Gunning For Angels (Fallen Angels Book 1) (36 page)

I have no pretensions whatever to that kind of elegance which consists in tormenting a respectable man.

–Jane Austen

Enid watched as Chip pulled up to the curb where she was standing. She hadn’t been able to talk Sharon and Ernie into “borrowing” their mother’s car, but she had been able to convince them to sneak out of the house. She had called Chip and told him that she’d twisted her ankle running away from a mugger and was stranded on the side of the road. When he’d been skeptical and questioned her story, she had started crying and pretended like her cell battery went dead.

Before Chip could get out of the car, Enid opened the passenger side door and waved for Sharon and Ernie to come out of their hiding places. They bounded forward from behind a row of bushes and climbed into the back seat. 

“What the hell, Enid?” Chip said, “I thought you were hurt?”

“Sorry, Chip,” Enid said, “it was the only way I could get you here fast and I need your help.”

“Jesus Christ, Enid! You made it sound like you were half-dead. I was in the middle of something – ”

Enid waved her hand as she introduced everyone. “Chip, Ernie. Ernie, Chip. Sharon, this is Chip. Chip, Sharon.”

“Hell no,” Chip said. “You can all get out and go home because I’m not taking you anywhere.”

Enid said, “We need you to drive us to Eve’s house.”

Chip stared at her, astonished. “I’ll drive you to where your meds are – how long has it been since you’ve been off them?”

Enid said, “I saw a man kidnap Jack right off the street! What if she kills him?”

“Jack gets into a car with a man and you assume that Eve has something to do with it?”

“If you don’t drive us there, I’m going to tell your dad that you took it out.”

“
What
out?” Chip said.

Enid gave his crotch a knowing
look.

Chip gasped. “You’re psycho! You are a fucking sociopath evil – ”

Enid said, “Cut the melodramatics and drive me to Eve’s house.”

“You’re jealous. That’s what this is about.” Chip flipped open his cell and dialed.

“Who are you calling?” Enid said, frowning.

Chip said into the phone, “Hey Dad, Enid is trying to blackmail me into driving her to Eve’s house so she can play Nancy-Numbskull-Drew.”

“Traitor,” Enid said.

Chip listened to the phone and then froze, stunned.

Suspicious, Enid watched his face.

Chip said, “Yeah, sure.” He hung up.

“What?” Enid said.

Chip looked at her, wonderingly. “Eve’s sister – Laura – confessed to murder. She confessed to two murders – her stepfather and her sister.”

“It’s a trick,” Enid said.

Chip said, “She left a note – a confession. And a goodbye.”

Enid said, “She skipped town?”

“Suicide.”

“She killed herself?” Enid said with a gasp.

Chip shook his head, unsure. “Dad says Jack says – ”

“Jack?” Enid exclaimed. “He’s alive?”

Chip said, “He’s with Eve – they’re driving to Camelback Mountain to try to stop her.”

“Come on!” Enid said, pointing at the road. “What are we waiting for?”

Chip said, “
We
are not going anywhere. I’m taking you back to whever you came from. The world does not revolve around – ”

Enid grabbed his car keys from the ignition and threw them out the window.

“What the fuck!” Chip said. “If you weren’t a girl – !” Furious, Chip got out of the car and made his way to the area where Enid threw the keys.

Enid rolled up the windows and locked the doors, sliding over to the driver’s seat. She turned to Ernie and Sharon and held up Chip’s car keys that she had palmed when she pretended to throw them out of the car.

“Holy crap,” Ernie said, scared.

Sharon said, “We’ll get in trouble!”

Enid revved the engine and, as Chip ran back to the car, screaming curses, Enid flipped him the bird.

Enid pulled out with a screech of tires.

Sharon started crying. “Let me out!”

Enid said, “You can blame it all on me. Tell your mom I forced you into it, so stop blubbering.”

“We’re in so much trouble,” Sharon said, looking back as Chip disappeared from sight.

Enid gave one last glance in the rearview mirror but Chip was already out of sight. She frowned as she said, “Where’s Camelback Mountain?”

I am the punishment of God…

If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.

–
Genghis Khan

As Jack paused at the entrance to the hidden path that led to the cliff, he had a free-fall feeling of tumbling down the rabbit hole. He stripped off his shirt and tied it to the brush, revealing the entrance that otherwise would be unnoticeable.

Jack had led the way up the trail but Eve had surprised him by pushing ahead and plunging into the brush of the hidden entrance without him.

In his undershirt, he edged his way forward. Thorns pricked his skin and drew blood. He was glad he’d sent the text message to Bud. He couldn’t shake the sensation of being in way over his head.

With a jolt, Jack realized that if Bud came after him, there was no way he’d make it up the trail. He’d forgotten about Bud’s heart.

It’ll kill him.

Jack checked his cell but there was no signal. Cursing, he pushed his way forward, hoping that Bud wouldn’t attempt the climb up the steep trail. He couldn’t turn back now – he had to help Eve.

Jack heard Eve’s voice as he pushed his way through the last of the brambles. He stumbled out of the trail and onto the packed earth of the cliff.

Eve stood twelve feet in front of him, her back toward him as she faced Laura, who stood on the edge of the cliff.

Laura’s desperate eyes were locked on Eve, who was walking toward her with outstretched hands. 

Laura made a movement toward the cliff.

Jack lunged forward, “No!”

Laura froze, looking at Jack with bewildered eyes.

Jack reached Eve’s side as he said, “This isn’t the answer, Laura. We’ll help you – ”

The wind caught Laura’s hair, whipped it around her face.

Laura said to Eve, “Did you tell him?” 

Jack gestured for Eve to stay where she was as he slowly walked to Laura. “We can talk this through. I promise we’ll do everything in our power to help you through this.”

Scowling, Laura made a movement away from him.

Jack stopped. “Laura – no.”

Laura looked past Jack at Eve, and gasped in shock.

Feeling his opportunity, Jack bounded forward and yanked Laura from the edge. As he reeled them backwards, his heel caught on a root and they hit the dirt. Never letting her from his grasp, Jack rolled over and pinned Laura to the ground.

Relief washed over Jack. He looked up, his eyes seeking Eve.

Eve stood over them, pointing a Magnum revolver at his head.

“Get up,” Eve said.

Jack released Laura and got to his feet, his eyes never leaving Eve’s face.

Laura scrambled to her feet, “Eve – ”

“Shut up,” Eve said.

“What are you doing?” Laura said in a quavering voice.

Eve gestured to the cliff’s edge with her gun, “Jack tried to save you. You struggled. You both died.”

Jack said, “With bullet holes? I don’t think so.”

Laura gazed at Eve, “I thought you loved me.”

“I do love you,” Eve said.

Laura smiled, relief springing to her eyes.

Eve said, “Not enough.”

Laura stared at her in horror.

Eve pointed the gun at Laura. “You can go over the edge yourself – or I’ll make you wish you did.”

Jack stepped in front of Laura, shielding her.

“It was you,”
Laura said to Eve, “You killed Jeni.”

Eve smiled contemptuously.

Jack said, “and Daniel.”

Laura clung to Jack’s arm, tears running down her face.

Jack laughed. 

They looked at him, startled. 

Jack said to Eve, “It was you.”

Eve jerked her chin toward the cliff and said, “You’re going over that edge, Jack.”

Jack said, “It was you all along – Daniel was fucking
you
.”

Eve paled, gripping the gun so that her knuckles looked like bones. 

Jack’s voice was softly taunting. “Little Miss Perfect is not so perfect. Dirty girl
–
getting it on with daddy.”

Eve stepped forward, spitting with fury. “Liar!”

Jack grinned. “Dirty girl.”

Eve’s face was a twisted mask of rage. She was on the verge of lunging forward when she stopped. Her face went cold and she backed away.

Jack’s heart sank. He needed her to come closer – only a little closer – so he could make his move and get the gun from her.

Eve
was retreating, a mean, unforgiving glint in her eyes.

She raised the gun and he saw her finger press down and he saw his mother, father, grandmother – like a chain – moving down until all he saw was Enid
.

The truth hit him like a tsunami.

I must survive – for Enid.

He had to live. It was impossible that he would lose his chance to give to her what he had never gotten from his father.

I have to live.

He looked into Eve’s eyes. Her eyes shone like dead stones.

This is how it ends.

Jack
felt tears running down his face. In his mind’s eye, he saw the last expression he had seen on Enid’s face when he left her at the airport.

Disappointment.

Jack hurtled forward – to kill Eve.

The explosion of the gun was the last thing he heard.

Dying is a wild night and a new road.

–Emily Dickinson

Bud parked his car at the trail entrance to Camelback Mountain. There were two trailheads to the mountain, and he hoped he had the right one. He glanced back at Larry, who sat in stony silence.

Bud said, “Wait here.”

Bud got out and walked to the trailhead, trying to convince himself that if he took it slow, he could make it up the trail. Thirty feet up, he broke out in a sweat and felt his chest tighten. He stopped, feeling for his fanny pack full of medication, which reassured him. 

I am not going to die on this mountain.

Bud climbed slowly upward, his dress shoes slipping on the loose pebbles. Knifelike chest pain brought him to his knees with a groan. With shaking hands, he dug in his pack and got a nitro pill, which he slipped under his tongue.

Bud
sat for what seemed like forever. The pressure eased but he felt like shit. He looked down the trail, wondering what was holding up Jenson. He’d called for back-up on the drive over, but hadn’t heard back from him. 

He forced himself to his feet. He had to get up the trail. 

Within forty feet, Bud felt a crushing weight on his rib cage. With a cry, he sunk to the ground. He pulled out his pill bottle, which he opened with difficulty. A gust of wind blew dirt in his face and he felt the bottle slip from his fingers. The pill bottle skittered down the trail.

Bud
tried to get up but fell backwards with a grunt of pain. Sweat streamed down his face, dripped off his nose so that he could taste the salt.

He strained his eyes down the trail and thought he saw Jenson.

Or was it Bunnie?

Bud shook his head, trying to shake away the fuzz. The cacti around him were moving and buzzing like bees.

He inched forward, trying to get closer to the pill bottle. If he could get just one of them – maybe the pain would stop.

A searing fire in his chest left him breathless and weak. He stared up at the terrible blue of the sky.

I don’t love Bunnie.

The truth broke on him like a stress fracture cracking through his soul.

I want to live.

All his days were behind him. Not one day in front of him.

The pain was crushing.

Like a pebble thrown into the Pacific – he felt himself disappear without a ripple.