He shook his head, trying to put the pieces together in his head. “You mean Annabelle’s got you?”
“She’s a CWIL with a gun. The worst kind.”
A gun? Jake rubbed at the back of his neck. “Flynn, I’m coming, okay? I’m already on my way. You just hang in there. I’m coming.”
“I’m so sorry, Tucker, I—”
The phone cut off.
“Flynn? Flynn!”
Silence. Jake slammed his phone shut and put his face in his hands, trying to stay calm. Annabelle wanted Jake, so she wouldn’t hurt Flynn until Jake got there. And once Jake was there, he could protect Flynn. So it was going to be fine. It was going to be fine.
“. . . phone number? Jake!”
He raised his head to find Gerard yelling something at him.
“What?”
“Did you get the phone number?”
Jake opened his phone and scrolled through the ID list, then nodded.
“Good,” Gerard said. “We’re gonna need that when we get there.”
He opened his own cell and made a call. Jake caught random words like “negotiator” and “hostage situation” but mostly all he heard was Flynn’s voice.
I’m sorry, Tucker.
He’d bet his life he was sorrier.
“Breathe into this,” Annabelle said, holding out a small paper bag to Flynn. Flynn reached out a shaky hand and took it, breathing into it slowly as Annabelle sat down next to her. She had been able to hold on to her pissed-offness until she’d heard the panic in Tucker’s voice when he’d told her he was coming for her. If Tucker was worried, she knew she was good and screwed.
“He loves me, you know,” Annabelle said, rubbing Flynn’s back with one hand while holding the gun on her with the other. “I’ve been there for him all along. Eileen wasn’t supposed to get him fired. She was just supposed to get the laptop. She did it on purpose, you know. Went after him like that. She was always jealous of me.”
Flynn pulled the bag away from her face. “You know, if you want me to calm down, maybe you could cool it with the crazy, okay?”
Annabelle pushed up from the couch. “I’m sorry, Flynn. I know you have feelings for him, too. And I never wanted you to get hurt in this. Chase got what he deserved for hurting Jake the way he did and Rhonda . . . well, poor Rhonda was just never going to get it, you know? But you . . . you’re an innocent. And I know that, but you have to understand that he loves me, okay?”
Flynn tried to resist opening her mouth, but the shock of knowing that two dead people were charbroiling in the driveway had put her in a very surreal, very stupid place.
“So, what’s your plan? You put a gun to my head and make him tell you he loves you? Of course he’s going to do it. It won’t make it true.”
She put the bag back over her mouth, concentrating on the crinkling sound it made when she breathed to keep herself from passing out.
“Oh, honey.” Annabelle stared down at her. “You are nobody. You’re a blip on the radar. Before you came, everything was fine. He would have asked me out ages ago, but Esther told him not to.”
Flynn gasped into the bag, and lowered it again. “Holy shit. You killed Esther, didn’t you?”
Annabelle’s eyebrows knit for a second, but then she smiled in understanding. “Oh, not for that. She’d been snooping in my books, which meant that sooner or later she would have figured out what I was doing, and let me tell you, I did not want to go back to jail. Do you know what kind of girls are in jail? Girls like Eileen Dietz.” She sat down next to Flynn again and patted her knee. “I was so freaked out when I thought you’d had the schnapps, by the way. You, they would have autopsied, and it would have been hell to explain an overdose of heart medication with you.”
Flynn felt her chest explode with rage. “You crazy bitch.”
Annabelle stood up and put her hand to her chest, tears springing to her eyes.
“There’s no need to get personal,” she said. “I just did what I had to do, Flynn. Do you think I like this? Do you think I feel good about this? I don’t. I’m just doing what I need to do. This has been really difficult for me, you know.”
Flynn raised the bag to her face and concentrated on breathing in and out.
In and out.
In and out.
Annabelle paced back and forth, whispering something to herself that Flynn couldn’t hear over the crinkling of the bag. Which was just as well.
Because the bitch was crazy.
Jake had darted out of the car before the Suburban came to a complete stop, and was oddly surprised when he felt Gerard yank him backward.
“The negotiator isn’t here yet.” Gerard put both hands on Jake’s shoulders, clamping down tight. “You wait.”
“Fuck the negotiator.” He stared up the dirt road. According to the map, the house was less than half a mile away. Through the autumn-thinned woods, he could see the outline of a white house, and a column of thick black smoke.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered.
“I know this is hard, but this is not your operation, Jake,” Gerard said. “There are people coming who know how to handle this type of situation. Unless you want to get Flynn killed, you need to let them.”
Jake broke free of Gerard’s grip, but didn’t run up the dirt path. Instead he focused his rage and kicked a sizable dent into the side of the Suburban.
“I’ll pay for that,” he said.
“Don’t worry about it.” Gerard stepped closer and put one hand on Jake’s shoulder. “We’ll convene here, make the call, and send you up once we have proof of life. That’s the plan.”
Proof of life. The words sliced through him, but he nodded.
“Yeah,” he said. “Yeah. Okay.”
Jake’s cell phone rang. He exchanged a glance with Gerard, then checked the caller ID. He held it up for Gerard to see and answered off his nod.
“Flynn? You okay?”
Annabelle’s voice bounced through the line at him.
“Jake! It’s so good to hear your voice.”
“Is Flynn okay?”
“Oh, she’s fine, but . . . sweetie, I said no cops. Didn’t she tell you no cops? We can’t really talk this out if there are police around. I won’t be able to concentrate, and I have some really important things to say.”
He shook his head at Gerard, and Gerard closed his eyes and swore. “I’m sorry, Annabelle. They were with me when you called.”
Annabelle sighed. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault. But they know I’ve got Flynn, right? And a gun? And they know I’ll kill her, right?”
“Annabelle,” he said, “don’t.”
“I don’t want to,” she said. “But I will if I have to. Can you tell them to go away and then come on up alone? We’re kinda running out of time.”
“Let her go, Annabelle. I’ll be on my way as soon as I know she’s safe.”
“Jake, if she’s safe, those policemen are gonna come and get me and then we won’t have any time to talk. I’m so sorry, I just can’t. You understand, right?”
He leaned one hand on the Suburban and dropped his head, clutching the phone to his ear. “I need to talk to her first. I need—”
“Oh, what? Proof of life?” Annabelle giggled. “Right. I saw that movie. Here.”
There was some shuffling, followed by a strange crackling sound, and then, finally, he heard Flynn’s voice.
“Tucker?”
Every muscle in Jake’s body tightened. “I’m on my way. Nothing is going to happen to you, okay?”
“Chase is dead. Did I tell you that? I told you that, didn’t I? So is Rhonda. And Annabelle? Is crazy.”
Jake’s heart cracked listening to her. She sounded so scared. He tried to inject calm into his voice. “Yeah, babe. I know. It’s gonna be okay.”
“Chase said she was a good shot. I’m inclined to believe him.”
Jake flashed back to the night in the cabin.
So, who shot at us?
A bad shot
who tried to kill us and then got scared off, or a good shot who wanted to send a message.
“I think maybe I should have stayed in Boston,” she said.
“I’m going to get you out of this,” he said. “Nothing is going to happen to you.”
“Hi! Me again!” Annabelle’s voice came back on the line. “Jakey, you really have to send the police away. I’m so sorry. Look, I’ll give you one minute, okay? Starting . . . now!”
Jake flipped the phone shut. “Go. Now.”
“Jake—”
“Game’s over, Gerard. If you stay here, Flynn dies. And the only way you’re going to stop me from going up there is to shoot me yourself. It’s your operation. Your call.”
Jake was halfway to the house when he heard the Suburban pull away behind him.
Flynn folded up the paper bag neatly and set it by her side. Her breathing had returned to normal. She found that she could forget the smell of the burning car outside by concentrating on the shapes of the water stains in the ceiling.
One of them looked kinda like Vladimir Putin.
Annabelle put down the binoculars and shoved the heavy drapes shut over the window, settling the room into a dark gloom that seemed appropriate.
“Oh, yay! They’re gone,” Annabelle said. “Thank God. That could have been so messy, you know?”
Flynn nodded. Finally, the urge to talk back had left her. She knew that Jake would be walking through that door in a moment, and he would save her and then some lucky therapist’s kid was going to be lousy with ponies off of Flynn’s monthly bill.
See? she thought. Everyone wins.
There was a knock at the door. Annabelle smoothed her hand over her long blond curls and grinned like a teenager on prom night.
“Come in!” she called, and stood next to Flynn.
The first thing Jake saw was Flynn sitting on the couch, her hands tucked primly between her knees. He started for her, but froze when he saw the gun, which Annabelle raised and pointed directly at Flynn’s head.
“I’m sorry, Jake,” Annabelle said, “but we’re kinda running out of time, so I need you to tell her.”
Jake stared at Annabelle. “Tell her what?”
Annabelle laughed, but her smile soon faded. “That you don’t love her. That you love me. Then I’ll have to kill her, which is a shame, but we can get away, and I have scads of money. I’ve got two tickets on a flight to Buenos Aires that leaves in . . .” She checked her watch and made a face. “Oooh. Three hours. That’s kinda tight. So . . . go ahead.”
“Wait,” Jake said, holding his hand out. “Annabelle, I’m not going to let you kill her.”
“I know. It sounds horrible, I know. But these people, they kind of deserve it. Esther was going to send me to jail, which is not nice. Eileen made you lose your job. Gordon Chase was a complete waste of humanity. Rhonda betrayed the man she loved just to get him to love her back, which, yeah, that was my advice, but she took it, you know? And Flynn . . .” She looked at Flynn and sighed. “I liked Flynn, but she tried to take you away from me, so this is really her own doing.”
Keeping her eyes on Jake, Annabelle cocked the gun. He held his hands up.
“Don’t, Annabelle,” he said. “I’ll go with you. Fine. Just don’t shoot.”
Annabelle leaned her head a little to one side, looking like a dog who was unsure what she had to do to get the treat. “But you don’t love her, right? I mean, it’s always been me, right? The only reason why you and I aren’t together is because Esther told you not to ask me out, right?”
“What are you talking about?” Jake said. “Esther and I never talked about you.”
“But you did. She told me. She said that you liked me, but Esther told you not to ask me out because she didn’t want employees dating.”
Jake shook his head. “Annabelle, she never told me not to ask you out.”
Annabelle’s face contorted in confusion. “What? Well, then . . . why . . . ?”
Flynn sighed. “She was being nice. She probably knew Jake would never ask you out and she felt sorry for you, you freakin’ whackjob.”
“Flynn,” Jake said, warning tight in his voice. “Why don’t you let me do the talking?”
Flynn threw her arms down at her sides. “I’m gonna die. I need to bite my tongue, too?”
Annabelle’s eyes filled with tears, and the gun shook slightly in her hand. “It’s not true, Jake. It’s not true. You love me. You just . . . Esther . . .”
“Christ, Annabelle,” he said, trying to keep his voice even. “You don’t have to kill her. I’ve only known her for a week. I’ve known you a lot longer than that and I do care about you. But we need to talk this out, and I can’t talk if a gun is pointed at someone. Put it down.”
“See?” Annabelle said, her hand steadying as she held the gun on Flynn. “I told you he didn’t love you.”
Jake glanced at Flynn, and she met his eyes and gave him a slight, knowing smile.
Give them what they most want, or show them what they most fear.
“No,” he said, but Flynn had already stood up.
“If you’re gonna shoot me, Annabelle, then quit the sniveling and shoot me,” she said. “But if you think for a minute that Jake is ever going to love you, you’re batshit crazy.”
“Ignore her, Annabelle. Look at me,” Jake said, sidling closer. Annabelle’s focus was totally on Flynn. If he could just get between Flynn and the gun . . .
“You’re so obsessed with whether he loves me or not. Who cares? What does it matter? I’m not your problem, Annabelle. Your problem is you. He’s never going to love you, whether I’m in the picture or not. That’s all there is to it. It’s just never going to happen.”
Jake watched as Annabelle tucked a shaking finger inside the trigger.
“Get down!”
Flynn took the cue and darted to the floor just as Jake bent down and launched himself at Annabelle’s midsection. The gun went off and chunks of ceiling fell over them.
“Flynn! Get out!” he yelled as he grabbed for Annabelle’s hand, grasping it by the wrist as the gun went off again. He heard a crash and a scream behind him.
“Flynn?!?” He tried to look for Flynn, but Annabelle almost got free from under him.
“He loves me!” she screamed, her eyes wild. She cracked him in the head with the gun, and he grabbed her wrist and banged it against the floor as hard as he could. He heard the crack of bones, and Annabelle screamed. The gun slid from her grip and without letting her go, he shifted one leg out to kick it out of her reach.
He put one hand on the floor to push himself up off of her, but hands grabbed him and pulled him away before he could get to his feet. The hands released him and he realized that they belonged to two SWAT guys. He had no idea when the cops had come in, but the room was suddenly filled with uniforms. He turned around and frantically searched the room.
“Flynn!”
He felt a hand on his shoulder, and whipped around to see Flynn behind him. He pulled her to him, one hand cradling the back of her head as he held her tight, drinking in the feel of her alive in his arms.
“Thank God you’re okay.” He pulled back, holding her by her upper arms and glancing over her body. “Are you okay?”
She smiled, then slowly shook her head. “Don’t think so.”
She bucked in his grip, and that’s when he felt the slipperiness under his left hand. He put his right arm around her waist to catch her.
“I need a medic!” he yelled as he guided her to the couch.
“On the way!” a voice yelled back.
“I’m shot,” Flynn said, her voice high and calm. “I’m pretty sure I’ve been shot.”
Jake leaned over her right arm, trying to get a good look in the dim light. All he could see was a growing dark patch on the sleeve of her sweater.
“Flynn . . .” He glanced over his shoulder and shouted, “A medic! Now!”
He rolled up the sleeve of her sweater and used it to put pressur
e on her arm, blocking out her gasp of pain as he did what needed to be done. The blood seeped out from under his hand, dripping into a small pool on the couch. It was a lot of blood, and it was coming fast; Annabelle had hit an artery.
“You don’t look good, Tucker,” she said.
“I’m fine.” He raised his eyes to hers and forced a smile. “You’re gonna be fine, too. I’ve seen worse paper cuts.”
“Oh, I’ll bet.” Her voice was frail. “Hey, Tucker. You wanna hear something funny?”
“Always.” He kept the pressure on her arm, and tried to look casual. “What is it?”
“I love you.”
He looked up, not sure how to respond, not even sure if he heard her right.
She chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m not gonna shoot anyone over it or anything.”
“Flynn . . .”
A light smile fluttered on her face. “I know it’s only been a week, but there are people getting crispy in a car outside and I was held at gunpoint and it occurs to me that life is just too freakin’ short, you know? I love you, and I just want you to know that.”
Tucker bit the inside of his cheek and concentrated on maintaining the pressure on her wound. “Anything you need to tell me, there will be plenty of time to tell me later.”
She raised her good arm and put her hand on his wrist.
“I want you to know now. Just in case—”
“Knock it off, Flynn.” He looked her in the eyes. “You’re gonna be fine.”
“Oh. Of course.”
He reached up with his free hand and touched her cheek. “When you wake up on the other side of this, after I give you a healthy ration for scaring the shit out of me, I’ll tell you that I love you, too.”
“You don’t have to say that,” she said. “It’s okay.”
“Flynn . . .” His voice shook on her name and he took a moment to steady it. “Flynn, if I was the kind of guy who’d say that when he didn’t mean it, I would have said it to Annabelle.”
She thought on that for a second, then offered a weak smile. “Good point.”
Even in the dim light, he could see how pale her face was, and it scared the shit out of him. He smoothed some hair away from her face, and stared into her eyes, anchoring himself in them. “I’m not just saying it, Flynn. I love you.”
Crazy in Love Page 25