The Pleasure of Sin (18 page)
Read The Pleasure of Sin Online
Authors: Shauna Hart
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Erotica, #Romantic, #Romance, #Contemporary
But she couldn’t.
Because in a few seconds, she would be dead.
Chapter 25
Jade waited for the shot that would rob her of her life. A cold sweat began to break out on her forehead as she realized that Zoë was about to kill her. The Zoë she had called a friend was now standing over her with a gun pointed at her chest. It didn’t seem real.
But it was.
“It really is a shame, you know. You really are beautiful,” Zoë lamented.
Jade gritted her teeth as she tried to prepare herself for the bullet.
Suddenly, Clay bounded into the room, launching himself at Zoë. He grabbed her arm just before she pulled the trigger. A shot rang out, the sound reverberating through the walls of the small room. It tore across the top of Jade’s shoulder, making her cry out.
Clay threw Zoë to the floor. She tried to point the gun at him, but he grabbed her wrist, effectively pinning it. She struggled beneath him. He banged her hand on the floor until she dropped the gun. She brought her knee up into his groin, hard. He grunted, falling back. She crawled over to the gun. Grabbing it, she stood, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
She pointed the gun at Clay. “Finally, I get a chance to take down the man everyone wants,” she said, her voice laced with sarcasm.
“Drop it!”
Jade’s gaze flew to the open door. Detective Ambrose stood in the doorway, his feet planted, his gun firmly trained on Zoë. Her gaze flickered back and forth between the three of them. Still, she kept the gun leveled on him, refusing to drop it.
“I said put it down!” Ambrose yelled.
Zoë looked at Jade. “I loved her, you know. I would have done anything for Ruby. We could have been happy, if she just would have loved me back.”
“Drop it!” The command rang out a second time.
Zoë’s eyes returned to Detective Ambrose. “Sorry, Detective, but jail just isn’t something that I can do,” she said. She brought the gun to her head and squeezed the trigger.
Jade watched as Zoë’s head recoiled from the shot, blood spattering the walls. She slumped to the floor in front of Clay, the gun falling beside her. Jade squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to block it all out. Pain spread through her wounded arm as her heart cried out.
“Jesus,” Alex hissed, pushing himself up against the wall to avoid the pool of blood that was forming around Zoë’s dead body.
Clay got up, scrambling across the room to Jade. He closed her shirt before pulling the ties from her wrists. He checked her arm.
“You’re going to be alright. It’s just a flesh wound.”
“Ambulance is on the way,” Ambrose said. She watched as he pulled a scarf off the bedpost and handed it to Clay.
Then he turned his attention to Alex. “Mr. Talbot, come with me.”
Clay wrapped the scarf around her arm to stop the bleeding. When Alex was gone, he pulled her into his arms. She clung to him, burying her face in his chest.
“I thought…I thought…” She broke off on a sob.
“Shhh,” he said, his hand stroking her hair. “It’s okay. I’m here.”
After giving the police statements and having her arm wrapped, Clay took her back to his apartment. She had thought that finding out who killed her sister would take away some of her grief. But it didn’t. If anything, it increased it. Knowing what Ruby went through, knowing how much she had needed someone, anyone to save her, made the pain that much more intense.
Clay helped her onto the couch, settling in beside her. She glanced over at him for a minute. She still couldn’t believe that he had come back after what she had accused him of.
“I’m sorry. I can’t believe that I actually thought…” She trailed off, not wanting to put into words the awful thoughts.
“Don’t. We could both drive ourselves crazy with ‘what ifs.’ I’m just glad I got there in time,” he admitted softly.
She pulled back to look into his eyes. “Why did you come back?”
“I wanted to tell you that I took the test.”
Her eyes widened. “You did?”
He nodded grimly. “I didn’t want anything to stand between us. I guess that doesn’t matter much now.”
Her gaze lowered. “No,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. “I still can’t believe it.”
“I know,” he replied, his lips forming a thin line. “She actually thought that Zoë was her friend.”
“So did I,” she confessed.
Poor Ruby.
By the time she figured out the truth about Zoë, it had been too late. Even she had fallen for the farce Zoë had created. When she thought of how close she had come to losing everything, she shivered.
“Stay with me, Jade. Don’t go back to Florida,” he said.
She turned, her eyes meeting his.
When she didn’t answer, he continued.
“Stay with me,” he repeated. “Not because you’re in danger or because I’m worried about you. Stay with me because I love you. Because I’ve always loved you, no matter how hard I tried to fight it. Isn’t it time for our happy ending to start? Haven’t we waited long enough?”
Yes.
They had waited long enough, too long.
“Okay,” she heard herself say.
Hearing the words come out of her mouth made her realize how much she meant it. It had always been Clay. She had been in love with him since that strange night when he had coaxed her to let down her defenses. Being with him had changed her. It had opened her up, breaking down all of the barriers that she had kept so meticulously in place.
And he was right.
It was time to stop running from who she was and what she wanted.
It was time to start living.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shauna Hart began reading romance novels at the age of twelve. Unfortunately for her, her grandmother found out that she was reading a book from her stash and confiscated it! Once she got a little bit older, she began the wonderful journey into romance for a second time. She started writing romance when she was thirteen years old. Each day in school, friends would come to read the next chapter.
Finally, she decided to take writing seriously and attend a Romantic Times Convention. After six years of submissions, she received a contract for her erotic romance novel from the Whiskey Creek Press Torrid Line.
Shauna Hart is originally from Indiana, but now lives in Florida. She lives with her husband, son and two cats. When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, playing video games and watching movies. She also loves to travel. Over the years she has seen many wonderful places, including Italy, Greece, Spain, Sicily, France, Bahamas, The Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Curacao, Martinique, and various states in the U.S. She hopes to one day travel to Egypt, Ireland, Scotland and England.
You can visit her at
www.shaunahart.com
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Table of Contents
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUTTHE PLEASURE OF SIN