Sheltered(50)

“What will fix this is killing you, Blair. All I have to do is make it look like you were the one working with Lilith and all of this will go away.” He smirks, a crazy, happy look in his eyes like he’s got it all figured out now.

He grabs the files off the crate next to me and throws them on the ground beside Lilith. She’s crying, and the pool of blood surrounding her is growing. If she doesn’t get help soon she may bleed to death. I can’t help but feel bad for her, even though I know she’s all kinds of mixed up in this herself. Her hands aren’t clean.

“Please, Fritz, don’t do this.” I don’t know how to convince him that none of this will work. Killing me won’t solve anything. But he can’t see that right now. He’s too far gone. I just have to get through to him somehow. “If you do this, it will destroy your parents. Don’t do this to them. I know they love you.”

“You don’t know shit,” he says, but I can hear the waver in his voice.

“I know that I would love my child no matter what they did,” I say, and I know it’s true. If I’m somehow carrying Ryker’s child right now, I would love our baby without exception. “And I know your mom would do anything to keep you from hurting someone or hurting yourself.” I may have only spent a day with Kathleen, but I know this to be true. Just seeing how she was with Ryker was telling.

“She doesn’t care.” This time there’s no power to his words. He looks down at the floor and I can see his shoulders sag. He doesn’t even believe his own words.

“I know that if you turned yourself in, she wouldn’t lose you,” I push, trying to make him see another choice. As much as I don’t care for Fritz in this moment, I don’t want this pain for his mom and dad. They are good people, and it’s clear Fritz isn't well in the head and is having a complete breakdown. “The police can offer you protection. All you have to do is put the gun down.”

He picks his head up as if remembering the gun. Shit, why did I remind him he had it?

“It figures Ryker would go after you. He actually thought I cared about you. Can you imagine?” He laughs, but it’s cold. “I bet you reminded him of our mother. It’s the reason I picked you to begin with. But I think he may have fallen for you instead. Am I right?”

He looks me up and down, as if appraising me for the first time.

“I can see the appeal. But I’m a man with refined tastes.” His words sound ludicrous considering his disheveled appearance. He’s nearly looks feral. “I’ve tried for years to find a weakness in my brother’s armor. The only thing he ever cared about was his goddamn horses. Until you came along.”

It’s then I think about Diamond getting caught in the fence. Of course, it was Fritz.

“I wonder if you’ll make the same sound as that pretty white horse of yours,” he says as he raises the gun.

“Fritz, please don’t do this,” I beg, holding my hands up. I wish I’d told Ryker I love him. That he’s was the best thing that ever happened to me.

I close my eyes tight, unable to look at the gun pointed right at me. Fear takes hold, and I scream as the gun goes off.





Chapter 26





Ryker





I park in front of the gallery and see the sign on the door that tells me it’s closed. The receptionist isn’t there, so I get close as John comes up beside me to block what I’m doing.

I take my knife out of my back pocket and jam it into the lock, popping it open. I could go around the back through the warehouse, but I don’t want to spook Fritz. If he’s got Blair back there, I don’t know what he’s capable of, but I don’t want to put her in further danger. I need to take him by surprise.

Just when the door pops open, I hear what sounds like a gunshot go off. Terror like I’ve never felt washes over me, and it’s all I can do not to run through the gallery and burst into the warehouse.

John called the investigation team on the way here and told them what happened. I’ve been working with the FBI for a while trying to get evidence against my brother. I never wanted it to come to this, but when I found out he got Blair involved and she was the one who was going to go down for it, then I knew it was time to step in.

I never even knew who she was the first time I saw her. What I told her was the truth. I saw her on that bench and my whole world turned upside down. Then I found out that she was the one Fritz was using for his whole operation and that’s when I truly turned against him. I’d gone that day to check on Fritz because I hadn’t wanted to believe all the feds had told me. I wanted to have a look for myself. If he was willing to put someone else’s life on the line to save his own ass, then he didn’t deserve protection any longer. Blair would always come before anyone in my life.

They told me to stand down as they were on the way, but I don’t know how much more time Blair has. All I can do is pray that she’s still alive as we move down the hallway to the back of the building.

When we get to the door, I hear Blair’s voice in the distance, and I breathe a sigh of relief. John is on the phone whispering that there were shots fired and for them to be ready. He looks at me and nods, letting me know they’re getting into position.

The door to the warehouse is unlocked and I pull it open just an inch. From where I’m standing I can see Blair on a crate, her body pulled into a ball with her hands in front of her in defense. She’s got blood on her face, and every part of my body is screaming to after her. But I can’t see Fritz. There’s a stack of crates to the right and I don’t know where he is.