"For what?"
"For being a coward," a cold voice said.
Baylee spun around. "What are you doing here?" she asked Stephen Rodgers, then gasped as she stared into his flinty green eyes.
Eyes she'd seen before. In her dreams.
Her nightmares.
Baylee's limbs went weak and she fell back, hitting the corner of the desk. Looking at Gary, she noticed he avoided her gaze.
"Gary? What's going on?" she asked weakly.
Gary lowered his head while shaking it.
Stephen Rodgers loomed over the crumpled man. "You empathetic piece of shit. I should've taken care of you years ago."
As reality began to sink in, icy shivers weaved through her, and she pressed her fists to the side of her face. Black spots moved in front of her eyes and she gasped for breath. I can't pass out. I'm in danger! Holding onto the desk, she steadied herself right before Logan burst into the office.
"Sorry I'm late." He smiled broadly at the group.
"Who the fuck is he, and why is he here?" Stephen snarled.
"He's an employee. I don't know why he's here," Gary said in a monotone voice.
"I'm here for the meeting." Logan looked at Baylee, confusion evident on his face.
"There's no meeting. Too bad you came," Stephen Rodgers snarled.
Before Logan could utter another word, a shot filled the room. As Logan fell back, blood oozing from his chest, Baylee placed her hands over her ears, her screams drowned out by the deafening gunfire. She leapt toward the door, stepping over Logan's motionless body. A strong arm yanked her hair, dragging her back into the room.
"Our meeting isn't over, Baylee," Stephen sneered.
Baylee twisted out of his hold, her eyes landing on a large, angry scar running up his forearm. She clutched her throat as the sound of her heartbeat thrashed in her ears.
"You! You killed my mother! Why? She didn't know you. You're fucking crazy!"
"You're wrong. She knew me very well. She was always teasing me with her low-cut blouses. She had nice breasts. Just like you." His finger traced right above her camisole's neckline.
She forced the bile down. "You sick bastard."
"Maybe, but I didn't kill her for that. I killed her because she couldn't keep her mouth shut. Gary warned her, too, but she was so high and mighty. She was going to turn us in to the police. If she would've kept her nose out of our business, we wouldn't be here now. But … "
It was as if someone had sucker-punched her. She stared at Gary. "You were responsible for my mother's murder? You were her friend. She was so close to you. How could you let her die? You sonofabitch!"
She flew at him with outstretched hands, clawing and hitting him as hard as she could. Gary didn't budge as she attacked him. From behind her, the killer's deep laugh sickened her.
Baylee whirled around and raised her hand, but Stephen caught it before she struck him.
"You don't want to do that." He spoke harshly, his eyes narrowed to slits.
"How did you know my mother?" she asked softly.
"I worked closely with the firm, passing zoning permits through. I was head of the department for the city. She was a beautiful woman."
Baylee's stomach churned.
"He took bribes. Our firm wasn't the only one who had him on payroll."
"My mom went along with this?"
Gary shook his head slowly. "No. I didn't involve her or Bob. I was the one responsible for securing the permits. Our firm was just starting, and we had to compete with the larger, more prestigious ones on 17th Street. If we hadn't been able to get the permits, we would've closed our doors long ago."
"And my mom would still be alive," she said bitterly.
"Your mom wanted the firm to move forward," he replied.
"I hardly think she wanted to die for it." Baylee wiped her wet cheeks. "So, Mom found out."
Gary nodded. "I begged her not to go to the police. I told her I'd make it right, but she threatened to tell Bob, to throw me out, report me to the ethics board, and file a charge with the police. Embezzlement and paying bribes. I would've lost everything. I had young kids. I told her I'd pay back the money I took, and I'd sever ties with Stephen, but she was adamant. She was going to destroy me."
"So, you destroyed her instead?"
"I didn't have a choice. I warned her."
"You told him, and you knew he'd hurt her. You sent her to be slaughtered. How could you?"
"I didn't know he was going to kill her. He told me he'd talk to her, try and have her see it our way. I didn't know. Please, Baylee, you have to believe me. I did not want your mother killed." He hung his head.
"But you've known who the killer was all along, and you did nothing. You're worse than he is, because you were my mother's friend." Her throat tightened. "And my father's." Her eyes burned with the heat of her tears. "And mine."
Stephen butted in. "Gary didn't want to give up his lifestyle. I've paid him well, though, since I needed him around. He kept tabs on you all these years. Even fucked your shrink's nurse to get information on your progress, and that's how I knew your time had come. Your mother wanted to destroy me, and so do you."
Gary shook his head. "It doesn't have to be this way. Baylee, tell him you won't say anything."
"It's a little late for that, isn't it?"
Another deafening blast shook her. Gary crumpled to the floor.
This is it. I'm next. Her legs gave out and she sank to the floor.
"And now, Baylee, it's just you and me."
"You're crazy! Don't you think someone heard the gunshots? You can't actually believe you can get away with this."
"I'll just walk away," he told her with a shrug. "Just like I did before."
He lifted the gun once more. Covering her face with her hands, her body shook like a leaf, and her limbs were so cold. Another blast echoed around her. She waited for death to take her. Something strong pulled her up and pried her fingers off her face. She opened her eyes slowly and stared into Axe's. What is he doing here? Am I dead?
"It's okay, babe. I'm here now."
"Stephen Rodgers killed my mom," she said through chattering teeth.
"I know."
"You knew?"
"I had your back the whole time. My uncle Max tipped me off. Rodgers paid him to keep an eye on you, but he didn't know the reason. Whenever money greases my uncle's palms, he doesn't ask any questions."
"He almost killed me."
"We had to get the shit on tape. The PI planted a bug in your office, and the tapes will be turned over to the fuckin' badges anonymously. We wanted to make sure we got enough to close your mom's case." He hugged her. "I was here all along. I had your back. My brothers had a sniper rifle aimed at the fucker's head the whole time-just in case." Axe gestured to the building across the street.
"Logan and Gary, they're dead."
"Casualties of war."
Baylee couldn't grasp it all. She heard his words, but they didn't sink in. She was retreating back into the shadows. Not remembering was her safeguard, and she wanted to forget about what had just happened. Squeezing her eyes shut, she wrapped her arms around her knees and rocked back and forth, her mind retreating to her safe zone.
Chapter Thirty-One
One month later
Cherryvale Clinic
Denver
Leaning back on the leather chair in Dr. Scott's office, Baylee folded her hands in her lap. "I can't wait to go home. I thought I'd be here longer-like the last time when I had a breakdown." She shifted her eyes from Dr. Scott's to the window behind him. Outside, sprinkles of red and orange mingling with the hues of summer showcased the arrival of autumn.
"You're much stronger than you think. You've made amazing progress over the summer. There was a time when this would have crushed you and sent you spiraling backward into darkness." Dr. Scott placed his pen down and closed her case file. "I credit your strength on your decision to no longer be a victim of the past, and your love for your young man."
Baylee held her therapist's gaze as warmth curled around her. "He's pretty special. I never would have made it without him. I've been so afraid of a relapse into darkness, but the opposite has happened. After the initial horror of it all, all the shadows have been replaced with clear memories. The clarity was always there. I guess my fear just blocked it from coming out."
"Fear holds so many things back from us in life. In your case, you weren't ready to face what had happened the night your mother was killed. Your guilt of not being able to help your mother overpowered everything. The memories were always there, you just needed to let them in."
"Guilt almost made me slip back again when I started blaming myself for Gary's death and what happened in my office in Pinewood Springs." She smiled when she spotted a small rabbit scurry across the lawn. In a low voice, she said, "I now understand that I wasn't responsible for anything that had happened-Stephen Rodgers was. I knew something was up with him. My instincts told me he was bad news when I'd met him at Axe's mother's wedding; I just didn't know how to connect the dots at that time."