His smile vanished. “I was supposed to be the one to save you.”
“Were you supposed to save Sarah, too?” Whispered.
“No, I wanted her to burn.”
She had never known him at all. “What about when we were in Peru—that shot on the beach? That was you, wasn’t it?”
“Guilty.”
How had he gotten the gun then? Had he arranged for one of his men to meet him?
“Figured it was never too early...to start driving a wedge between you and Gunner.” He glanced down at the weapon. His sigh seemed a little sad. “Now, I’m afraid, you are going to have to die.”
She shook her head. “Slade, no, don’t do this!”
“But I don’t have a choice. As soon as I heard what you had to say...that you’d found evidence, your fate was set.” He was still staring at the gun. “You won’t stay quiet, and I can’t take the chance of you ruining things for me. I’ve got big plans. I’ll use the assets of Guerrero’s that will work for me. I’ll bring my trade right up the border...I’ll have so much money and power that no one will ever be able to touch me.” His gaze came back to her. “But you have to die first.”
He was going to do it.
She backed away, easing toward the couch so that she could drop and have some sort of cover. “You still have a chance,” she told him. “Don’t—”
“You’re the only one who knows the truth about me.”
He watched her with the unflinching gaze of a snake, ready to strike.
Sydney shook her head. “No.” Then she dropped her own mask. Let the fear slide away and let her own fury burst free. “The EOD knows, too. Logan, Cale and Gunner? They’ve been listening to every single word that you said. And guess what? You’re in their sights now.”
Eyes widening in shock, he swung back toward the window. Sydney dived behind the couch.
“No!” Slade screamed.
* * *
“YES,” GUNNER WHISPERED.
Slade whirled from the window and lifted his gun toward the couch.
Gunner’s finger squeezed the trigger. The bullet flew through the window, shattering the glass, and slammed into Slade.
One shot.
The man staggered, then tried to aim again.
Gunner fired once more.
Even as that second bullet found its target, Gunner saw Logan burst into the den. Logan raced toward Slade as the man slumped to the floor.
Over.
Because he’d just put two bullets into his own brother.
* * *
“CLEAR!” LOGAN YELLED.
Sydney rose from behind the couch. Slade was on the floor, with Logan over him. There was blood, a lot of it, and she hurried toward the men.
Slade’s eyes were open. He was glaring up at Logan, even as Logan held his gaze and his gun right on the other man. “You’re being taken in,” Logan told him. “We’ve got your confession recorded. You’re not getting away.”