Crawling along the floor, I move to the table and grab my bag off of the top before digging my gun out with my gaze fixed on the front door. Just as I’m standing up to move toward it, another gunshot rings out from the backyard and I spin around. Moving as quickly and quietly as possible, I cross the kitchen and stop at the back door, pulling the curtains back to peek out of the little square window at the top of the door. Someone in a black hoodie has their back to me as they point a gun at Wyatt, who has his hands up. My gaze flicks to his gun on the ground and my stomach flips.
Oh, God, I’ve got to help him.
Moving slowly, I turn the door handle and gently pull the door open, careful not to make any noise and when I reach the spot where the door creaks, I hold my breath and lift it up as hard as I can, relief rushing through me when I get it open without a sound. The screen on the outside door is already open and I crouch down as Wyatt’s gaze flicks to me. His eyes tell me to run but there is no way in hell that is going to happen.
“Why did you have to go and ruin everything?” the person in the hoodie says and all my thoughts screech to a halt. Wait… I know that voice.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“She was mine!” Lillian shrieks and I shake my head, trying to understand what is happening right now but no matter which way I look at it, it doesn’t make sense. Why the hell is one of my best friends holding my husband at gunpoint?
Standing up, I tiptoe backward until I hit the dining room then I turn and run out of the front door before hooking around the house. Creeping along the side of the house, I hear more of her ranting at him, telling him all about her plan to make him leave me with the flowers and the dating profile and the hotel in Seattle and I breathe a sigh of relief.
As long as she’s ranting, she’s not shooting.
Rounding the back of the house, I raise the pistol in my hand, holding it just the way Wyatt showed me as I stop a few feet behind her. “What are you doing, Lil?”
“Piper,” she gasps, wheeling around as she lowers her gun but when she sees the gun in my hand, she lifts it again, pointing it at me.
“No! Point that back at me,” Wyatt urges her, pointing to himself and I narrow my eyes and shake my head as she glances between the two of us before backing up until we form a triangle in the yard. She trains her gun on Wyatt and my heart sinks.
No.
No.
No.
“Lillian, what are you doing?”
She shakes her head as her gaze turns to me but she still keeps the gun pointed at my husband. “I’m fixing this mess.”
“What mess is that?” I ask, eyeing her warily and waiting for her to make her move. Images from the night my parents died flick through my mind but instead of reducing me to a bubbling mess like they usually do, this time I use them to fuel me. As much as I don’t want to, I will protect my husband at all costs. She shakes her head again and when her eyes meet mine, they fill with tears.
“You’re not supposed to be with him.”
I scowl. “He’s my husband, Lil. Of course I’m supposed to be with him.”
“No!” she screams, shaking her head again. The blank look in her eyes scares me and the tired look on her face tells me just how close she is to snapping and I know from all my time with Dr. Brewer and in the group that I have to be careful. “Stop saying that. Don’t you see, Pippy? I love you…”
“I do see that,” I answer, remembering what Dr. Brewer said about people lost in a delusion before I remember Wyatt admitting to me in the kitchen that he was tracking me to make sure I didn’t cheat on him. Where did he put it? In my car? My phone? Sucking in a breath, I meet his eyes and hope that he will understand my plan. “I can’t believe I didn’t see it before, Lil. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she whispers and I shake my head.
“No, it’s not. You’ve always been there for me. Do you want to get out of here? Just you and me?”
She gasps, her eyes widening and hope flickering in her eyes. “Really?”
“Yeah. Let’s go right now.”
Wyatt grits his teeth and shakes his head. “Piper. No.”
“Shut up,” she hisses, turning back to him and raising the gun to his head. My heart jumps into my throat and my mind screams but on the outside, I remain calm.
“Lillian? Please don’t do that. If you kill him, they’ll come after us and rip us apart.”
Her eyes widen and she shakes her head. “No… they can’t take you away from me.”
“Then let’s just go,” I whisper, lowering my gun and holding my hand out to her as my heart hammers against my ribs. Wyatt’s face is tortured but he doesn’t say anything and I just hope he will understand what I’m doing and go along with my plan. Her gaze flicks between Wyatt and me before she starts walking over to me, still pointing the gun at my man. When she reaches me, she takes my hand and I resist the urge to shudder at the fear racing through my veins as we start backing up toward the side of the house as she continues aiming the gun at Wyatt.
“Don’t follow us,” she warns him, flashing him a glare and I shake my head, mouthing the words “I love you” to him just before we disappear around the side of the house. Once we’re in the clear, she starts running, pulling me along with her. “Come on. We have to go.”
We step into the front yard and she turns to me. “Do you have your keys?”
“Yes. They’re in my pocket.”
She grins and nods. “Okay. Let’s go.”
“But wait, I don’t have my wallet or anything,” I tell her, suddenly doubting my plan. Her gaze flicks to the side of the house and she shakes her head, pulling me along.
“I’ve got plenty of money for us and I’ll drive.”
I nod, trying to think but my brain won’t work. My gaze drops to the gun in her hand and I suck in a breath. “Can we leave the guns here?”
“Sure,” she answers cheerily as she drops his pistol into the grass and I do the same. Maybe it’s a bad idea but I feel a whole hell of a lot better knowing there’s not two firearms in the car I’m about to get into.
My stomach flips as we reach the car and she pulls open the passenger side door.
Oh, fuck, this is such a bad idea.
Why the hell am I doing this?
Slipping into my seat, I buckle up and pull the keys out of my pocket as she runs around the front of the car.
Okay, just breathe, Piper.
I just need to keep her distracted long enough for Wyatt to call reinforcements and track us down. Reaching down, I feel the phone in my back pocket and pray that he put the tracker in there or on the car… otherwise I’m screwed. My hands shake and my stomach does another flip as Lillian slides behind the wheel and reaches for the keys. As she starts the car, Wyatt runs around the house and stops when he sees me sitting in the passenger seat. I wish I could press my hand to the glass or anything to let him know how much I love him in case I don’t make it back from this but I can’t let Lillian get suspicious of me.
“So, where to?” Lillian asks, flashing me a wide grin as she pulls away from the curb. I shake my head as my chest aches and my shoulders feel tight. I wrap both of my arms around my body and hug myself as I look over at her.