Open Wounds (Harbour Bay #2)(73)

She covered her mouth with her hand as tears blurred her vision and rolled down her cheeks. Her body shook violently as she watched the man she loved die, powerless to stop what was already in motion.

Her heart felt as if it had been torn from her chest.

She stopped breathing.

Her lungs burned with the need for oxygen.

She didn’t care. Couldn’t.

Nothing hurt more than knowing she had failed Darryl in every way possible.





Chapter 35



Amelia stepped out into the open. She scanned the immediate area as she moved toward her partner. She crouched down beside him and without looking at him, felt for a pulse as blood pooled beneath him. She allowed herself a moment of relief when she felt a faint throb beneath her fingertips. The bullet had pierced through his vest.

Her partner was damned lucky. But only if she got him immediate medical assistance.

A sob nearby had her turning in Kellie’s direction. She brought her finger up to her mouth, signalling her to be quiet. Her teary friend nodded and covered her mouth with her hand to muffle her sobs.

From her position on the floor she saw the small shadow streak under a stack. She lowered herself closer to floor and caught sight of someone moving toward her. She twisted the gun on an angle to get it closer to the floor. With some satisfaction she lined up her barrel with the man’s shoes and squeezed the trigger, the pop shaking the nearest stack.

A cry of pain filled the room as Amelia leapt to her feet in a single motion. She raised her arm higher and set off shot after shot through the stack, each bullet finding her target, some through tins of olives, the brine dripping onto the floor.

Dick Coleani’s body fell hard and blood stained the concrete beneath him. She didn’t spare him another thought and turned back to Darryl. She didn’t sense the malice in the air until it was too late.

The bullet hit her hard, biting into her skin and sending her rocketing to the floor with force. She blacked out for a moment and when she came to, she was staring into Kellie’s tearful face.

The fear in her eyes told her how much Kellie loved her. She’d made so many mistakes in her life but her biggest regret was allowing her to walk away. She couldn’t believe she’d held onto her hate for so long while her friend had almost died. Now their positions were reversed and she was slipping away.

“Stay with me,” Kellie whispered desperately, and Amelia could feel her shaking as she took her hand and squeezed hard.

The pain consumed her. She tried to speak, her voice not working. Her mouth opened and closed and nothing but air came out. She tried again, using the last of her energy to warn her friend. She had seen the man who had shot her, knew that Kellie’s only chance was to get the hell out of there.

She gripped her wrist, causing her blue eyes to widen.

“Run,” she said, before the darkness took over.





Chapter 36



Wayne Burton slipped out from the cover of the stacks. Satisfaction filled him as he saw the bitch cop go down. He stepped forward, stopping a few feet from Kellie. He stared at the golden tresses of her hair, which hung over her shoulders in a wavy mass.

“Hello, Kellie.”

Her chin jerked up and he smiled. He inhaled deeply, his nasal cavities picking up the scent of blood, fear, and the flowery smell he always associated with her. It had been twelve years, but he still remembered.

Her moist blue eyes condemned him. “You bastard,” she spat.

His smile grew wider, enjoying her rage. Her lip quivered and he could see the force she was using not to cry openly in front of him. Her hand blurred in his vision and something sailed toward his face. Using his arm, he blocked the empty black canister of capsicum spray from hitting his face.

She surprised him.

He’d not been expecting her to have so much fire. It reminded him so much of the younger Kellie, the girl he’d loved. He had watched her for months, not that she ever noticed.

God, how he loved to watch her. Her young athletic body moved so enticingly. He longed to touch her smooth skin, to glide his hand over those creamy mounds, ripe with womanhood. She was a woman now, so much more than she’d been as a teenager, and he longed to experience her. He was already hard as he looked over at her like a starving man seeing a roast leg of lamb.

“Why?” she asked him.

“Because I wanted you. Still do. Coleani’s order only made something I didn’t think I could have accessible.” He took a step toward her, his gun in his hand. He waved it in the air and her gaze followed it. “I will have you again before the night is out. I promise you that. Once, you didn’t know I existed…but you’ve thought about me constantly over the years, haven’t you? I like knowing I’m with you always.”

Her eyes flashed with hatred and her face distorted into disgust. “You’re nothing to me. I used to think you were something to fear, the bogeyman in the closet, but you’re not. You’re pathetic. I won’t remember you, not after today.”

Anger ate at him. Once more he was invisible to her. His lip curled with distaste. He aimed his weapon at her, wanting her to feel afraid. To fear him.

Kellie whimpered, tears rolling down her cheek. She closed her eyes as if she welcomed death, shutting him out. Her hand still held Amelia’s as if she provided her friend life just by touching her.