Tattooed (37 page)

Kenzie darted a frantic glance at Kate’s crumpled body. She moved, trying to get her hands under her body to push herself up.

Did she have time to knock her out again?

Footsteps. Getting louder. Faster.

Shit, shit, shit.

McNally was just around the corner.

Kate pushed herself into a sitting position. She leaned against her sister’s box and put her hand to her head. Her face was white.

Then her eyes focused on Kenzie. With the gun.

She staggered to her feet. Blood trickled onto her forehead. She gripped the edge of the shelving, and swayed. But her eyes were hard with fury. “You tricked me.”

McNally was at the door.

Kenzie’s blood pounded in her ears.

Kate lunged toward her.

Her finger tightened on the trigger.

This is your chance, Kenzie.

Do it!

McNally burst into the room. He was a blur of speed, backed up by mass. Kenzie pressed herself to one side.

Kate crashed straight into him.

He threw her against the shelving.

Kenzie pressed the gun against the side of his head.

“You bitch!” he screamed, raising his hand.

It was then that Kenzie saw he gripped a pistol.

Where the hell did he get that?

Do it.

Now.

The thoughts moved in tandem with the pistol McNally aimed at her head.

Now!

Kate sprang forward, kicking the pistol from McNally’s hand. It flew into the air and spiraled down into the box holding Imogen’s belongings.

Before McNally could move, Kenzie pressed the muzzle hard into his temple.

She braced for the kickback.
Die, you bastard!
She pulled the trigger.

The trigger did not budge.

She strained, pulling with all her strength.

The mechanism was frozen.

Oh, God.

McNally smashed the revolver from Kenzie’s hand and twisted her arm around her back. “You had this planned the whole time, didn’t you?” Pain and anger flashed through his eyes. He shoved her arm high up her back.

Kenzie yelped. Something in her arm snapped.

“Don’t move!” Kate yelled. She held McNally’s pistol. She had retrieved it from Imogen’s box. Her voice echoed in the storage room.

Sweat ran down McNally’s temple. In the small space he seemed bigger than ever, everything pumped and straining to explode. Kenzie half-collapsed against him, her body caved where he twisted her arm.

“Kill him, Kate,” Kenzie panted. “Or he’ll kill us.”

McNally snorted. “You’re one to talk. You killed Heather.”

Kate’s gaze darted from Kenzie to McNally.

Do something, Kate. Before McNally does.
If she didn’t do something now, he would overpower her.

God knew what else McNally would do. She remembered the blood lust in his eyes on Mardi Gras night.

“He wanted
you,
Kate,” Kenzie said, her voice desperate. “He told me to call you. He was going to do to you what he did to Heather Rigby.”

The only sign that Kate heard was a flaring of her nostrils. “Kick your gun over here, Kenzie.”

Kenzie kicked the old service revolver toward Kate, squashing her fear as her only protection slid away from her.

McNally sensed her panic.

“It’s a worthless piece of shit, anyway,” he said, tightening his grip on her arm. It was a message:
you tried to kill me, bitch. And now you have to pay
. “You didn’t seriously think it would fire after all this time, did you?”

Kill him, Kate. Kill him
. “He wanted to kill your sister, Kate,” Kenzie cried. She felt McNally’s entire body tense. “He tattooed her with his mark.”

Kate threw a wild glance at McNally. “You wanted to kill Imogen?”

Kenzie flashed a triumphant glance at him.
You bastard. You are not taking me down.
“Imogen was supposed to be his first victim.”

51

K
ate’s head swam, but Kenzie’s voice sliced through the wooziness. “What do you mean, his mark?”

“It was a raven,” McNally said. “Ravens mate for life.”

“She was only fifteen,” Kate said. Her blood whooshed through her head, as if her arteries were a roller-coaster track. Up, down and all around.

“It was Kenzie who wanted to put the bullet in her head,” McNally snarled, jerking Kenzie’s arm back. Kenzie moaned.

It was true.

She could see it in Kenzie’s eyes.

Kenzie had planned to kill her sister.

“Kate, don’t listen to him. He has this sick, perverted fantasy. He wants to rape you and strangle you to death. He planned to do it to Immy.”

Kate’s muscles trembled, caught in a tug of war between fatigue and adrenaline.

“Kill him, Kate. You have to do it. He’ll never let you be in peace again. He’ll haunt you, he’ll send you messages, he’ll hurt everyone you ever loved. He will make your life a living hell!” Kenzie’s voice shook. “He is evil incarnate. And he will not stop until he gets what he wants!”

McNally’s eyelid flickered.

It was the only warning Kate got.

He shoved Kenzie into a shelving unit and lunged toward her, fist raised, mouth snarled in a battle cry.

“Pull the trigger, Kate!” Kenzie screamed.

Kate jerked her finger on the trigger.

McNally’s body jolted. Blood spurted from a tiny hole in his chest. Kate could barely see it.

Then he kept coming at her.

Shoot him again.

He threw himself on her, ripping the gun from her hand.

Oh, God. He’s got the gun.

Blood began to stream from his chest.

He pointed the muzzle at Kate.

She shrank back into the corner. “Kenzie. Help me!”

Kenzie stood behind McNally. Her gaze locked onto Kate’s.

Those eyes. Merciless.

They had always been merciless.

They were still merciless.

She’s going to let him kill me.

McNally made a gasping, choking sound. Blood bubbled from his mouth.

He staggered. Kate lunged forward and grabbed the hand holding the gun. She twisted it, smashing it against the metal shelving. McNally’s mouth opened. He gasped but no air could pass through his blood-filled airway.

Kate smashed his hand again. The pistol flew past Kenzie. It hit the concrete floor in the corridor and skidded to a stop.

McNally crumpled at her feet.

She stumbled over him, staggering against the shelving unit.

Kenzie stepped in front of her. Kate looked up.

Kenzie raised the old service revolver with her good arm. “Thanks, Kate.”

Are you friggin’ kidding me?
Would this never end? She was pissed off. She just wanted to get out of this hellhole. “Kenzie, put the gun down. It doesn’t even work.”

Kenzie’s jaw clenched. “I’m not going to jail.”

“Kenzie, you’re not making any sense. Even if you kill me, you’ll still go to jail. There’s no way you can cover this up.”

“I’ll take my chances,” she said. She aimed the revolver straight at Kate’s forehead. Her finger was on the trigger.

Her eyes shone with death.

What if the latch became unfrozen?

“Put the gun down, Kenzie!”

“I can’t.” Kenzie shook her head. “Sorry.” Her gaze mocked Kate’s.

I was always smarter than you, Kate.

“Did you really intend to kill my sister? Was that why you tattooed her?”

Kenzie studied Kate. Finally, she said, “McNally tattooed her. She was in love with him.”

Imogen. So trusting. So desperate to be loved.

Her little sister.

She had been a baby.

“How can you live with yourself?”

“How can you live with yourself, Kate? She only turned to me because you were so controlling. She didn’t need another mother. She needed a sister, a friend.”

Kate’s body began to tremble. “Some friend you were. Why would you do that to someone?”

Kenzie’s eyes hardened. “It was McNally’s idea. Besides, it was fun.” She raised the gun and aimed it at Kate.

Kate jumped onto the edge of the bottom shelf, and using it as leverage, threw herself straight at Kenzie.

Kenzie squeezed the trigger—

Kate’s body plowed into Kenzie’s.

They went flying through the doorway.

Kate heard Kenzie’s head hit the concrete. Hard.

She had landed on top of Kenzie. For a moment, their hearts raging against one another, two heartbeats that would never be in unison.

Kate pushed herself up with her arms and staggered to her feet.

Which way should she run? She swiveled to the right.

Something black gleamed on the ground.

Right by Kenzie’s feet.

It was McNally’s pistol.

Shit.

Kenzie saw it at the same time.

Kate dove for it.

Kenzie kicked her in the face, scrabbling for the gun.

Kate’s cheek exploded in pain.

Black spots. Swirling, dancing, dying…

She shook her head, dislodging the spots from her vision.

Kenzie had the pistol.

Kate pushed herself up—grateful for the muscle memory from all those push-ups—and kicked Kenzie’s injured arm.

“Jesus!” Kenzie screamed and curled her body in pain, clutching her shoulder.

Kate snatched the pistol. Her blood raced with adrenaline, whirling crazily with the black spots in her head. Her ears rang.

And her heart raged.

Kenzie was not going to get away with this.

She had tried to kill her. Even when Kate saved her from McNally, she had tried to kill her.

And Kenzie had wanted to kill her little sister. She and McNally had planned to shoot her and strangle her, just as they eventually did to poor Heather Rigby.

She had deliberately lured Kate to the storage locker.

Knowing that McNally would join her.

And that he had planned to murder her.

Kate was not going to be a victim.

Ever again.

The gun was hard in her hand.

It felt damn good.

Smooth. Powerful. Sleek and deadly.

She gazed down its sights. Straight into Kenzie’s eyes.

They mocked her.

They mocked her sister.

That apology had been crap.

Her blood surged.

All she had to do was pull that slim metal band. It was easy.

Pull the trigger.

She could do it right now. Make Kenzie pay. Make McNally pay.

Make the whole fucking world pay.

Her finger was slippery with sweat.

“Do it, Kate. Do it,” Kenzie said in a whisper. “Put a bullet in my head. It feels good, doesn’t it?”

A chill ran along Kate’s scalp.

Kenzie’s gaze locked onto hers.
Do it. I want you to do it.

“You can do it, Kate. You think you are so high-and-mighty, a frigging hero to the masses, but underneath that pure white skin, you are just like me.” She raised a brow. “It takes guts to do this, Kate. Not anyone can be a killer.”

Kate’s finger shook so violently, she couldn’t control it.

“Do it, Kate.”

“Goddamn you!” Kate yelled. She lowered the gun.

Her body trembled. She staggered, lurching forward.

Then she began to run.

“You can’t run from yourself, Kate!” Kenzie cried.

Kate heard her stumble to her feet.

But Kenzie could not hurt her.

Not anymore.

Kate half ran, half staggered outside.

She collapsed into her car, locking the doors and lowering her head on the steering wheel.

Spots danced and whirled.

Not everyone can be a killer. But you can. I see it in your eyes. You are just like me.

“Goddamn her!” Kate pounded her hand on the steering wheel. It was only then that she felt the blood, sticky and wet against her hand.

She fumbled in her purse for her cell phone and dialed Ethan’s number.

“Kate! Where are you? I’m five mintes away.”

“It’s Kenzie. She almost killed me. At Bluenose Self-Storage.”

And I almost killed her.

I was so close.

Too close.

His voice was urgent. “Are you still in there?”

“No. I’m in my car.”

“And is Kenzie?”

“I think so.”

“Lock your car doors and stay low in your seat, Kate. We’re almost there.”

Kate said quickly, “She’s got a gun.”

“Can you drive?”

Her vision kept darkening, then clearing. Dark. Light. Dark. Light. Was there nothing in between? “I can try.”

“Go now. As far away as you can.”

Kate started the engine.

The door to the self-storage opened. Kate watched as Kenzie lunged through and fell to her knees. She staggered to her feet.

Would she be able to drive with one arm?

Didn’t matter. Ethan would find her soon enough.

Kate backed up, the car lurching as she fumbled with the gearshift. She drove slowly out of the parking lot.

She forced herself to stare straight ahead.