“Tired? Mal—”
“Tired of being second best. Of this town. Of people looking at me like I’m worthless.”
“No one does that,” Zoey said.
“Everyone does that,” Malcom countered. “Even you. I knew you liked Mark back in high school, but I didn’t care. I wanted you for myself. But you still chose him in the end, just like everyone does. For what it’s worth…I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being a dick to you, Zoey. I’m sorry for what I did to Pop. He didn’t deserve it. And I’m sorry for hiring that pilot to do that to you guys.”
“I forgive you,” Bubba said. And he wasn’t lying. He loved Malcom. He hadn’t been the best brother, but then again, Bubba hadn’t tried very hard to be there for Malcom either. Maybe if he’d gotten home more often, things between them would’ve been better. He could’ve seen the poison that Tracy had been to his brother.
“Thank you,” Malcom said. His finger twitched on the trigger of the pistol…
And before Bubba could do more than yell “no!” the standoff was over.
Zoey screamed when the sound of the gunshot echoed through the room, and Bubba immediately turned to shield her from the horror that had unfolded in front of them.
“Oh my God! Oh my God!” Zoey chanted. “Call 9-1-1! We need to get him an ambulance.”
“It’s too late,” Bubba told her. He didn’t need to turn around to know what a bullet to the head looked like. What it did to the human body. He’d seen more than his fair share of gunshot wounds.
Walking slowly toward the front door with her, Bubba’s only goal was to get Zoey away. To make sure she didn’t get a glimpse of what was left of Malcom.
“I’ll take care of the trash,” Phantom said quietly as Bubba passed him, nodding to Tracy on the floor.
Nodding back, Bubba only stopped long enough to grab his phone from the kitchen counter. It was vibrating once again with an incoming call.
He looked down and saw that it was Tex calling. He had a feeling the retired SEAL had finally had his talk with Eva Dawkins. But it was too late.
Feeling wrung out and empty inside, Bubba hustled Zoey out of the house. If it was up to him, neither of them would step foot inside it again. He was done with Juneau. With Alaska. It had brought him Zoey, his greatest gift, but also the greatest heartbreak of his life.
He heard Phantom talking to an emergency dispatcher from inside the house, but all Bubba could do was hold Zoey and thank God that she was all right. Malcom could’ve easily shot her. Or if she wasn’t as fast as she’d been, Tracy could’ve sunk the knife into her body, killing her.
Burying his face in her hair, Bubba held on. When he began shaking, Zoey only held him tighter. He didn’t know when the tears started falling from his eyes, but the woman who he loved more than anything in the world didn’t let go, simply squeezed him tighter, giving him the stability he needed so he could fall apart.
Chapter Nineteen
It had been a long day. The longest of Bubba’s life. The police had arrived, and at first they’d thought he’d been the one to kill Malcom. He’d been cuffed and stuffed in the back of a police cruiser, and Zoey had absolutely lost her shit.
Apparently she knew most of the officers, and she told them if they didn’t let him out, she was going to sue the hell out of them, the department, and the entire city. Bubba been proud of her, but he felt numb. He couldn’t muster up the energy to be grateful when the officers had apologized and released him from the cuffs after they figured out Malcom’s wound was self-inflicted.
Then he, Zoey, and Phantom had to tell their sides of the story at least four more times. Bubba’d been separated from Zoey, which had almost made him go ballistic. The detectives had asked him the same questions over and over until he wanted to scream.
Tex had gotten involved in the end, and he made some calls, and finally Bubba and Zoey had been free to leave. They were now in a hotel room in downtown Juneau, as neither wanted to go back to her house, or his pop’s.
Phantom had been typically reticent, but he’d also been a solid pillar of strength for both him and Zoey, which Bubba could never repay him for. He’d forced them both to eat something, since they’d never gotten around to eating the breakfast he’d picked up earlier. He’d called the team back in California and informed them of what had happened. Rocco had immediately offered to fly up to Alaska, but Phantom told him that wouldn’t be necessary, as they’d be coming home as soon as they could.
Phantom had also called Sean Kassamali to let him know about the ordeal. He’d come down to the station and reassured Bubba that he’d take care of the business, not to worry. The ironic thing was, now that Malcom had killed himself, all of his shares in the company would go to Bubba. It was almost laughable, considering everything that had happened, but Malcom had been so sure his and Tracy’s plan would work out. He didn’t have a will of his own.
And since Bubba still didn’t want anything to do with the business, Sean would end up owning one hundred percent of the company sooner rather than later.
Bubba was going to sell his shares to the older man for a buck…just to make it legal. Zoey planned on doing the same with her small percentage. If Malcom had come to the meeting with Kenneth, he would’ve found out Bubba was going to sell his shares to him for only a dollar as well. Not for some exorbitant price, as Malcom had assumed.
Bubba should’ve felt relieved he’d be done with the business once and for all, but instead he just felt sad.
“None of this should’ve happened,” Bubba murmured.
He was sitting on the couch in the suite Phantom had reserved for them in the hotel, and Zoey was curled up against him. The only time he felt as if he wouldn’t fly into a million pieces was when she was in his arms. He’d never forget the look of despair in Malcom’s eyes as he’d held that gun to his head.
Phantom stuck his head into the room. “Tex is on the phone. Feel up to talking?”
Bubba nodded. “Yeah, let’s finish this.”
Zoey tightened her arms around him, and her presence made this so much easier. Not okay, but better.
“You there?” Tex asked over the speakerphone.
“Yeah.”
“I’m so fucking sorry I didn’t get to Eva faster.”
Bubba shook his head, even though he knew Tex couldn’t see him. “Don’t do that. This isn’t your fault. It’s my brother’s. And Tracy’s. None of this is your fault.”
“You say that, but it doesn’t make it true,” Tex said. “Anyway, Tracy somehow knew Eva’s ex. The connection is a little unclear. Malcom touched base with her for the first time and offered her money to do a job. Once she agreed, because she was desperate for cash, Tracy took over the arrangements. Apparently, Eva’s ex said he’d give her kids back if she paid him three hundred thousand dollars. She, obviously, didn’t have that kind of money, and Tracy and Malcom were easily able to convince her to do their dirty work.
“After leaving you guys in the middle of nowhere, Eva landed the plane in a tiny little town. The plane itself wasn’t discovered until recently, confirming her story. Anyway, she went to Seattle, as she was ordered to do, to wait for things to calm down here, and was expecting to get paid for her part in the plot.”