Want Me (12 page)

He headed toward her. Lex kissed her. Hard, deep, fast. “You stay behind me.” Because the memory of a flying bullet and the spray of blood was too fresh in his mind. “If he’s armed, you don’t even think of disobeying my orders. I won’t have you put at risk. You matter too much.”

Her lips curled into the faintest of smiles.
I will never grow tired of her smiles.
“Because I’m awesome in bed?” She seemed to tease him.

He wasn’t teasing. “That’s not why.”

She blinked and even looked a little insulted.

“You’re fucking amazing in bed, but that’s not why,” he clarified quickly. They should be clear on this. “You matter because I love you. I love every damn thing about you.”

She shook her head. “We…no, don’t say that.”

That was hardly the response he’d hoped to get, but Lex said again, ‘I love you.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “You don’t. It’s too soon. Don’t say it and don’t make me think I matter like that to you. Don’t make me think you want me—”

“I want you forever.” He should be racing out of the house. Going after Finn. He wasn’t moving. “I want you at my side for the rest of my life. This isn’t some sudden thing for me. I started falling for you weeks ago. When I first met a tough, smart lawyer in a police station, and, for just a moment, she made me forget my own name.”

She swiped her hand over her cheek. “You thought I was a potential suspect back then, you thought—”

“I thought I wanted you, no matter what. I thought you were sexy as hell and the desire I felt for you was fierce, but the more I learned about you, the harder I fell.”

“Lex…”

“I’m not asking how you feel about me.” They’d get to that, later. He’d try to be better. Charming. He’d try to be whatever she needed. “I just thought you should know. For me, this isn’t just another case. It never was. It was always about protecting you.” His fingers grazed down her cheek. “Loving you.”

Her breath whispered out.

“Now let’s go find the son of a bitch who paid for that hit,” he said. Time to end the nightmare for her. Because when the nightmare was over, they could plan for a future—he could start courting her.
Courting her.
Yeah, it sounded corny as hell, but he wanted to do things right with Sophie.

A normal life.
Maybe they could both have that—together. They hurried through the house and were outside in moments. They’d almost reached his car when the flash of headlights illuminated his driveway.

Sophie lifted her hand, shielding her eyes. Lex stepped in front of her. A visitor? Now? He didn’t have time for this crap. He opened Sophie’s door. “Go ahead,” he told her, “I’ll get rid of whoever this is.”

Sophie slipped inside. He slammed her door. His visitor had braked and was climbing out of the car. The headlights were still on, and the driver had positioned the vehicle in such a way that those lights still blasted right onto Lex. It was a bigger vehicle. Lex figured it for an SUV.

Like the one that nearly ran us down outside of the courthouse.
His body tensed.

“Lex!”

His head cocked at the shout.

“Lex, it’s Clark Eastbridge!” A shadowy form moved from the car. “I have to talk with you.”

The guy wanted to talk now?

“I have more questions to ask you about the shooting today.” Clark was closing in.

“Your questions have to wait.” He turned his back on the guy and hurried toward the driver’s side of his car. “Or maybe you should come with us to see Finn Scott—”

It was the reflection that warned him. The reflection that showed Clark racing forward and lifting his hand.

Fuck!

Lex dove to the left even as gunfire blasted. He hadn’t moved fast enough, though, and that bullet drove into his back, hitting him near his left shoulder blade.

“I’m done waiting,” Clark said.

He fired again.

The bullet hit Lex and he fell forward. His head slammed into the rough cement of his driveway.

“Be careful,” Dev warned Chance as they closed in on Finn’s home. “If he’s our sniper, then he could have us locked in his sights right now.”

“Hardly the shit I want to hear,” Chance said as he advanced.

“It’s the shit that could save your ass,” Dev replied, his voice no more than a whisper.

They were near the front door now. Chance glanced at Dev, then he rammed his fist against the door. “Finn Scott! Open the door
now!
”

They heard a crash from inside. The thud of footsteps.

“Running,” Dev said, but Chance was already moving. Lunging away from the front door and heading toward the side of the house. Dev followed right after him. Just because Dev wasn’t some ex-military hotshot like Chance, it didn’t mean he couldn’t handle himself.
Any day. Any night.

He and Chance burst around to the back of the house. Moonlight shone down on them, and he saw Finn’s fleeing form. Finn had something in his hand, and the guy threw it back.

Dev swore, but nothing exploded on him. Whatever that object had been, it had just crashed into the ground.

Chance crashed into Finn. He tackled the other man, and they rolled across the ground.

Dev stood over them, his breath appearing as a little cloud in the chilled air. He
could
have taken down Finn, but if Chance wanted to play action hero, why argue?

When Finn tried to swing at him, Chance drove his fist into the guy’s jaw. Finn fell back, but then he growled like an animal, surging up—

Chance raised his fist again. “Don’t even think it. You aren’t armed now, and I can kick your ass in an instant.”

Finn glared at him. “What do you want?”

Dev cleared his throat. Finn’s head jerked toward him. “
We
want to toss your ass in jail,” Dev said. “We know you arranged for Daniel’s death, and we’re thinking that once the cops search your house, they’ll find the gun you used to kill Griffin Hollister.”

“What?”

Chance stood and jerked Finn to his feet. “It’s over. Dev traced your money trail. We know about the account in Grand Cayman.”

“I don’t even know what the hell is happening.” Finn sounded furious. “I saw you guys sneaking toward my house. I figured you were coming to attack me!”

Dev rolled his eyes. “Chance and I are working for Sophie.” Okay, maybe she’d fired them. Technically, they were freelancers on this one. “You know Sophie. She’s the woman I’m pretty sure you’re obsessed with. Did you break into her house? Just had to get close, didn’t you? What happened?” Dev pushed. “Did Duvato’s attack drive you over the edge? You realized that you’d nearly lost Sophie, so you had to act? Had to touch her, had to—”

“You are insane,” Finn said grimly. He tried to wrench out of Chance’s grip. Chance didn’t let him go anyplace.

“I’m not the one who paid Griffin twenty grand,” Dev said. “That would be you. Say good-bye to freedom, and hello to being someone’s bitch in jail.”

“I don’t know any Griffin! And I don’t have that account in Grand Cayman anymore!” Finn snarled. “Sophie told me to ditch it, and I did! Years ago! That’s not me! I didn’t pay anyone—”

Chance shook him. Hard. “Are you obsessed with Sophie Sarantos?”

Finn stopped talking.

“Can’t let her go, can you?” Chance’s voice was full of disgust. “You hurt her when you broke into her place. Lex told me she fell down the stairs. What if she’d died then? What if—”

“I didn’t break into her place! Yes, dammit, I still have a thing for her, but I know it’s not going anyplace. Sophie never loved me. I don’t think she can love anyone, unless it’s Ethan and that twisted-ass relationship they have.”

Dev hesitated because the guy sounded…truthful?

“I gave up getting her back years ago. She’s my friend, that’s it. I would never hurt her!” Finn’s breath heaved out. “As for Daniel…”

Sirens screamed in the night. Swearing, Dev looked over his shoulder.

“Cops?” Chance muttered. He dragged Finn toward the front of the house. Sure enough, the swirl of blue lights was coming closer.

Dev remembered when Finn had thrown that object at them.
A phone.
“You called the police.”

“Hell, yes, I did!” Finn sounded gleeful now. “When two jerks come sneaking toward my house in the dark, what else is a normal person supposed to do?”

It
was
what a normal,
innocent
person would do.

The cop cars screeched to a stop.

But if Finn was innocent…

Then who was stalking Sophie?

“Everyone, calm the hell down!” A woman’s voice rang out—Detective Faith Chestang. He recognized her I’ll-Take-No-Shit tone. She approached with her weapon drawn. “I’m in command here!” She tossed a glare toward Chance. “As soon as I heard the call come over the scanner, I connected the dots. With everything going down with Sophie and her background with Finn Scott—yes, I know all about that, I’m a damn detective after all—I suspected I’d find you out here.”

Her gun wasn’t aimed at Chance or at Dev. She was pointing straight at Finn.

And he’d sure been ready to bet that Finn was guilty too, but now…what if they were looking at the wrong man? What if someone else had just wanted them to think Finn was guilty?

Finn was another longtime part of Sophie’s life. A friend, a confidant. By making him look guilty, that man would be removed from Sophie’s world, perhaps tossed permanently in jail.

And the ADA already said he wouldn’t rest until Ethan was locked up.

Ethan, the other constant in Sophie’s life. “I think we need to find Ethan Barclay,” Dev announced. A gut instinct.

“Hell,” Faith said. “That guy always means trouble.” Her breath expelled on a long sigh. “This case is just getting worse.”

Yes, it was.

***

Gunfire. Sophie had ducked as soon as she heard that thunder, and now she crouched in Lex’s car, her heart racing. She didn’t hear anything outside. She didn’t hear Lex at all.

Not Lex. He can’t be hit. Not Lex.

Her fingers fumbled as she looked for a weapon. She shoved her hand under the passenger seat and she felt the rounded edge of a handle. She pulled that handle, yanking it hard, and Sophie saw that she’d grabbed a screw driver.
Yes!

Her car door opened. The vehicle’s interior light flashed on and she looked up, hoping desperately for—“Lex?”

It wasn’t Lex.

ADA Clark Eastbridge stood there. He smiled at her. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

No, she wasn’t. “Where’s Lex?”

Clark offered her his hand. “Someone was waiting in the dark. They shot at him, and he gave chase. But it’s okay. I’ll take care of you until he gets back.”

She stared at his offered hand. She’d tucked the screwdriver up the sleeve of her sweatshirt, instinctively hiding it when the car door opened. She didn’t see a gun in either of Clark’s hands. But maybe he’d hidden his weapon, too. How hard would it have been to tuck a gun in the back of his pants? Or to hide it under his jacket? “Why are you here?”

“Sophie.” Now anger pulsed in his voice. “We need to get out of here. I told Lex I’d watch out for you. Come on.” Then he stopped waiting for her to take his hand. He locked his fingers around her left wrist and pulled her out of the car. She didn’t fight him, not then. What would have been the point? She had to wait for a perfect moment.

He kept his hold on her and headed back toward his vehicle. “I had a few more questions about the shooting Lex witnessed today.” He was speaking quickly and guiding her to his SUV—a vehicle that still appeared to be running. Its bright lights were on. Why the brights? “I was here to talk with him, but the shooter must have come to eliminate him—and maybe you, too. Lex raced after him…”

He’d said that before. He spoke in that easy, confident voice that he used in the courtrooms. So sincere. So charming.

But she was scared and cold and she didn’t see Lex. “Clark…” Her voice didn’t tremble. That was good. “Did you ever get a hit on the traffic camera that was outside of the courthouse? Did you get the video of the vehicle that nearly ran Lex and me down?”

A vehicle that sure had looked a lot like this one.

“No.” His sigh was long. Almost sad. “I’m sorry, Sophie, but it turned out there was some kind of glitch that day. No video was recorded.”

Right.

He opened the SUV passenger door for her. Because she hadn’t fought him, because she’d been so docile—maybe that was why he let her hand go. As soon as he did, though, she seized that moment and raced back toward Lex’s car—toward the
driver’s
side of his car.

“Sophie,
no!
” Clark called out. “The shooter—”

Lex was lying facedown on the ground. He didn’t seem to be moving at all. She immediately dropped to her knees beside him. “Lex!” She touched his back and her fingers were instantly soaked in his blood. “Lex, no!”

Footsteps thundered toward her. “You should’ve just gotten in my vehicle.”

Her head whipped back toward him.

Clark towered over her. “But maybe it’s better this way. Now you can see that he’s gone.”

Lex wasn’t gone. Her left hand was on his back, in his blood, but she could feel him breathing. He was still alive. Could Clark not see that small movement in the dark? The bright lights didn’t hit over here. Maybe he didn’t know…

You screwed up. Lex is still alive. And I won’t let you kill him.

“He wasn’t right for you, Sophie. He didn’t believe in you. Never understood you.”

Lex understood her perfectly.

“I’ve waited so long for you.” Clark’s fingers brushed over the back of her head in a caress that sent her stomach rolling with revulsion. “I first saw you years ago. Beautiful Sophie with the haunted eyes. I knew the first time I saw you that you would be mine.”

She would never be.

Sophie kept her head bent. She began pulling the screwdriver from her sleeve.

“You were walking with Ethan Barclay. You’d been crying. I could see the tears on your cheeks, and I wanted to take your pain away.”

She had no idea what he was talking about.

“So I started learning about you. Everything I could. Watching you. I loved to watch you. Did you know that sometimes, I’d even sneak into your house? It was so easy to get inside. That way, I could be close to you.”

She felt Lex’s muscles tense beneath her hand. When he’d been shot, had he fallen against the car? Or hit his head when he collided with the ground? She knew he’d been unconscious moments before, but that growing tenseness told her that he was becoming very aware again. She could feel him, almost as if he were readying for an attack.

Lex can’t attack now. He’s hurt!
And Clark still had the gun.

“I watched you as often as I could back then. I even saw you that night on the bridge. You were climbing up there, and I was afraid you’d jump.”

OhmyGod.

“I knew then just how much you needed me. I was there to take your pain away.”

She shook her head.

But he kept talking. Clark said, “Since I knew my way in your house, it was easy enough to get in the night I killed your parents.”

The world stopped spinning. He’d just said the words so casually. So calmly.

“Evil people should be stopped.” He sounded as if he were speaking to a jury. Convincing them of just how just he was. “They should be punished. That’s what I do, Sophie. I’m a prosecutor. I punish the criminals. Even way back then, I knew what I was meant to be. My first year of law school…” His voice actually
warmed.
“I killed them on a school break. No one ever had any clue.”

The screwdriver was in her hand.

“I got nervous. I’ll admit that.” His hand stilled on her hair. “I left the gun. Stupid mistake. A mistake that could have cost me everything. But you covered for me, didn’t you, Sophie? I rushed back to the scene, determined to get rid of all the evidence I’d left. I mean, hell, it
was
my first kill. I got nervous. I just didn’t expect all of that blood.”

No, based on the emotion in his voice, he’d gotten
excited.
Not nervous.

“But I saw you when I went back.”

Because, apparently, he’d made a habit of getting in and out of my home—for how long? Dear God, for how long?
Had she ever been safe from him?

“You threw the gun into the river for me. I followed you that night. You went back to that same bridge. You were so beautiful. I knew that you appreciated what I’d done for you. You felt the connection, too.”

I feel that you’re insane.

Her muscles bunched as she prepared to lunge at him and attack. She had to move fast, before Lex launched at the guy.

“You’re such a dumbass, ADA Eastbridge…”

Those low, growling words came from right behind Clark. And that rough voice—she knew that voice. It was Ethan’s voice.

Ethan was striding forward from the darkness.

“She didn’t hide the gun for you. She did that for me. Sophie thought she was protecting
me.
Why the hell would she do it for you? She had no fucking clue who you were.”

Clark’s hand fell away from her, and, snarling, he whirled to face Ethan. As he did, Sophie saw him yank a gun out from under his jacket.

“No!” Sophie cried.

“You’re just some obsessed asshole—” Ethan shouted.

Sophie knew Clark was going to shoot him. She lunged to her feet and she drove her screwdriver into Clark’s back as hard as she could. He bellowed and whirled as grabbed for her. She heard his gun explode and a white-hot pain lanced over her arm.

The bastard had shot her.

“
Sophie!
” That roar was Ethan’s.

Clark yanked her closer against him. He put his gun under her chin.

“You attacked me.” He seemed confused.
Why
would he be confused? Didn’t he get that he was the bad guy?

She didn’t like bad guys, not anymore.

She ignored the burn in her arm.

“Sophie, I’m so disappointed,” Clark murmured. “After all I did for you! I mean, I even put Daniel in the ground.
For you.
I made sure Griffin couldn’t talk—”

“You killed him,” she whispered.