“An unpleasant necessity that worked out quite nicely, don’t you think?” A coldly amused smile touched the other man’s face. “I’m sure you realize it was nothing personal. I needed a fall guy. You were looking to…how do you cops say it? Bring me down? So I simply killed two birds with one stone.”
His gaze never faltering, Jack reached up and touched the cut on his temple, grimacing when his fingers came away red.
“I must say, I’m very impressed by your…resourcefulness. You’ve eluded the police. You’ve outsmarted two of my finest men.” He considered Jack, rubbing his chin. “If the circumstances were different, I could use a man of your talents.”
“Where you’re going all you’re going to need is a cell mate with a decent disposition,” Jack said.
“I’m afraid you’re getting a little ahead of yourself, Mr. LaCroix.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Ah, but I’ve got the gun. That puts me in charge.” Machiavellian eyes flicked to Landis. “You wouldn’t want to see anything happen to the lovely Ms. McAllister, would you?”
Jack went perfectly still, so still Landis could see the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Though he seemed outwardly calm, the tension rolling off him was tangible. She’d always known he had a dark side. A side that was as dangerous and unpredictable as the storms that rolled down off the mountains. She knew that side of him had been wakened, that it was dangerous as hell, and she knew that somehow he was going to get his chance with Cyrus Duke.
Duke’s eyes lingered on Landis. “I must say, Ms. McAllister, I’m touched by the…rapport you’ve developed with your brother’s killer. It’s amazing how flexible our loyalties become when our hormones are involved, isn’t it?”
She knew he was baiting her, that a reaction would only feed the cruelty she saw in his eyes, but the anger snapped through her like the flick of a bull whip. “What’s really amazing is how the truth always manages to find its way to the surface no matter how thick the scum.”
Duke arched a brow as if she’d amused him, then his gaze flicked to Jack. “She handles herself well, doesn’t she? Keeps her cool. How well did she keep her cool when she found out you put a bullet in her brother?”
Enraged, Landis started toward Duke. “You murdered Evan, you bas—”
“Landis,” Jack said firmly. When she didn’t stop, he stepped forward and set his hands on her shoulders. She tried to shake off his grip, but his fingers dug into her skin, warning her to keep a handle on her temper.
His gaze went to Duke. “This is between you and me. Don’t bring her into this.”
“Ah, but she’s already in this up to that very pretty neck of hers.”
“She doesn’t know anything. Let her go now and you and I will deal.”
“Deal?” Duke threw his head back and laughed. “This is all quite amusing. I wish I had more time to indulge, but I don’t. You are no longer useful to me. Unfortunately, you’ve caused me some problems. I’ll need to spend the day making reparations.” A cruel smile whispered across his features. “I’m going to make you pay for the damage you did to my restaurant.”
Landis felt Jack nudging her aside, realized he was slowly positioning himself between her and Duke. “I’ll do whatever you want,” he said. “Just let her go.”
Without warning, Duke swung the pistol, leveled it at her face. A shiver moved through her when she found herself looking down the barrel. “Come here,” he said to her. “Now!”
Pulse hammering, she started toward Duke, but Jack stopped her. Duke shifted the pistol, fired a shot that missed her by inches and slammed into the wall. Jack froze, raised his hands to shoulder level. “Leave her alone,” he said. “I’m the one you want.”
Duke glared at Landis. “I said come here!”
She could feel her entire body shaking as she moved toward Duke. She felt Jack’s eyes on her, saw the fear in his expression. Felt that same fear rushing through her in a torrent. “It’s okay,” she said, but her voice was taut.
When she only had a foot to go, Duke lunged at her. Landis tried to scramble back, but his perfectly manicured fingers wrapped around her bicep, jerked her to him with such force that she stumbled. In her peripheral vision she saw Jack move toward her, teeth clenched, lips drawn back in a snarl. But before he could get close, Duke put the pistol to her temple.
“Stop right there, LaCroix,” Duke said. “Or I swear to God I’ll ruin this pretty face.”
Jack stopped, his hands still raised, his gaze never leaving Duke. “She doesn’t have a part in this. Let her go.”
“Get the hell back,” Duke snarled. “Do as I say!”
Landis could feel the muzzle shaking against her cheekbone. She could see his finger curved around the trigger and tried hard not to imagine the horror of what a bullet would do to her face.
Jack retreated slowly. “You can be out of the country in less than an hour. You’ve got your own jet. Money.”
Duke looked around the expensively furnished room. “And leave all this behind? For the likes of some two-bit cop? I don’t think so.” He jabbed the pistol against her temple hard enough to cause pain. “Not when it would be so much easier to do away with the both of you.”
Landis wanted to believe Jack would get them out of this, but didn’t see how. Duke had a weapon and any number of thugs at his beck and call. He was ruthless, and she knew he wouldn’t hesitate to murder them. For the first time she considered the very real possibility that they wouldn’t survive. That they would die on this terrible night and no one would ever know the truth. The injustice of it made her shake with outrage.
“You won’t get away with murdering us,” she said. “I’m an assistant prosecutor with the D.A.’s office. My brother’s a cop. He knows I was working on Jack’s case.”
Tilting his head, Duke glanced down at her. She glared back, trying not to shake, thinking she’d never seen such cold, empty eyes. “Jack LaCroix is a cop killer. He escaped from prison. Murdered his lawyer. You’re his accomplice. His lover. Driven by lust to aid and abet a convicted killer. The two of you showed up at my home to rob me of cash and guns.” He shrugged. “I had no choice but to protect myself, my family, my property. As a prosecutor you know I’m within my rights.”
Cold, hard fear seized her when she realized everything he’d said was feasible. He was going to kill them. The realization that he would probably get away with it made her feel sick.
As if sensing her terror, Jack looked at her, held her gaze. She sensed a message in the depths of his eyes, but didn’t know what he might be trying to convey. Perhaps he was trying to calm her. More than anything, she wanted to go to him. She wanted to step into his embrace, feel his arms around her, his heart beating against hers. In the back of her mind, she wondered if she would ever feel his arms around her again….
Holding the gun to a spot just above her right ear, Duke glanced over his shoulder toward the door. “Ryan, would you come in here, please?”
A stocky man dressed in an ill-fitting suit stepped into the room. Flat, brown eyes took in the scene, moving from Landis to Jack, then to Duke. “Yes, sir?”
“Bring the SUV around to the back. We’ll need tire chains for a ride into the mountains.” He looked at Landis, his eyes rich with amusement. “And a couple syringes of Demerol to keep our passengers in line.”
A silent understanding passed between the two men. With a nod, the big man in the suit left the room.
Demerol, she thought. Oh, God, he was going to drug them, and then murder them. Landis closed her eyes against the horror of the thought. Dread curled inside her like palsied fingers. She couldn’t believe their lives were going to end this way. With so much unfinished between them. So much life left to live.
She looked at Jack, felt her heart shatter. He stared back at her, his face like stone, the muscles in his jaw clamped tightly. She thought of everything that had led up to this moment, and the unjustness of it destroyed her. She loved him. She’d alw
ays loved him. Would forever love him.
Even in death.
Duke turned his attention to Jack. “I won’t have a problem framing you for her death, Mr. LaCroix. After all, you’re a cold-blooded killer. A cop killer. Do you think anyone will be surprised to learn you killed Ms. McAllister when you were finished using her?”
“You won’t get away with it,” Jack said. “I left word with the police.”
“You’ll forgive me if I’m not terribly concerned by that. We both know your credibility is at an all-time low.” Duke smirked. “When the police find Ms. McAllister’s body—and not yours—they will draw the logical conclusion that you fled the country. That tidies things up nicely, doesn’t it?”
Outrage had her trying to twist away, but Duke held her firmly. “I told my brother everything,” she blurted. “He’s a cop. Even if you kill us here today, he’ll spend the rest of his life making sure you get what you deserve.”
“It’s truly refreshing that you still have so much faith in people, Ms. McAllister. Even after everything that’s happened. Faith is an admirable trait.”
Another layer of fear settled over her when Duke removed a pair of chrome handcuffs from his jacket and handed them to her. “Put the cuffs on your lover, or I’ll kill him.”
She stared at the cuffs, aware that her breaths were rushing in and out, too fast, too shallow. She felt panic encroaching. When she didn’t move, he shifted the gun to Jack. “It doesn’t matter if I kill him now or later. I suggest you do as you’re told.”
She glanced at Jack, looking for direction. His nod was almost imperceptible, but she discerned it. She didn’t know what he was thinking. Once he was cuffed there would be nothing he could do to get them out of this. Unless, perhaps, he was simply trying to buy them some time.
Her hands shook uncontrollably as she reached for the cuffs.
Duke brushed his hand across hers with a touch so gentle gooseflesh raced up her arms. “Don’t try anything stupid,” he whispered. “You know I’ll put a bullet in his brain.”
“Ian will make sure you get what’s coming to you.” Choking back hatred and fear, she looked at the cuffs in her hands. She could feel the tremors moving through her body. Hear the roar of blood in her veins, the quick rush of her breaths. Panic edged through her. She could feel its spindly fingers stealing her control, letting her emotions out of the gate. She looked at Jack, wondering how he could be so calm when the fear was tearing her apart. Oh, dear God, she couldn’t do this. She couldn’t bring herself to cuff him. She knew that to incapacitate him now would be a death sentence for both of them.
The sound of footsteps from the hall drew her attention. The bodyguard, she thought, and fresh panic gouged her, a sharp spur tearing into flesh.
“What is it, Ryan?” Duke snapped over his shoulder.
But it wasn’t Ryan standing at the door. Disbelief shocked her system when Ian walked in. Relief swept through her with such force that her legs went weak.
“Duke’s armed!” she cried. “My God… Ian, he was going to kill us both.” In her peripheral vision, she saw Jack move toward Duke.
“Stay where you are, LaCroix.” Ian pulled his service revolver from the waistband of his jeans, leveled it at Jack. “Get your hands where I can see them.”
Jack raised his hands to shoulder level, his eyes narrow and hard. “Get Landis out of here,” he said.
“Shut up.” Ian started toward Duke, but his revolver remained on Jack.
The hairs at the back of Landis’s neck prickled. Of the two men, Duke was infinitely more dangerous. He was armed with a pistol. He’d threatened her life. So why in the name of God hadn’t Ian disarmed him?
Duke threw his head back and laughed. “Very timely entrance, Officer McAllister. For your information, I was accosted by these two…burglars upon my return from the restaurant. I think the fire marshal will find the fire was intentionally set.” His gaze met Jack’s. “Won’t they, Mr. LaCroix?”
Landis watched her brother, uneasiness stealing through her. She took a step toward him. “Duke set up Jack,” she said. “The money. The gun. All of it. Ian, my God, he killed Evan. He was going kill both of us in cold blood if you hadn’t—”
“Stay where you are, Landy.”
She stopped, a chill rippling up her spine. “Ian, for God’s sake, this isn’t about Jack.”
He looked at her, shook his head. “You have no idea what this is about.”
A terrible realization dawned on her. Everything inside her went still and cold, a knot of dread unraveling in her stomach. She stopped breathing, vaguely aware that her heart pounded wildly. She looked at Jack, but his eyes were already on her. In their depths, she saw the answer she hadn’t wanted to see. A truth that hurt her more than any bullet.
“No.” She looked at Ian. “Not you.”
Jack scowled at Ian, his expression incredulous. “You sold your soul for the likes of this scum?”
Ian’s face darkened. “I should put a bullet in you right now for dragging her into this! I didn’t want her hurt, damn it! Why couldn’t you just leave her out of it?”
Shock vibrated through her as the meaning of the words hit home. It hadn’t been Evan who’d been working for Cyrus Duke, but her younger brother. The younger brother she’d been so proud of. The idealistic young police officer who’d dishonored himself, his family.
Just like their father…
Disbelief and fury and a damnable amount of hurt stabbed through her, a knife going deep and hitting bone. It was a cruel twist that she and Evan and Jack were the ones whose reputations had been sullied.
The urge to launch herself at him was powerful. She wanted to hurt him. The same way he’d hurt Evan. The way he’d hurt Jack. The way he’d hurt her. But Landis hung on to her control, if only by a thread.
“How could you?” she heard herself say. “How could you betray your own brother?”
He lifted his lip in a poor imitation of a smile, but his eyes were incredibly sad. “I didn’t kill him, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“That’s exactly what I’m asking.” She didn’t even realize she was moving toward him. She wasn’t sure what she would do when she reached him. Strike him. Throw her arms around him and beg him to stop the insanity and make things right. But she knew the law well enough to know things would never again be right with her brother.
Jack stopped her. “Easy, honey.”
Landis tried to shake off his hands, but he held on to her, pulled her back. She felt numb on the outside, as if she’d been given a too-strong dose of pain medication. But she was coming apart inside. Jack tried to pull her against him, but she shook off his hands. As badly as she wanted to be held, the need to know the truth was stronger. “You let Jack go to prison. You knew he was innocent all along.”
Emotions she couldn’t readily identify clouded Ian’s eyes. Remorse. Shame. A measure of fear. “I did what I had to do to protect myself. I’m a cop. I couldn’t go to prison.”
Jack shot Ian a killing look. “You let his killer go free. You let me take the fall for you, didn’t you, you cowardly little bastard?”
Ian’s gaze swept from Landis to Jack. That he didn’t dispute Jack’s words confirmed them. Landis felt them like a knife sinking slowly into her back.
“Evan covered for you, didn’t he?” Jack said. “He found out you’d hooked up with Duke and covered your sorry ass.”
Landis jolted as the words registered in her brain. Backing away from Jack, she looked from man to man, her mouth dry. A few feet away, Duke leaned against the desk, taking in the entire scene with an expression of supreme amusement.
“I loved him, Landy,” Ian said. “I swear it. I didn’t kill him. I wouldn’t. It just…happened. That night, in the warehouse. Evan shouldn’t have been there, damn it. One of Duke’s thugs shot him.” He ran his hand over his mouth. “There was nothing I could do. He was dying. I didn’t want to go to prison. I panicked.”
Pain lashed her like
a whip. Fury followed, pumping through her with the same force as her life blood. She couldn’t believe her younger brother would betray his own brother and then lie about it to save himself. She couldn’t believe he would betray the man she loved, that he would let her believe the lies. The unjustness of it sent a wave of raw outrage slicing through her.
Blinded by grief and rage and she launched herself at him. “You bastard!”
“Landy…for God’s sake.” Ian raised his hands to protect himself.
Landis barely heard the words as she lashed out at him with her fists. In a small corner of her mind, she was aware that she was sobbing. That they were deep, wrenching sobs that came from somewhere deep inside her. She felt Jack’s hands on her shoulders, digging into her flesh, pulling her back.
“Get her off me!” Ian stepped back, his hair falling into his face, the gun on Jack. “Keep her the hell away from me.”
Aware that Jack was holding her tightly, that she was suddenly too tired to fight him, Landis glared at Ian, sick to her soul by what he’d done. “I’ll never forgive you,” she said.
“Bravo!” Duke brought his hands together in applause. “Bravo! Such drama! Touching performances by all. I couldn’t have written a better script myself.”
Lowering the gun to his side, Ian looked over at Jack. “I didn’t want her involved! Damn it, now what the hell do you expect me to do?”
“Be a man for once in your life and stop this here and now,” Jack said. “Do the right thing and turn yourself over to the police.” He looked over at Landis. “That’s the only way your sister is going to get out of this alive.”
Lips drawn back in a snarl, Ian raised the gun, pointed it at Jack. Tears streamed down his face. His barrel shook uncontrollably, but he didn’t take his finger from the trigger. “I’m not going to prison!”
“I don’t want bloodshed here!” Duke said. “Evidence is getting extremely difficult to hide in this age of forensic science.” Never taking his eyes from Jack, he tugged a cell phone from his pocket, pressed a button. “Ryan, is the SUV ready? I need someone up here to take out the trash.”