, and was already bent on one knee in search of the gun he had hidden beneath his mattress, when Terri’s panic-stricken voice called out for him. He could hear her need, the sheer terror in her voice and, with a flicker of panic of his own, he flipped the mattress off the frame. But he found only empty space. The gun was gone.
With no time to think, Luke bolted from the room, his only idea to somehow save Terri and take down her husband in the process. He exited the room in time to meet her wide-eyed look of terror, then Randy spun and snagged her foot. He tugged hard, and her feet slipped from under her. Luke watched as she bounced down the staircase on her stomach, her chin slamming down each step as she went, her teeth clattering together so hard he thought they might break, until she lay motionless at the bottom.
A roar of true fury exploded from Luke. He called her name, anger and fear mixing hot in his voice. Then he leaped into action. Nearly flying down the stairs, he tackled Randy, plowing him into the floor so hard he was surprised the hardwood didn’t give way.
“You filthy bastard,” Luke raged, fisting Randy’s shirt collar and thumping his head into the floor. That lasted only about two seconds before Randy was able to get his wits about him and turn the tables.
Chest expanding, Randy’s eyes lit on Luke, and in a move straight out of a UFC fight, he lifted his legs into the air, capturing Luke around the neck and wrenching him backwards to the floor. He hit hard, his head spinning. He groaned, and when he opened his eyes, it was to see a fist speeding toward his face.
Employing his adrenaline-fueled reflexes, Luke rolled out of the way, hearing the sickening crack of bone on wood that could have been his face. Randy hollered, gripping his hand. Luke got his feet under him, and they were facing off again, circling each other. Randy’s mouth curved downward and his eyes shown with madness, and Luke had a moment in which he realized he was looking into the belly of the beast.
From where she lay sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, Terri moaned, and Luke made the mistake of looking in her direction. In a flash, Randy was on him, his fist colliding with his jaw, his eye, his cheek with maddening speed until his face felt swollen and numb.
And then he was there, bent over with his face so close their noses touched and he could smell the stale beer on his breath. “I had plans for you,” Randy seethed, “a whole bag of fun with your name on it. It was supposed to be a surprise, but your impatience has forced me to change my plans. Now you will die quickly, but no less painfully, I’m afraid.”
A quick jab to the ribs. Luke felt the break like a snap of white hot lightning, scorching his insides with the most incredible pain he had ever felt. He gritted his teeth, refusing to do more than grunt. A smile, then another punch, this time to his stomach. The force was so strong, Luke was sure something had been ruptured, but every muscle and organ in his body was screaming so loud, he couldn’t single out where it was coming from.
Through bloodied, swollen lips, Luke grinned, feeling the skin on his split lips separate with a sting. “Sorry to mess up your plans. I never was one for surprises,” he panted, enjoying the heated look he received in response. He earned another punch to the face for that little remark.
“A regular jokester, huh,” Randy said, gripping Luke’s face in his meaty paws so tight he thought he heard bone crack. “Maybe I’ll take a little time, introduce you to my favorite knife—”
The deafening sound of a jet engine breaking the sound barrier echoed throughout the first floor, causing Luke to wince. But it wasn’t a jet, as Luke realized a moment later when Randy’s words cut off and a look of complete shock froze his face.
Slowly, Randy pushed himself off Luke, stumbling into the wall as he tried to stand. He held his hand to his side, pain etched in his face and shining brightly in his eyes. Luke watched in stunned silence as a trickle of blood seeped between Randy’s fingers and dripped to the floor.
“Are you okay?” Terri asked Luke in a shaky voice.
Luke turned his head to look at her. She stood a few feet away; her arms held out straight, his gun gripped tightly between her trembling hands. Her eyes misted over as she watched her husband.
“I’m fine,” Luke managed, though he felt like he had just gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson. “Never felt better.”
“You shot me,” Randy accused. “You shot me and you stand there asking him if he’s okay?” He took a menacing step toward her, faltered, and fell back against the wall, grimacing. “Dammit, Terri!”
“I’m sorry,” Terri told him, her voice quavering. “But I can’t let you hurt anyone anymore.” Randy glared at her, his skin turning ashen as the blood ran faster. “It’s over, Randy.”
He bared his teeth at her. “It will never be over between us. We belong together, Terri. Don’t you see that? We’ll never be apart. As long as I live, I will always come for you.”
“I was afraid of that,” Terri said, regret ringing in her voice. Then she pulled the trigger a second time. Randy grunted as the bullet entered his chest, then slowly slid to the floor, leaving a crimson stain on the wall that traced his path down.
“I…loved…you,” Randy gasped. They were the last words that would ever leave his lips.
Crying out with realization of what she had just done, Terri ran to him and dropped to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. “I’m sorry,” she cried over and over again, touching his face, his hair, but he was already gone.
Luke’s heart broke for her, and with the last of his strength, he managed to roll onto his side and push himself up on his arms. He crawled to her, gritting his teeth at the pain that radiated from his midsection to his fingertips, and tugged her into his arms.
He held her that way, clutching her to his chest and rocking her, for an unknown amount time. He didn’t say anything, because what was there to say? The whole situation was so messed up; nothing that he could say would ever fix it. So he kept his mouth shut and held her, using the silence and the strength of his embrace to tell her what she already knew—that she wasn’t alone, that he would keep her together even when she felt like she was falling apart.
***
The police showed up with sirens screaming, their colored lights dancing across the treetops. They were late, and for some reason, Luke found this to be almost comical. He and Terri sat in the back of the ambulance, their feet hanging over the end as the paramedic finished cleansing Luke’s cuts and checking them for any serious injuries. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital,” he asked them, handing Luke an icepack for his swollen…everything.
