“You didn’t think we’d link the Grey disappearance and the farm?” I asked.
“Pack a few bags, send a few emails, buy some plane tickets—it’d be weeks before anyone knew they were missing, and we’d be gone. Vanished. Retired. That was always the plan,” he said, voice cracking a little.
“Damn good one,” I said with another step. “Can I say you…have impressed the shit out of me? On more than one occasion you really had me.”
“Really?” he asked.
“Yeah. You did.”
“I almost bested the great hero?”
“Yeah, you almost did.”
“Almost…” He rolled his eyes up to the ceiling and smiled sadly. “Well, that won’t do,” Mathias said, voice trembling. He looked back at me, determination locking his face in place. “You…you didn’t catch me. You couldn’t. I was better than you. Smarter. You didn’t catch me. Not even you.”
In one quick movement he took the gun from Billy’s head and put it to his own, pulling the trigger immediately, his brains splattering out the opposite side of his head. Billy screamed. As Mathias’s body collapsed, I leapt toward Billy and grabbed him out of the line of fire. Luke strode into the room, gun on Mathias, as I pulled the hysterical Billy into a hug. “It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s over. It’s over,” I whispered.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Billy sobbed into my shoulder.
“You have nothing to be sorry about. You did good, sweetie. You did so good.” I kept petting his hair and looked over at our panting father. “You okay, Elliot?”
“He shot me. He shot me,” the man panted. “J-Judith? Maria?”
“Fine. They got out unharmed.”
“Th-Thank you,” my father said. “Thank you.”
“Thank Billy. He risked his life to call me. He’s the real hero here, asshole. And don’t you ever fucking forget that.”
Luke took Elliot’s arm to help him stand. “Come on.”
“You came. You saved me,” Billy whispered as I helped him out of the house.
“I told you I would. I always will. I love you, sweetie.”
“I love you too.”
As I stepped out of that house of horrors with my brother in my arms, I took a deep breath of the wonderful summer air and savored the moment. I didn’t care what Mathias said. We’d done it. We’d saved him. We’d saved them. We’d won. I looked back at Luke with a grateful smile. He smiled back. Better together. I turned back to my brother and kissed his forehead. Better together. Always. Forever.
Chapter 18
We really had to stop holding Ballard family reunions at the hospital. The last time we were all together in the same room was at my bedside after the attack; now it was at Billy’s. Even Gia was there. I called her and she rushed right over. He had no serious injuries, but he had a minor concussion and shock, so they wanted to keep him overnight to monitor him. I was going to have to write another book to cover all my family’s medical expenses. I’d gotten my ending at least, bittersweet, but an ending nonetheless.
The police and ambulance finally arrived at Grey Manor ten minutes later and brought everyone, including Betsy, to the hospital. She was the only one in handcuffs. In the days to come, we’d uncover that she was in on the cult con from the beginning. She and Megan were in charge of the trafficking, even telling the ambassadors where to go. Worse, she was even the one who made the dinner and lemonade laced with enough sedatives to kill a horse. Once Billy told the police that fact, she had no choice but to take a plea deal. Life in prison instead of the death penalty. The offer was mostly to save the families of the victims from enduring a trial and having all the sordid details of what went on in the cult revealed. She gave birth in prison to my niece and goddaughter Iris Grace eight months later and as I’d promised, she never saw the baby again. Billy and Gia raised the girl and eventually gave her a brother. But that night Betsy sat handcuffed to a gurney, sobbing her eyes out. When I passed her room and saw that, I almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
I was at the vending machine getting coffee when Luke, Hancock, Elliot, Judith, Merrill, her husband Simon, and their son Grey accompanied Elliot as he was wheeled into the hallway. Karma had finally caught up to my father. Elliot lost a toe and had a fractured cheekbone but was still discharged hours after being admitted. Merrill stared down the hall, at first surprised to see me. But then she gave me a reverent nod. It was the closest thing to affection she’d ever given me. I’d take it. Hancock and Luke said something to the family, then shook everyone’s hands, and Merrill began wheeling Elliot away.
“They okay?” I asked Hancock as he approached me.
“As they can be. I took their statements, but they’ll be back at the station tomorrow.”
“Yes, we all have hours and hours and hours of interviews to look forward to, no?” I asked. “Can’t wait.”
“It should keep until tomorrow,” Hancock said.
“Great. Another day in Grey Mills,” I said sarcastically.
“Hopefully just the one. You stay here much longer, it’s likely to rain frogs and brimstone on us,” Hancock said with a smile. I didn’t disagree. “Your family okay?”
“Mom’s calming down. Grandparents too.” I paused. “How’s it looking for Billy?”
“The Greys confirmed what he told you. Billy never had a gun. Ken and Matthias kept theirs on him, so he was clearly under duress. Your brother even intervened when Ken shot and beat Elliot. And when I questioned Billy, he seemed to know nothing about what happened at the farm. You may still want to get him a lawyer, but I doubt we or the DEA will press charges.” Hancock’s phone rang. “Look, I have to get this. Be in by ten tomorrow morning, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You two have a good night.”
“Yeah,” I said sarcastically.
Hancock nodded at Luke before walking away, phone pressed to his ear. I did not envy the man. Two crime scenes, forty-four people dead, the press already poking around. It would be national news by daybreak. I turned to Luke and sighed. “Buy you a drink?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I never say no to a drink from a beautiful woman,” he replied with a smile.
I put money in the coffee machine. “Thank you for taking point with law enforcement.”
“You’re welcome. Family’s more important than the investigation.”
I looked at him and smiled. “You really have changed.”
“As I said, I know what’s important now. What I want. What I need out of life.”
“And what’s that?”
He moved in closer, a seductive grin on his lips. My heart stopped in my chest. “Walking in and out of hell with the woman I love.”
“And who is this lucky girl? Because I’ve said the words, yet you haven’t.”
“Got kind of hectic there for a while.”
I moved in so our chests touched and lips were an inch apart. My breath caught. “Well, I think we have ten seconds before the next crisis. The window’s closing. What the hell are you waiting for, Luke Hudson?”
He laced his fingers in mine and stared into my eyes. “In that case…”
My heart began to flutter as he leaned in. I closed my eyes.
Finally.
“Iris, baby? Ir—”
My eyes flung open and we both turned toward my approaching mother. We broke apart. Mom stopped dead and covered her mouth. “Oh. Sorry. Sorry. It’s just…that DEA man wants to talk to your brother. He practically barged in.” She glanced at the embarrassed Luke, who was rubbing the back of his neck, then back at my scowling face. “I’ll just, uh…” She pointed behind her and backed away.
I closed my eyes and sighed. “Not even ten damn seconds,” I muttered to myself. I took a step in her direction. “I can’t even—”
Luke grabbed my hand and spun me back around against him. I’d barely collided with his body when he cupped my head in his hands and kissed me. Deeply. Passionately. Beautifully. Without hesitatio
n. I wrapped my arms around his torso, feeling his heartbeat against mine. Oh, hell yes, I loved Luke Hudson.
The cad broke the kiss first and stared into my eyes down to my tarnished soul. “I love you, Iris Ballard. Always have. Always will. Forever. I love you.” He released me and grabbed his coffee from the machine before smiling and beginning down the hall. I just stood there, still tasting him in my mouth, in shock. He turned around and frowned. “Well, what the hell are you standing there for? We have a DEA agent’s ass to kick. You coming or what?”
His fake frown turned into a supernova-bright smile as he held out his hand for me to take. Damn straight, I took it. “And let you have all the fun? Hell yes, I’m coming.”
He wrapped his arm around my waist and I hugged his. “That’s my Iris.”
“Always and forever, you poor bastard. Always and forever.”
For Dana
Acknowledgments
As always, thanks to everyone at Alibi who helped shape this book, especially Junessa Viloria, Madeleine Kenney, and Ashleigh Heaton.
Thanks to the lovely Peachtree City Library for giving me a place to concentrate on work and avoid Netflix.
And thanks to all of my wonderful readers. XOXO.
BY JENNIFER HARLOW
Iris Ballard Thrillers
Beautiful Maids All in a Row
Darkness at the Edge of Town
Galilee Falls
Justice
Galilee Rising
Fall of Heroes
Nemesis
F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad Investigation
Mind Over Monsters
To Catch a Vampire
Death Takes a Holiday
High Moon
The Sin Eater
Midnight Magic Mysteries
What’s a Witch to Do?
Werewolf Sings the Blues
Witch Upon a Star
Hart/McQueen Steampunk Adventures
Verity Hart Vs the Vampyres
JENNIFER HARLOW spent her restless childhood fighting with her three brothers and scaring the heck out of herself with horror movies and books. She grew up to earn a degree in psychology at the University of Virginia, which she put to use as a radio DJ, crisis hotline volunteer, bookseller, lab assistant, wedding coordinator, and government investigator. Currently she calls Atlanta home, but that restless itch is ever present. In her free time she continues to scare the bejeebers out of herself by watching scary movies and opening her credit card bills.
Want more from Jennifer Harlow?
jenniferharlowbooks.com
Twitter: @jenharlowbooks
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Darkness at the Edge of Town Page 33