Deadly Proposal(72)

“You killed my son!”

“He was trying to kill me,” Mandy argued. “Should I have just stood there and let him kill me? Should James have?”

“You didn’t have to kill him,” Sheryl said. “What Troy did was wrong … but what you did, well, that was just cold.”

“Mandy didn’t kill him,” Ally interjected. “James did.”

“Yes, James is the one who killed him,” Sheryl agreed. “He did it to protect her. I want James to feel what it’s like to lose the woman he loves. He killed my son to protect you, and now I’m going to kill you. He’ll see it all was in vain.”

“That’s not going to bring Troy back,” Mandy said. “He’s gone. He’s never coming back.”

“And your father is gone, too,” Sheryl said. “They’ve left me alone, so I have nothing to live for.”

“You can find something to live for,” Mandy pressed. “You’ve done it before. You donated your time, you helped people. Why not do that again?”

“Do you really think that’s going to be an option for me after all of this?”

“I don’t know,” Mandy said. “You could run. You could try to get away.”

“While that does hold a certain appeal, the idea of you looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life could be fun, I don’t have the money or the inclination to spend the latter years of my life on the run,” Sheryl replied. “I don’t want to live in this world anymore.”

“Then just kill yourself,” Ally said. “Why try to make Mandy pay because your son was an idiot heathen?”

Mandy wanted to smack Ally – or at least gag her – but sudden moves were out of the question.

“My son was a troubled boy,” Sheryl said. “He had some issues. He did not deserve to be shot down like a dog.”

“Neither did Mandy,” Ally said. “Troy gave my brother no choice. James offered to let him surrender. He chose to try and kill Mandy anyway.”

“Your brother didn’t give Troy a choice,” Sheryl said. “That’s a lie he told the police to get away with murder. How dumb do you think I am?”

“I don’t know,” Ally said. “How dumb was Troy? I think you can give him a run for his money.”

Sheryl frowned, scalding Ally with an angry look. “Apparently you want to die, too.”



JAMES and Jake were at the back of the beauty parlor listening. They both had guns, but they had to get inside if they wanted to use them. All of the patrons of the establishment had fled out the back door, leaving it open in their wake, and the police were on their way. James couldn’t wait, though.

“I don’t like this,” Jake said. “Your sister is purposely baiting her.”

“My sister doesn’t know when to shut up,” Jake agreed. “I think she’s baiting her so she’ll keep her focus on her instead of Mandy. She’s trying to protect her.”

“Will Mandy let her?”

“Not for a second. They’ll both bait her to death trying to protect the other. We’ll lose them both.”

Jake shook his head. “We won’t lose them. We need to think.”

“No, we need to split up,” James said. “I’m going to go in through the back door and try to draw her attention to me. When it’s time, you need to go in through the front and try to get them out.”

“She’ll shoot you,” Jake said. “I’m not familiar with the situation, but it sounds to me like she blames you for the death of her son.”

“I did kill her son. I’d rather her take out her wrath on me than one of them,” James said. “Plus, if I can just get in there, I might be able to take her out first.”

Jake bit his lower lip. “Maybe we should wait for the police.”

“I’m not trusting the lives of my sister and my … Mandy to the police,” James said. “I can’t wait. Are you with me?”

“I’m with you,” Jake said, his tone grim and his eyes set. “Give me three minutes.”

“Go.”



“ALLY is just nervous,” Mandy said, trying to draw Sheryl’s attention back to her. “She doesn’t mean what she says.”

“Oh, I totally mean it,” Ally said. “Your son was a crazy loon, and you’re even crazier. He stalked and terrorized Mandy. He stabbed a security guard. He tried to run her over. And here you are making excuses for him. It’s pathetic.”

“You shut your mouth,” Sheryl said. “You just shut your filthy mouth.”