And she saw the body.

Just thrown away, like garbage. She hurried to the man’s side. “Randy?”

Her hand went to his throat. She couldn’t find a pulse.

Shots rang out from above, and when she looked up, she saw the flash of the gunfire, like lightning flickering from within that third-floor apartment.

Fear stole her breath. Brodie.

* * *

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Brodie demanded as he shoved Shayne against the wall. “You’re firing your weapon straight at the door! Someone could be—”

“He’s on the other side. The man who wants to hurt your precious Jennifer. The man who wants to kill her.” Shayne laughed. “Maybe I should have let him. Maybe everything would have been easier then.”

Brodie yanked the gun away from Shayne. “You’re a cop! Act like one.” The guy had been feeding him that bull about doing things the right way, and now this—

“I did it,” Shayne whispered. “I’m the one. They were helping me!”

Brodie battled back his fury and his growing fear. “Look, I don’t have time for this garbage right now. Randy is dead, and that jerk Stephen is—”

“He was on the other side of the door. I shot him! Chose to kill him, not her.”

Brodie backed away from him because Shayne wasn’t making any sense. Carefully, he opened the front door.

It was pitch-black out there. Carefully, he inched out into that hallway. Even in the darkness, it only took a few seconds to realize—

You didn’t shoot anyone, Shayne.

Because Brodie didn’t find anyone in that hallway.

* * *

“RANDY? RANDY, PLEASE!” She didn’t want more blood on her hands. She didn’t want this cop to die. She—

Felt a gun press into the back of her head.

“It was taking too long for the dirty cop to answer the door. So I thought it might be better to step outside.”

Once again, that voice was familiar, but this time, she knew exactly who was talking to her—knew who held that gun to her head. Stephen.

She froze.

“We’re going to leave now, Jennifer. Just you and me. We’re going to walk away, and if you come quietly, no one else has to die.”

He pulled Jennifer to her feet.

“You don’t want anyone else to die, do you?”

Her eyes were on the shadowy, still form of the young cop.

“You don’t want your lover to die. You don’t want his brothers to die. Hell, I bet you even would like for me to spare the life of the cop who sold you out.”

“I never wanted anyone to die.” Very, very slowly she turned to face Stephen. “Not even you.”

He laughed, and the sound was cold and chilling. “That’s right. You just wanted me to rot in prison, didn’t you?”

Sirens screamed in the distance.

“It’s time for us to go,” Stephen said. His arm wrapped around her. He pulled her close, his left arm slung around her shoulders and the gun now pressed to her side as they walked away from the apartment building. To any onlookers, they probably resembled a couple. Lovers.

He put his mouth close to her ear. “If you call for help, I will shoot anyone who is dumb enough to rush to your rescue.”

They’d left the alley. They were heading down the block.

“Jennifer?”

She swallowed. A man was running toward them.

The streetlight fell over his face. Not Brodie...

Brodie’s face, but that was Davis’s voice.

She could already feel Stephen reacting. At her name, he’d jerked, and he’d yanked the weapon up to aim it at Davis.

Davis can’t die! Brodie needs him!

She surged forward even as she grabbed for the gun. She tried to put herself in the path of that weapon so the shot wouldn’t hit—

It hit her. The bullet slammed into her side, and the pain burned through her.

“Jennifer!” Davis’s frantic shout.

But Stephen had dragged her up against him once more. And Davis— Davis had dodged for cover. Good...good...he was safe.

Her fingers went to her side. Pressed down. Blood spilled over her hand.

“Bad mistake, Jennifer, so very bad,” Stephen whispered. “You know I don’t plan to let you die easily.”

No, he had other plans, but at least Davis was safe.

Stephen began hauling her to the right, toward the street. A sedan waited there. His car?

“Let her go!” Davis ordered.

Stephen laughed. “Just like your brother, hmm? And where is that brother of yours? Dying upstairs, while you waste your time trying to protect her down here?”

Her body trembled. “Go...back up... Brodie!”

“Your brother trusted the wrong man. You all did. I saw the photos. I watched the video. I know what Detective Townsend did... A killer, and you thought he was helping you to find your parents’ murderer? He was just steering you the wrong way all along.”

They were at the sedan. The gun was still pressed tightly to her and his hold on her was unbreakable.

“I can’t let you take her,” Davis yelled. He’d abandoned his cover, and Jennifer saw that he’d drawn his weapon, a weapon aimed at her and Stephen.

“What will you do then? Shoot? If you do, you’ll hit her, and she’s already nearly bleeding out. Will you kill the woman that your brother loves?”

“He...doesn’t...” Jennifer managed to say. She was trembling harder now.

“I don’t think you will.” Stephen was so confident. So cocky. “I think you’re going to lower your gun right now...and back the hell up.”

“N-no,” Jennifer whispered. “If...you...he’ll sh-shoot...”

But Davis was hesitating. He started to lower his weapon. No!

Only instead of shooting at Davis then—as she’d feared, Stephen shoved Jennifer into the car. He jumped in behind her even as Davis fired off a round at them.

Then Stephen had the car rumbling to life. He slammed down on the gas pedal as Jennifer tried frantically to open the passenger-side door. But her fingers were slick with blood, and she couldn’t get the lock to disengage.

Stephen spun the car around.

She hit the side of the door, and her wound burned even more. Then she realized why he’d spun that car around.

He was heading straight for Davis. Davis was in the road, yelling for her, and Stephen was going to run him down.

She grabbed for the wheel. Stephen shoved her away.

Davis leaped to the side of the street, but Stephen just jerked the wheel. Davis wasn’t firing his weapon. He must have been still afraid of hitting her. The headlights from Stephen’s car were shining right on him as the car raced forward.

At the last moment, Davis jumped into the alleyway.

Stephen’s car slammed into a garbage can. Stephen lost control of the wheel a moment as the vehicle careened across the street. Then, with a curse, Stephen shot his car forward.

Her fingers were still fumbling with the lock.

“You can give that up,” he muttered. “I knew you’d be going for a ride with me. The lock is broken.” He glanced her way. “From here on out, it’s just going to be me and you.”

* * *

“NO, NO, NO!”

Brodie burst out of the building just as he heard his brother’s furious shout.

“Davis!”

His brother was in the middle of the street. At Brodie’s shout, Davis swung toward him. “He took her!”

Brodie shook his head.

“Come on! We can catch them!” Davis jumped into the car they’d used before. Revved the engine.

Sirens were closing in. Screaming. So loud now.

And Jennifer was...gone?

Brodie dived into the car. He’d barely gotten inside when Davis slammed his foot down on the gas pedal. The car fishtailed and screeched down the street.

“We’re looking for a dark sedan,” Davis gritted out. “Late model. No license plate. And...you need to know, he...he shot her.”

The blood seemed to freeze in Brodie’s veins.

“He was going to shoot me,” Davis continued as they raced down the road. “But she jumped in his way. She took that bullet. I’m so damn sorry.”