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KEEP HIM TALKING. COLTON IS TRYING TO TRACK THE CALL.
"You were embezzling, Randy. It was only a matter of time before you were caught. Do yourself a favour and turn yourself in to the police. They can protect you from whoever is looking for you."
"No one can protect me!" Randy's voice is edging on hysteric. He's all but screaming now. "I'm as good as dead. Sanchez has people everywhere. And this is all your fucking fault. I'm taking you with me if it's the last thing I do."
Suddenly, the line goes quiet. He hung up.
Not sure what to do, I wait for a break, then Ryan, Holly, Colton, and I slip away into the green room. I am surprised to see Payton at a small desk with a laptop and a few other high-tech-looking electronic devices I have never seen before.
"We got him," she announces with a satisfied smile.
"What are you doing here?" I ask, a little confused.
"Catching that son of a bitch. I knew he wouldn't be able to resist calling tonight," she says matter-of-factly. "Sorry I didn't tell you I was crashing the party, but I didn't want to scare or worry you in case we somehow tipped him off."
"You've caught him? How can you be sure?" Ryan questions Payton, unconvinced. Like me, Ryan won't believe anything until Randy is behind bars.
"I have a unit en-route now. As soon as you guys went live, I've been tracing all the calls to Avery's phone. When Colton signalled Randy was on the line, I pinned the location to a spot in the downtown, east end. As soon as we have him, I'll call and let you know."
Relief floods my body as Payton gives me a quick hug before packing up her equipment in record time and dashing out the door.
Ryan wraps his arms around me, and I sag into him.
It's over.
It's finally over.
I hear clapping coming from the studio. The telethon has ended, and by the sounds of it, we made our goal. A few minutes later, Tyra walks into the green room with a worried expression.
"Is everything okay?" she asks.
"Randy called," Holly informs her. "We think the police have finally tracked him down."
We all go home together and invite Tyra and Taylor to come with us for a drink or two. Everything becomes a blur as my body starts to relax after being in a constant state of panic for the last couple of weeks. Now, exhaustion is starting to set in.
I immediately pour myself a glass of zinfandel when we walk in the door and plop down on the couch. I'm not going to sleep until Payton calls and tells us the police have Randy in custody. Holly, Luke, Ryan, Taylor, and Tyra make light conversation, only occasionally straying to the subject of Randy. Tyra feels this is her fault, but I reassure her it's not.
She's heading back to Los Angeles soon, and I wonder what that means for Taylor.
"I guess I won't need Colton anymore," I surmise before turning towards him. "As much as I like you, Colton, I can't say I'll miss needing a bodyguard following me around like a shadow."
Just then, Holly's phone rings, and the room goes silent. She scrambles to answer, digging the phone out of her purse. It's Payton. We all watch as she listens to whatever Payton is saying on the other end of the line. When Holly takes a sharp breath, eyes wide, I expect the worst.
"What is it?" I demand every muscle in my body strung taut. "Did they catch him or not?"
Holly's eyes lock with mine. They're filled with questions, uncertainty and shock. I resist the urge to shake the answer out of her and wait for her to speak, but the next words out of her mouth leave me flabbergasted.
"Randy's dead.”
22?
Shot Through the Heart
Avery
"Dead?"
"Dead," Holly says in shock. She's as dumbfounded as I am at this news. "He was hiding out in a foreclosed storefront downtown. By the time Payton got there, the entire place was up in flames."
