“Yes,” she said, breathing through the pain. She could deal with pain. Pain was fine, it was fear that she was afraid of.
“Okay, let’s go, I’ll call Sam in the car.”
They both looked up as the front door opened, expecting to see Anton. Instead, a tall man with dark hair, and dark eyes stood there. Naomi knew she’d seen him before but right now she couldn’t place him.
“Beau?” Rylla said, confused.
Beau Drake. Rylla’s brother-in-law. That’s why he looked familiar, she had met Rylla’s family before, including Beau.
“Is something wrong with Emmy or Mac?” Rylla asked.
“No,” the man said. “They're fine.”
“Then why are you here?”
“For you.” Beau held up a gun.
Both she and Rylla automatically reached for their weapons, but stopped when Beau cocked his gun.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. My gun is already out, I’d get off at least one shot before either of you could reach your weapons. And I’m aiming directly at that baby belly.”
Naomi put her hands in front of her stomach as if that could save her unborn baby from a bullet. Rylla moved, positioning herself in front of her, so if Beau took the shot, she would take the hit.
“It’s you, Beau? You’re the Fairytale Killer?” Rylla asked.
“Yes.”
“You killed your own children’s mother?”
“Don’t look so righteously angered,” he snapped. “She didn't care about those kids. She was trying to take them away from me. How is that doing what is in their best interest?”
“So, you killed her?”
“It wasn't my original plan. I tried other women first, but I kept failing. I thought if I could get her alone then things could be different between us. But they weren’t. And then she kept talking about you, and I thought why not? Maybe you're the better sister after all.”
“Turn yourself in, Beau. Don’t make this harder for Emmy and Mac,” Rylla pleaded.
“Don’t bring them into this. This has nothing to do with them.”
“Doesn’t it? We have a friend outside, he’s going to see you here, and he’s going to call the cops. Your only choices are turn yourself in or death. Don’t make Emmy and Mac lose both their parents.”
Beau just chuckled. “Your friend is a little tied up at the moment.”
Tied up? Beau had gotten to Anton? That wouldn’t have been an easy feat. What had he done to him?
“Let’s go.” Beau gestured with his free hand at Rylla.
“I'm not going anywhere with you.”
“Then your friend dies.”
“Leave her alone, she has nothing to do with this,” Rylla said.
“I don’t want to hurt her, but I will if you don’t come with me. You can't cover all of her, Rylla. I can get a shot off, and then another and another, and make sure that she and her baby have a long, slow, painful death.”
Rylla was weighing her options, Naomi could feel it. But there was no option. Rylla could not walk away with this man. If she did, she would be signing her own death warrant. Another contraction hit her, and she moaned, momentarily distracting Rylla.
Beau took advantage by firing off a shot that grazed her bicep. “Next shot I aim to hurt her not just graze her.”