What Doesn't Kill Her (Cape Charade #2)(104)

He was right on target; Kellen thought she was dead, pierced through the heart by a knife wielded by the greedy pig who wore her dead husband’s face.

The point of the knife stuck in the plastic stays of her corset. Stuck—and remained. Daniel couldn’t jerk it loose.

His eyes bulged, disbelieving. He lost his grip on the hilt.

Kellen lifted her skirts again, ready to kick.

As she swung around, Daniel grabbed her train and spun her faster, farther, then jerked and pulled her feet out from under her.

She fell hard, hitting the smooth concrete with a slam that jarred her from jaw to knee. Pain brought tears to her eyes, but she bent her elbow, slammed it up and blocked him as he leaped on her.

He reached for her throat.

From out of nowhere, an empty blank wine bottle appeared, swung, slammed into the side of his head.

His eyes rolled back and he fell sideways, off Kellen and onto the floor.

Rae. Rae held the bottle in one hand—and the Glock in the other. “Mommy, here!” She offered the pistol.

Before Kellen could react, Dan came to life and lunged for it. He slapped Rae’s face, fast and furious, and ripped the pistol out of her hand. He moved so quickly she couldn’t react, this little girl who had never been deliberately hurt in her life. He turned the pistol on her, on Kellen’s daughter, cocked it and—

Rae threw herself on the floor.

Kellen pulled the knife out of the corset and stabbed him in a swift upward motion between the ribs.

The point entered his heart. He jerked in surprise. He opened his mouth to speak.

And as he died, the pistol shot blasted and echoed, back and forth across the blending shed.



57


The world went still, motionless, cool, dim, blank, gray. The only sound was the ringing in Kellen’s ears and the thunder of fear in her veins.

Rae. Did Daniel kill Rae?

“Mommy?” Rae’s voice was tiny. Her hand groped for Kellen’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

The world resumed spinning.

The metal door to the shed slammed open, smacked the wall.

A crowd of people stood silhouetted against the sun. Max, Arthur Waldberg, Birdie and Verona...

Kellen yanked her hand off the hilt of the knife and shoved Dan’s inert weight off her.

A moment of terrifying silence followed.

Rae flung herself at Kellen. “Mommy, you saved my life!”

Kellen wanted to laugh. Rae was so dramatic, making sure everyone understood exactly what had happened. At the same time...her little girl had almost died.

If she had, Kellen would have died, too, of heartbreak and guilt.

She hugged Rae, hugged her hard and burst into tears.

“Mommy!” Rae touched her cheeks. “Why are you crying?” The child didn’t understand how close it had been.

Kellen cried harder.

Temo and Adrian came through the door at a run and skidded to a halt at the sight of a bride, a child, a corpse and an active messy fight scene. “Trust the captain to put the ding in wedding,” Temo said aloud.

Arthur flung a canvas over Daniel’s body.

Kellen looked up at Max, at Verona. “I never meant to kill someone in front of Rae!” The least of today’s dramas, but the most immediate.

“He was a bad man. He hurt me!” Rae indignation radiated like heat from her little body. “He hit me!” She pointed at her bruised cheek.

Max knelt beside them and oh so carefully, pulled them into his arms. “Kellen, I left you alone to save Rae and fight off a killer. So leave off the blame!”

Still weeping, Kellen nodded.

“We’re a family,” Max said softly to Kellen and Rae. “We stand together.”

Verona Di Luca came to kneel on the ground by Rae and cradle her.

Birdie knelt beside Kellen to hug and cry. In a moment, Temo and Adrian joined them. They were all here, together, her friends and her family. The groups melded and became one, crying, hugging, murmuring words of love and admiration. Somehow, Max, Kellen and Rae came together in the middle, and the emotions grew and swelled...

As they at last subsided, Arthur Waldberg clapped his hands. “If we are to salvage this wedding, we must do it now.”

People straightened up, wiped their noses, laughed a little, exclaimed a little more.

Kellen stood and winced. That cut on her ankle was long and painful.

“If I may?” Arthur examined it. “This isn’t deep. I can fix it.”

“Are you a doctor now, too?” Verona asked tartly. “Or a seamstress?”

Arthur pulled a tube out of the inner pocket of his suit coat. “In prison, for those accidental slices with a blade, we used superglue.”

“Good idea to carry it with you for emergencies.” Birdie knelt beside Kellen and pulled the skin together while Arthur dabbed superglue on the wound.

“How do you know these things?” Verona wrung her hands.

“It will need real medical attention,” Arthur said, “but this officially qualifies as an emergency.”

“That’s right.” Kellen winced as they worked on her. “I’m not letting this little injury stop my wedding. Not after all this fuss!”

“But her pain. The possible infection!” Verona said.

“Mother, there are doctors among the guests,” Max said. “We’ll have her checked out as soon as we’ve completed the vows.”