“Now let’s go find the son of a bitch who paid for that hit,” he said. Time to end the nightmare for her. Because when the nightmare was over, they could plan for a future—he could start courting her. Courting her. Yeah, it sounded corny as hell, but he wanted to do things right with Sophie.
A normal life. Maybe they could both have that—together. They hurried through the house and were outside in moments. They’d almost reached his car when the flash of headlights illuminated his driveway.
Sophie lifted her hand, shielding her eyes. Lex stepped in front of her. A visitor? Now? He didn’t have time for this crap. He opened Sophie’s door. “Go ahead,” he told her, “I’ll get rid of whoever this is.”
Sophie slipped inside. He slammed her door. His visitor had braked and was climbing out of the car. The headlights were still on, and the driver had positioned the vehicle in such a way that those lights still blasted right onto Lex. It was a bigger vehicle. Lex figured it for an SUV.
Like the one that nearly ran us down outside of the courthouse. His body tensed.
“Lex!”
His head cocked at the shout.
“Lex, it’s Clark Eastbridge!” A shadowy form moved from the car. “I have to talk with you.”
The guy wanted to talk now?
“I have more questions to ask you about the shooting today.” Clark was closing in.
“Your questions have to wait.” He turned his back on the guy and hurried toward the driver’s side of his car. “Or maybe you should come with us to see Finn Scott—”
It was the reflection that warned him. The reflection that showed Clark racing forward and lifting his hand.
Fuck!
Lex dove to the left even as gunfire blasted. He hadn’t moved fast enough, though, and that bullet drove into his back, hitting him near his left shoulder blade.
“I’m done waiting,” Clark said.
He fired again.
The bullet hit Lex and he fell forward. His head slammed into the rough cement of his driveway.
Chapter Twelve
“Be careful,” Dev warned Chance as they closed in on Finn’s home. “If he’s our sniper, then he could have us locked in his sights right now.”
“Hardly the shit I want to hear,” Chance said as he advanced.
“It’s the shit that could save your ass,” Dev replied, his voice no more than a whisper.
They were near the front door now. Chance glanced at Dev, then he rammed his fist against the door. “Finn Scott! Open the door now!”
They heard a crash from inside. The thud of footsteps.
“Running,” Dev said, but Chance was already moving. Lunging away from the front door and heading toward the side of the house. Dev followed right after him. Just because Dev wasn’t some ex-military hotshot like Chance, it didn’t mean he couldn’t handle himself. Any day. Any night.
He and Chance burst around to the back of the house. Moonlight shone down on them, and he saw Finn’s fleeing form. Finn had something in his hand, and the guy threw it back.
Dev swore, but nothing exploded on him. Whatever that object had been, it had just crashed into the ground.
Chance crashed into Finn. He tackled the other man, and they rolled across the ground.
Dev stood over them, his breath appearing as a little cloud in the chilled air. He could have taken down Finn, but if Chance wanted to play action hero, why argue?
When Finn tried to swing at him, Chance drove his fist into the guy’s jaw. Finn fell back, but then he growled like an animal, surging up—
Chance raised his fist again. “Don’t even think it. You aren’t armed now, and I can kick your ass in an instant.”
Finn glared at him. “What do you want?”
Dev cleared his throat. Finn’s head jerked toward him. “We want to toss your ass in jail,” Dev said. “We know you arranged for Daniel’s death, and we’re thinking that once the cops search your house, they’ll find the gun you used to kill Griffin Hollister.”
“What?”
Chance stood and jerked Finn to his feet. “It’s over. Dev traced your money trail. We know about the account in Grand Cayman.”
“I don’t even know what the hell is happening.” Finn sounded furious. “I saw you guys sneaking toward my house. I figured you were coming to attack me!”
Dev rolled his eyes. “Chance and I are working for Sophie.” Okay, maybe she’d fired them. Technically, they were freelancers on this one. “You know Sophie. She’s the woman I’m pretty sure you’re obsessed with. Did you break into her house? Just had to get close, didn’t you? What happened?” Dev pushed. “Did Duvato’s attack drive you over the edge? You
realized that you’d nearly lost Sophie, so you had to act? Had to touch her, had to—”
“You are insane,” Finn said grimly. He tried to wrench out of Chance’s grip. Chance didn’t let him go anyplace.
“I’m not the one who paid Griffin twenty grand,” Dev said. “That would be you. Say good-bye to freedom, and hello to being someone’s bitch in jail.”
“I don’t know any Griffin! And I don’t have that account in Grand Cayman anymore!” Finn snarled. “Sophie told me to ditch it, and I did! Years ago! That’s not me! I didn’t pay anyone—”
Chance shook him. Hard. “Are you obsessed with Sophie Sarantos?”
Finn stopped talking.
“Can’t let her go, can you?” Chance’s voice was full of disgust. “You hurt her when you broke into her place. Lex told me she fell down the stairs. What if she’d died then? What if—”
“I didn’t break into her place! Yes, dammit, I still have a thing for her, but I know it’s not going anyplace. Sophie never loved me. I don’t think she can love anyone, unless it’s Ethan and that twisted-ass relationship they have.”
Dev hesitated because the guy sounded…truthful?
“I gave up getting her back years ago. She’s my friend, that’s it. I would never hurt her!” Finn’s breath heaved out. “As for Daniel…”
Sirens screamed in the night. Swearing, Dev looked over his shoulder.
“Cops?” Chance muttered. He dragged Finn toward the front of the house. Sure enough, the swirl of blue lights was coming closer.
Dev remembered when Finn had thrown that object at them. A phone. “You called the police.”
“Hell, yes, I did!” Finn sounded gleeful now. “When two jerks come sneaking toward my house in the dark, what else is a normal person supposed to do?”
It was what a normal, innocent person would do.
The cop cars screeched to a stop.
But if Finn was innocent…
Then who was stalking Sophie?
“Everyone, calm the hell down!” A woman’s voice rang out—Detective Faith Chestang. He recognized her I’ll-Take-No-Shit tone. She approached with her weapon drawn. “I’m in command here!” She tossed a glare toward Chance. “As soon as I heard the call come over the scanner, I connected the dots. With everything going down with Sophie and her background with Finn Scott—yes, I know all about that, I’m a damn detective after all—I suspected I’d find you out here.”