She locked her jaw. “I didn’t think that I could be so blind.” She’d arranged things deliberately in the den. Her hand waved toward her computer. The screen was off now, but papers were scattered across the desk, making it look as if she’d been hard at work earlier in the night. “So I started digging on my own. The powers-that-be at the EOD might be satisfied with the way this scene played out, but I’m not.”
Because she was looking so carefully for it, Sydney caught the faint hardening of Slade’s eyes.
/> “The EOD did its job.”
But Sydney shook her head. “I’m not sure of that. Gunner was swearing to me that he was innocent, that he’d never hurt me, never do all of those things...”
“He’s a liar, sweetheart.” He stepped closer to her. Her gaze slid down to his legs, then rose.
She held her ground this time. She wanted to make sure they both stood in front of that window. With the lights on in the den, they would be shown perfectly. Perfect targets.
“I’m sorry, but you were wrong about him.”
Another hard shake of her head. “I—I can’t be wrong.” Then she lifted her chin. “I went back, pulled all the records that I could find on the fire at Sarah Bell’s house.”
A long sigh broke from him. “Why put so much faith in him? You’re only hurting yourself.” His hand lifted. Trailed over her cheek. “Let me help you heal.”
She hated his touch. “I found an old article online. Gunner’s football team...they won the state championship that same weekend. The weekend of the fire at the Bell home.”
His nostrils flared. “So?”
“So the state championship game was held in a city four hours away. Gunner was with his team the whole time. They went on a bus together. They came back on a bus together...He didn’t start that fire.”
His hand fell away.
She shoved her fingers into the heavy pockets on her robe. She had her own weapon stashed in one of those pockets.
“I did more checking,” she whispered.
He spun away from her and paced toward the window. “On damn Gunner? Always...Gunner.”
“No. On you.”
His shoulders stiffened. With it being just the two of them, he wasn’t working nearly as hard to conceal his reactions. Maybe because he didn’t care.
He’d also lost his limp.
“Sydney...” He sighed out her name. “I came down here to comfort you so we could be together again. I know you’ve always loved me.”
“I did love you. Once.” That feeling was nothing like what she felt for Gunner.
He was still staring out of the window, and presenting such a fine target. “Before Gunner,” he growled.
“Before you started to change,” she whispered back.
* * *
SLADE’S FACE FILLED Gunner’s scope. The rage there, the hate, was frightening to see.
But Sydney wouldn’t see it. She couldn’t. Slade wasn’t looking at her. He was just staring out into the darkness.
Planning his attack.
Gunner’s left hand pressed against his transmitter. “He’s going to make a move soon. Be ready.” That much fury couldn’t be held in check for long.
They were wired into the audio feed that Sydney had set up, so they were hearing every word that she said. She was baiting Slade, pushing him.
That pushing was working.