The Wife Stalker(81)

“Run,” she said, following behind him.

I had no choice. I’d never wanted to use the real gun, but I couldn’t let Stelli run away. He belonged to me and to Olivia. She was waiting for us. I’d promised her that I would never let him go. I withdrew the gun from my pocket and aimed at Stelli. Taking a deep breath, I tightened my finger on the trigger and fired. The next bullet would be for me, and then we’d be together forever.





53

Piper




“Come on, Stelli, hurry,” Piper cried, catching up to him and grabbing his hand. She turned to look behind them and saw the glint of the gun in Joanna’s hand. The veins in Piper’s neck pulsated, and her heart was hammering in her chest. She squeezed the tiny hand in hers and steered Stelli’s body in front of hers as they continued to run. Stelli was crying, and his legs were faltering. Piper turned once more, panicking, heart thumping, as Joanna raised her hand, the gun pointed at Stelli. Without a second’s hesitation, Piper pushed Stelli to the ground and threw her body on top of his, just as a gunshot tore through the morning air. With Stelli’s small, shaking form beneath her, she could hear his sobs and feel his terror. The musky scent of grass filled her nostrils, and as she wrapped her arms and legs around his little body, a searing pain registered, shooting through her upper arm.

Suddenly, someone was lifting her up and she heard sirens and voices as she was loaded into a big vehicle with flashing lights.

“Stelli,” she croaked, as the ambulance doors closed.

“Your little boy is fine,” the EMT said to her. “You saved his life.”

Piper closed her eyes in relief. “Thank God,” she said. “Thank God.”

The next time she opened her eyes, Leo was in a chair next to her bed—a hospital bed, she realized, as she looked around the room. The pain in her shoulder brought everything into sharper focus.

“You’re awake,” he said, leaning forward to take her hand. “How do you feel?”

“Some pain. What happened? Where are the children? Is Stelli all right?”

“Stelli’s fine. He and Evie are with the Mortons, friends who live about a mile down the road from the house. The kids will be more comfortable there.”

She swallowed, her mouth dry. “Water?”

Leo picked up a lidded cup and brought the straw to her lips.

She drank greedily and then rested her head back on the pillow, exhausted by the effort. “Joanna?”

“She tried to kill Stelli. Almost killed you. The police have her now.” His voice sounded raw.

“She never stopped following us, did she? She knew we’d be at the house in Maine,” Piper said.

“Rebecca told her we were going there. She—”

“What? Rebecca was talking to her about us?” Piper asked before Leo could finish.

“I called her a little while ago, to let her know what happened. Apparently, Joanna had gotten in touch with her, feeding her lies about you. Rebecca thought the children might be in danger, so she told Joanna about the trip. Joanna had told her about Ethan’s death and then the accident with Mia and Matthew.”

Piper shook her head, disbelieving. “All this time Joanna thought I was a murderer?”

Leo took her hand again. “She convinced Rebecca of it, too. Ava got to Joanna and clearly convinced her.” He took her hand again. “I’m furious that Rebecca called Joanna. I told her to pack her things and leave.”

“That’s probably for the best.”

“She should have come to me. We could have avoided all of this.” He shook his head.

She sighed, thinking about Joanna again. “I knew Joanna had problems, but I never imagined she could go as far as she did.”

“It’s my fault. I never realized how unbalanced she was. All the years she was at the firm, she was invaluable to me. She was the perfect assistant.” His eyes clouded over. “I should have seen what was happening. She was just such a help after Olivia died, offering to get the kids from school, packing their lunches, cooking their meals. All I could think about was my wife and how much I missed her. I let it go too far by allowing Joanna to stay in the guest wing and spend weekends with the kids and me. Nothing ever went on between us, trust me. That was the last thing on my mind,” he was quick to add.

“Joanna thought that because you let her stay at the house and help with the children that she was meant to be your wife?”

“I guess so. But I knew something was off when she started acting like it was her house—rearranging the kitchen, questioning me about my plans, looking at my emails. I guess because she was living at the house until Rebecca could come back she started to feel like it was her house. I wrote it off as her being pushy. She ran everything at the office, so I thought she was just trying to help . . . or at least I told myself that. I was grieving, and I needed the support. But then she got so weird and angry that I was seeing you. Stupid me, I assumed it was because she was worried about the kids and felt it was too soon after Olivia’s death. When she told me that she loved me, I felt guilty. I told her I didn’t feel the same way, but I had to handle her with kid gloves. I mean, how would it look? My assistant staying over at my house.”

“I never understood how she got so intertwined in your life in the first place.”