Cant Let Go GO PL

by Barbara Freethy

  "You made half of them up."

  "I didn't."

  "And now he's going to die," she cried again, her voice filled with anger and despair.

  "I never wanted him to die, Paige."

  "I always knew it would end like this. Tom and I would pretend that one day it would be all right, that we'd get married when he got out, that we'd have kids. He had only a few years left on his sentence. I thought our future could happen. But now it can't. Tom's life is over. And so is yours. Once my friend, Tracy, saw your picture on social media saving that woman from a shark, I knew it was time to make you pay, to make you suffer, to force you to lose everything."

  "I lost everything once before," he reminded her. "My family had to move. I had to change my name. I couldn't be a cop anymore."

  "So what?" she said scornfully. "You weren't in prison. You've had a life. And you've obviously had women, like the one you've been fooling around with this past week."

  "What are you going to do, Paige? You're going to burn down the bar, try to kill me without killing yourself? Then what? The police already arrested Kenny at the airport. You know he'll sing like a bird. If you don't die today, you're going to end up in jail."

  "I don't care what happens to me anymore. I've spent the last four years waiting for my life to start with Tom. But that's not going to happen now. I'm going to be alone. I might as well be dead."

  As she started to feel sorry for herself, her hand wavered ever so slightly.

  He saw his opening and took it, rushing straight toward her.

  He thought he could get to her before the gun went off; he was wrong.

  The blast knocked him backward, a searing, soul-shaking pain ripping through his shoulder. He fell to the ground, knowing the next shot would be through his heart.

  Paige took a step toward him, the gun pointed directly at him. "I told you not to move."

  "Don't do this, Paige. Just walk away. Disappear. Have a life."

  "No. My life is over and so is yours. But I'm not going to kill you with a bullet. That is way too easy. You need to suffer." She took several steps backward, keeping her gun on him. Then she turned.

  Seeing the gas can behind her, he knew what was coming. He stumbled to his feet, lurching toward the office, the only room not covered in gasoline.

  He wasn't fast enough. The gun went off and the hallway exploded in a tidal wave of fire. He instinctively covered his eyes as he flung himself through the office door. He thought he heard Paige scream, but all he could do was roll around on the floor of the office, batting sparks off his clothes as he tried to get to the window.

  The wound in his shoulder was gushing with blood, but he couldn't think about that. He had to get out of the building. He had to get to Annie.

  Terror ran through him. He had no doubt that Paige had doused the entire building in gasoline, including his apartment.

  He shoved up the window and pushed out the screen, managing to get up and over the sill and then dropping to his feet. He ran around the corner and down the back of the building, screaming, "Annie! Annie!"

  She had to be all right. She just had to be!

  * * *

  Annie forced herself back into consciousness. The explosion had knocked her off her feet and bounced her head against the wall. There was a ringing in her ears, but along with that came the sound of someone yelling.

  Was she dreaming? Was that Griffin?

  She hoped it was him, that he was still alive. Blinking her watery eyes, she moved onto her knees. Despite the wet towel she'd stuffed under the door, smoke was starting to come into the room, and she could feel an intense heat blasting through the walls that she doubted would hold up much longer.

  She finally made it to her feet and got to the window that she'd broken with the bat just minutes before. Thankfully, there was no screen.

  She stuck her head out and saw Griffin down below. "I'm here," she yelled, realizing there was blood covering his shirt. "You're hurt."

  "I'm okay. We have to get you out of there."

  "How? Did you call the fire department?"

  "I don't have my phone. Hopefully someone nearby called."

  She hoped so, too, but she didn't hear any sirens yet.

  She turned her head as the door to the bedroom blew open and chunks of wood flew across the room. She ducked as the flames came into the room with a shocking heat.

  "Annie," Griffin yelled again, panic in his voice.

  She put her head back out the window, more terrified than she'd ever been. "The fire is inside."

  "Climb out, Annie. Get onto the ledge."

  She looked at the narrow ledge and panic flooded her mind. "I can't. I'll fall."

  Griffin ran over to the ladder next to the other apartment. He pulled it down and climbed up to the level of the ledge. "Climb out, Annie. You can hold onto the sill while you put your feet on the ledge."

  She wanted to wait for the fire department. Surely, they would be here soon. But the fire was coming after her with relentless purpose. Her lungs were beginning to burn, and she knew that smoke inhalation could kill her before the fire even got to her. It was now or maybe never.

  Somehow, she found enough courage to climb onto the windowsill. With every limb shaking, she swung one leg over the edge, her foot searching fearfully for the ledge below. When she felt it, she tentatively put one leg down, then the other, until she was all the way out, her fingers on the sill, her body pressed against the building. She turned her head to Griffin. He was at least six feet away.

  He held onto the ladder with one hand, then stepped onto the ledge, extending his hand, which cut the distance between them to about three feet. It wasn't enough.

  "You can do this, Annie. Don't look down. Just hug the wall and move your feet."

  She wanted to do what he said, but she couldn't.

  "I can't let go," she cried. "I can't do it. I'll wait for the fire department."

  Even as she said the words, flames came out of the window, licking at her fingers. She moved her hands slightly out of the way, but not before feeling a searing pain.

  "There's no time," Griffin told her. "Look at me," he said, drawing her gaze to his. "You can do this, Annie. You have to do this. You're a Callaway, remember. Callaways don't quit."

  "I'm not as brave as the rest of my family."

  "Yes, you are. Trust me, Annie. I won't let anything happen to you. I'm a superhero, remember."

  "If you were, you could fly over here and get me."

  "You're a superhero, too. I saw you in the sketches."

  "That was a fantasy."

  "A couple of feet, Annie, and then I'll take your hand, and I won't let go. You're not going to fall. But you have to do this now."

  He was right. The fire was coming for her, and there was nowhere else to go. She moved her left foot a few inches, then her right, still hanging on. Then she managed to pull one hand free and press it against the wall.

  "Good job," Griffin encouraged. "Keep moving along the ledge, hands on the wall. You're almost here."

  She didn't think she was almost anywhere, but as another flame flew out the window, she let go of the sill and pressed both palms against the stucco, her body trembling with fear.

  Terrifying thoughts and images raced through her head.

  Damn her big imagination!

  But Griffin was talking to her. His voice was bringing her back.

  "That's it," he said. "Take little steps. Go slow. You can do it."

  Her legs felt incredibly heavy but she managed to move again and then again, inching her way along the wall.

  "Give me your hand, Annie."

  She drew in a deep breath, her gaze clinging to Griffin's. "Don't let me fall."

  "Never," he vowed.

  She let go of the wall with her left hand and reached for him.

  His fingers closed around hers and with his help, she made it all the way to the ladder. The steel rail in her hands made her feel immensely better. She went down first,
and Griffin quickly followed.

  When they reached the ground, he pulled her into his arms in a hard, tight hug. She clung to him for a long minute. She didn't want to ever let him go. But as she felt a growing wetness against her chest, she pulled back and saw that his shoulder and chest were covered in blood.

  "Oh, my God, Griffin. What happened?"

  "It's just a graze," he said, holding onto her arms.

  "Someone shot you? I thought I heard a blast, but then everything exploded, and I think I was knocked out for a minute."

  "It was Paige."

  Her jaw dropped in shock. "Your Paige?"

  His lips tightened as his face turned even whiter. "She was never in love with me. It was Tom. It was always Tom. I didn't know. I thought they were friends."

  He was starting to ramble, and she realized that he was now hanging on to her more than she was hanging on to him. His eyes were starting to roll back in his head. The adrenaline and fear for her life was probably what had gotten him this far, but he was hurt, and she didn't know how badly.

  "Griffin, lean on me," she said, finally hearing the sirens coming closer. "Help is coming."

  "I—I think I'm going to pass out. We gotta get out of here, go to the front…"

  "We will." She held his hard body against hers as they stumbled down the back of the building. She didn't really know how she was keeping Griffin on his feet, but somehow, they made it past the dumpster and into the employee parking lot as a fire engine pulled up next to them. She could see two other trucks in front of the building and there was also an ambulance—thank God!

  A firefighter came running toward them, calling for the medics. "Is there anyone else inside?" he asked.

  "Maybe a woman," Griffin said, jerking back to consciousness. "She doused the place with gasoline and started the fire; I don't know if she got out."

  "Anyone else?" he asked.

  "No."

  The paramedics pulled Griffin away from her, and as she followed them to the ambulance, she glanced back at the Depot. It was engulfed in flames. If Paige hadn't gotten out, there was no way she could have survived.

  She felt a wave of righteous anger and vindictiveness. She'd never wished for anyone's death, but if Paige didn't make it out, she wasn't going to cry. The woman had hurt Griffin and had tried to kill them both.

  But her anger turned to pain as she watched Griffin's dream burn down. He was losing everything—again. He'd worked so hard. And Vinnie had, too. They'd both had a new start in life and now it was gone.

  But they were all alive. That was what mattered.

  She turned away from the fire and hovered nearby as the paramedics got Griffin into the ambulance. She didn't know how he'd climbed a ladder and talked to her so calmly while suffering so much pain and blood loss. It had to have been a rush of adrenaline. Either that, or he really was a superhero.

  "You're going to be all right," she told him, wanting to give him the same reassurance he'd given her.

  "Come with me," he said. "I don't know what happened to Paige. She could still hurt you."

  "You can come with us," the paramedic told her.

  "Thank you," she said, happy not to have to leave Griffin. She hopped into the back of the ambulance and held Griffin's hand all the way to the hospital.

  Twenty-Six

  An hour later, Annie sat with Griffin in an exam room as the orthopedic surgeon on duty told Griffin that the bullet had blown through his shoulder, and he would need surgery to repair the tendons. It wasn't the greatest news, but compared to what could have happened, she was counting them both to be extremely lucky.

  As the doctor left to get an operating room set up, Annie gave Griffin a reassuring smile, and took his hands in hers, happy to see the color returning to his face. He was more alert now than he had been in the ambulance. They'd cut off his shirt. The bleeding had stopped and his shoulder was now immobilized but she could still see the ashes in his hair and smell the gasoline and smoke clinging to his skin as well as hers.

  "I told you it was going to be okay," Griffin said with a weak smile. "A few stitches, and I'll be good as new."

  She thought he would probably need a longer recovery than that, but she was just happy that he would completely recover.

  "You were right," she said. "And you gave me the confidence to climb out that window and get away from the fire. You saved me again, Griffin."

  "I didn't save you; you saved yourself. I was proud of you, Annie. You were incredibly brave."

  She blinked back the tears that had been threatening to fall since they'd arrived at the hospital, as she was losing grip on her exhausted emotions. "I guess I do have a few Callaway bravery genes after all."

  "More than a few." He paused, his gaze turning serious. "When Paige confronted me, when I realized you were upstairs alone, I was terrified. Why did I ever let you go up there by yourself?"

  "You didn't let me. You offered me your apartment so I could make my call, and after I did that, I actually called Kate and had a little heart-to-heart with her. Paige must have come in when I was in the bathroom, because I didn't see her. When I came out, the bedroom door was barricaded. She must have shoved the couch in front of it. I could smell the gas, so I stuffed a wet towel under the door, and I used your baseball bat to break the window, but that was as far as I got before everything exploded."

  "Smart girl on the towel."

  "Firefighter's daughter. What happened downstairs?"

  "I heard a crash. It must have been when you broke the window. I was in the office by myself. Vinnie had left to go to the hospital. I ran down the hall, and Paige came out of the bar with a gun. I thought I could overtake her before she shot me, but I wasn't successful. I tried to get into the office when I saw her move toward the back door. She shot out a gasoline can. I think she thought she had enough time to get out but I'm not sure she did. I could have sworn I heard her scream."

  She squeezed his hand. "She didn't get away, Griffin. I spoke to Detective Baker while you were being examined. They found her body by the door. She's dead."

  "Good," he said harshly. "What about Kenny Taylor?"

  "He's in jail, and he told Baker everything. Paige was apparently the mastermind, but he was happy to get revenge after he saw Tom in a coma. He also confessed to stabbing Shari; he claimed it was an accident, that he was just struggling to get the knife away from her. Oh, and Shari confirmed his version of the story."

  "She's awake?" he asked in surprise.

  "Yes, Detective Baker was actually interviewing her when we arrived. She's going to be all right, Griffin. She told them everything, too. She took cash to let Kenny and Paige know what you were doing, where you were going, when the bar would be empty. She put the matchbook in the bar to gaslight you, I guess. She got her blonde friend to show up and ask if you were Michael. She gave Paige access to your computer. But then they wanted the key to your apartment, and she started to realize their requests were never going to end, so she said no, and they didn't like it."

  As Griffin drew in a shaky breath, she realized most of what she had to say could probably wait. "We can talk about this later."

  "No, tell me the rest. I need to know."

  "Kenny admitted to being high most of the past week. After Shari got stabbed, he realized he'd crossed the line. He said he told Paige to leave, but she refused. She said she wasn't done yet; you hadn't suffered enough."

  "That's basically what she told me, too."

  "Kenny also said that Paige was the one who slashed my tires. She wanted to use me to hurt you."

  "That makes sense. Now that I know it was her, I'm surprised I didn't realize the figure was a woman."

  "She was in disguise."

  "Because she knew exactly what she was doing. She grew up in a family of cops; she knew how to avoid security cameras, and she knew how to shoot a gun." He paused. "Paige was so cold when I was talking to her. She had no conscience, no nothing. She was operating on pure hate, and she couldn't see any
thing else beyond the fact that I had ruined her life. It was like she'd completely lost herself."

  "I can't believe she was in love with your partner."

  "Me, either. Apparently, Tom thought he was too old for her back then, but after he went to jail, they got close. She said she was going to marry him when he got out. When she realized that wouldn't happen after Tom was attacked in prison, she had to get even with me. She didn't care who got hurt along the way." He gave a bemused shake of his head. "I never imagined she could be like that. Maybe I thought she was a little spoiled, a little selfish, but in my wildest dreams, I wouldn't have predicted that she would do any of this."

  "I'm sorry, Griffin."

  "No, you are not apologizing to me, Annie. I'm the one who's sorry, not just for letting you go upstairs alone, but for reacting the way I did when I saw your sketches. It was stupid, and I shouldn't have reacted with so much anger. I know you drew the characters before you knew about my past. You thought you were making up a story; you had no idea how close you were to my secrets. How could you? I was leading a double life."

  "That is the truth, Griffin. I pitched the idea before I knew you were Michael Payton. But just so you know, I told the production company that I couldn't proceed with my story idea or the characters, that they were too close to real people who would not be interested in signing releases."

  "So, you didn't get the job?"

  "They said they'd think about it and call me back, but I'm sure it's a no. They wanted the idea more than me. It doesn't matter. I will come up with something else that doesn't hurt anyone, and hopefully I'll find a company who wants to do a project with me. We don't have to talk about that now. I'm more concerned about you. The Depot is…" She couldn't bring herself to say the words.

  "I know," he said heavily. "It's gone."

  "Do you think the landlord will rebuild?"

  "I don't know." He frowned. "Damn! The party for the kids, the fundraiser for Hamilton House. It's on Sunday. I'm going to have to find another location."

  "I'll help you," she said, seeing the worry in his eyes.

  "It will be hard to find a place so close to Christmas. And there will be a lot of expenses—"