Poison Me (27 page)

Chanel covered the distance separating her from Ace with two long steps. Jake felt as if his insides had been shredded. Chanel had never confirmed his hope that she didn’t love Ace anymore. She’d written Jake off half an hour ago. What if she succumbed to Ace? How would Jake survive without her?

Jake shifted onto the balls of his feet.

“Don’t move,
Jake
.” Ace tightened his finger on the trigger, though he still stared at Chanel.

She placed her hands on Ace’s shoulders, not even glancing in Jake’s direction. Ace smiled, keeping the gun trained on Jake with one hand. With the other hand, Ace tenderly traced the contour of Chanel’s cheek. Jake couldn’t stand this.

“You’re sorry?” she asked.

“Oh, baby, you don’t know how sorry.” Ace kissed her softly.

Chanel leaned into him.

Jake was going to rip Chanel from Ace’s arms and pummel him. 

Ace cupped the back of her head with his hand. He pulled her closer and whispered roughly against her mouth, “I’m more sorry than you could ever—”

Pressing her hands into Ace’s shoulders, Chanel simultaneously brought her knee into his crotch and jammed her elbow down on his forearm. Ace dropped the gun, screeching in surprise and pain. Jake sprinted for them. Chanel stomped on Ace’s foot. A strong jab to the abdomen doubled him over. Jake plowed Ace to the ground and leaped on top of him.

“Now you’re sorry,” Chanel yelled.

Ace arched to free himself, but Jake dug his shoulder into the man’s abdomen, not letting him move more than a few inches. Jake looked up from his struggle with Ace. “You okay?”

Chanel smiled tremulously. “Yes.”

Jake grinned at her. “Great acting.”

Ace thrashed against Jake’s grasp, so Jake dug his shoulder blade into Ace’s chest, pushing against a tree for more leverage. He gestured to Chanel with his head. “Get his gun.”

“Jake!” Ruby cried out.

A huge man had lumbered into the clearing. Michael ushered Ruby behind him and moved to confront the threat.

Chanel scurried to retrieve the gun. Polish sausage fingers swept it from the grass before she could grasp it. The gun pressed against her forehead. She straightened, hands splayed. “Willy?”

“No,” Jake screamed.

Ace strained against Jake. “About time.”

“Get back,” the man ordered Michael.

Michael advanced a step.

“Get back unless you want her dead!”

Michael glanced at Jake. Jake nodded. Michael retreated several feet, planting himself in front of Ruby.

“Good to see you, Chanel,” the large man said, ogling her. “Told you I’d come for you.”

She shuddered. The man’s eyes flitted to Jake pinning Ace to the dirt. “Let him up.”

Reluctantly lifting his weight off his enemy, Jake got to his feet. Ace sprang up after him and jammed his fist into Jake’s lower back. Jake stumbled forward, pain radiating through his body.

“Jake!” Chanel and Ruby both screamed.

He righted himself, flipping around to challenge Ace to a fair fight.

“Don’t try it, hero,” Willy muttered.

Ace stomped around Jake to his partner’s side. Willy handed Ace his gun and drew another from his pocket. He swung it around the group. Don had moved into the trees.

“Get back here, Don,” Willy ordered. “The rest of you, don’t even think about moving.”

Don reluctantly complied.

Ace focused in on Chanel. “How could you betray me like that?”

“Ha.” Chanel’s eyes narrowed. “Do you think you have any right to talk about betrayal?” She shook her head and released a short laugh. “The funny thing is that you’re so pathetic I’m not even mad at you. I just feel bad for you.”

Ace pointed the gun at her, his hand trembling. “Don’t you dare feel bad for me. Don’t you dare!”

This guy wasn’t stable. “I have millions of dollars I can transfer right now,” Jake blurted out. “Why don’t we get to a computer so you two can get your money and go?”

Ace didn’t respond, just stared sullenly at Chanel. He took a step in her direction.

A red-haired woman emerged from the trees. “I’ll take some of that money.”

“Olivia?” Ruby gasped.

“We need to eliminate a few extras.” Willy pivoted half a step and pointed his gun at Jake. “He looks like the biggest threat.” Willy’s finger lingered over the trigger. Jake dodged to the side, pushing Chanel out of the way.

Don leaped onto Willy. The huge man stuttered off balance and tripped over some undergrowth. He screamed as he fell. A gunshot rang through the forest.

Jake jumped to his feet and grabbed Ace’s right arm. He wrestled the gun from Ace’s hand and wrenched the arm behind his back. Ace cursed and fought, but Jake held on. Chanel rushed to his side. He handed the gun to her and focused on restraining Ace.

Olivia pointed her gun at Ruby and Michael. “Don’t move. I spared you two because you weren’t sick and your romance was so sweet. You can thank me by getting me money.”

“I don’t think so, sweetheart,” a loud voice came from behind her.

Olivia whirled. Officer Barnes knocked her gun to the spongy earth and pulled out his handcuffs. He grinned. “I believe several of you are under arrest.”

Willy pushed a bloody Don off his chest. He stood and pointed his gun at the police officer. Shaking his head, he laughed loudly. “Dumb hick cop, comes alone to a shootout.”

Steven Barnes smiled. “I may be a dumb hick, but I am definitely not alone.”

Several officers appeared behind Willy. One disarmed him while two of their cohorts flipped Willy onto his stomach, shoving his face into the spongy earth. Another policeman came to relieve Jake of his prisoner. The policeman jerked Ace through the woods. He turned and called to Chanel, “You shouldn’t have turned on me.”

“You’re pathetic, Ace,” she said.

“You’ll be sorry,” he screamed until they couldn’t hear him anymore.

Jake rushed to Don’s side and rolled him over. Blood was everywhere. “No, Grandpa. Please be okay.”

Though his face was ashen and his eyes full of pain, Don smiled the first real smile Jake had seen since his return. “It just hit my arm, son.”

Jake rocked back on his heels. This man had betrayed him and threatened his beloved grandmother, but had also just saved his life. “Thank you,” Jake said.

Don shook his head. “I’m your grandpa. It was the least I could do.”

Jake helped him to his feet, ignoring the glare from Ruby.

“Thanks for the call, miss,” Officer Barnes said to Chanel, leering at her chest.

Ruby stepped forward and confronted Olivia. “Why did you kill my friends, Olivia?”

Her head pivoted and she looked at the policeman.

“Yes.” He grinned at her. “We know all about the murders, and you’re taking the rap by yourself.”

“No,” Olivia shrieked. She whirled to face Ruby. “It wasn’t me. It was all my aunt. You know, Mrs. Smelter. We were really just helping them because they were sick. I gave them that drink. It was a high dose of the medicine propranolol, but it didn’t kill them. She murdered them—I didn’t. And now she’s put my money into some investment that I can’t touch because she knew my husband would lose it all. But I need it now or he’s going to beat me and my boys will never finish college!” She talked so fast it looked like she was going to hyperventilate. “That’s why I had to follow Don and try and get my share.”

“The medicine didn’t kill them?” Ruby asked, swaying. Michael held onto her.

Olivia took a deep breath, responding with a little more poise than before, “The medicine made them cough and have a hard time breathing. When we got enough down them, it would slow their heart rate so the cops would think they were dead. Alaina would come and declare them dead, then once she got the bodies to her lab, she would cut them open and dig out their organs to sell to the black market. She wanted them fresh.”

“Who would buy organs of old people?” Officer Barnes asked.

Olivia looked at him like he was slow in the head. “We didn’t reveal the age of the organs to the buyers.”

“Marissa wasn’t dead when we saw her?” Ruby whispered.

Michael wrapped an arm around her. “Oh, love, that’s awful. I’m so sorry.”

Olivia was led away, protesting that the mortician had taken all of her money and was to blame.

A stretcher arrived for Don. Ellie wasn’t far behind. The paramedics loaded Don onto the stretcher, staunching the bleeding of his arm. He raised his head and looked at Ruby. “Forgive me,” he squeaked.

“I forgive you.” She raised her chin. “But don’t ever come back.”

“Good girl.” Ellie clapped her on the back.

“Whatever you want,” Don muttered.

“Goodbye, Don,” Ruby said just before the paramedics hauled him away.

Michael pulled Ruby to him and kissed her thoroughly.

Ellie grabbed Ruby’s arm, wrenching them apart. “Come on, we gotta go.”

“Where are we going?” Ruby asked.

“Are you telling me you don’t want to watch them wrestle Alaina Smelter to the ground?”

Ruby frowned. “I’ve got a few words for that woman.” She glanced at Michael. “You coming?”

“If you’re going to be there.”

She smiled. “Oh, I’ll be there.”

“Anywhere you go, I’m right beside you.”

Ruby kissed him again, took his hand, and followed the entourage of police officers.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Jake looked at Chanel. She studied him with wide eyes, then walked past him and collapsed on the park bench. The relief over Grandma Ruby’s and Chanel’s safety almost made him weak. His eyes moved back and forth from where his grandma had disappeared, to the beauty seated a few feet away.

He started to follow his grandma, but then stopped. She had Michael and Ellie to help her. It was time Jake started his own life. He crossed the distance to the beautiful woman who had just proven she didn’t love her ex-boyfriend. “Is this seat available?” Jake asked, pointing to the empty spot next to Chanel.

“Only to you.” She bit her lip.

He sat. “So, that was Ace?”

Chanel closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly. “It’s cool that you got to meet him, huh?”

“Oh, yeah. A real pleasure.”

When she opened her eyes, Jake saw her pain. He wanted to hold her. He cleared his throat and managed, “You okay?”

“No.” She glanced at him. “But I know how I could be.”

His lips twitched. “Really, how is that?”

Chanel scooted closer to him . “You could help out a bit.”

Jake took her in his arms, inhaling her warmth, her essence. She lifted her face to him, and he didn’t need to be invited twice. He kissed her, his body flooded with desire and a feeling of depth and warmth that told him Chanel was the only one he wanted to be with. 

When he released her, she smiled up at him. “Thanks. I feel better.”

He grinned. “Me too. Anything else you need?”

Her smile slowly faded. “Actually there is.” She took a deep breath. “I need you to do something just for me.”

“Anything,” he breathed.

“I need you to forgive yourself for Angela’s death.”

Jake swallowed hard.
Anything but that
. Clinging to Chanel, he rested his cheek against her smooth hair so she couldn’t see his eyes. “I don’t know if I can do that.”

“You have to if we’re ever going to work, and I really want us to work.”

Jake grunted. “Me too.”

Gently, Chanel massaged his back and neck. “It’s okay, Jake. We all make mistakes.”

He lifted his head, gazing at her. “Bet you’ve never made that big of a mistake.”

“You were a teenager,” she said.

“No excuse.”

“Crap happens, Jake.” Her hands worked magic on his neck, dispelling some of the tension. “You didn’t want Angela to die. You didn’t make your buddy roll the Jeep. You’ve got to forgive yourself.”

His eyes burned. He’d heard those words hundreds of times, but he never thought they might be true until that moment. He swallowed hard and said, “Why should I believe any of that?”

“Because if you don’t, you’ll never be able to have a life of your own.”

“I don’t deserve a life of my own.”

Chanel took his face in her hands. “Yes, you do.” Gently, she kissed him. “And so do I.”

Jake pulled her close and kissed her until the pain seeped away. He released her mouth and held her in his arms. Silently, he prayed for the strength to forgive himself.

Several minutes later, Chanel smiled tentatively at him. “Better?”

“You think you’re the one to help me move on, eh?”

She traced her fingers along his jaw. “I know I am.” Pressing against him, she kissed him hard. “Now I’ve just got to convince you.”

“I don’t think that will be too hard.” He kissed her again. “I’m sorry about how rude I was earlier,” he murmured against her cheek.

She took a deep breath. “No, don’t be. I was just as ornery.”

“True.”

She pulled away.

Jake tugged her back. “I wasn’t being fair with you,” he admitted. “I realized this morning that I asked for all the benefits, but offered none of the attachments.”

Chanel licked her lips. “So what do you want now?”

He wrapped an arm around her waist. “You.” He kissed her. “Watching Ace touch you was torture. Thinking you might go with him or get hurt almost destroyed me.” Jake shook his head. “You know what you said to old Ace about,” he gulped, “me kind of… sort of… loving you?”

She glanced at him shyly. “Yeah, kind of… sort of.”

“Well.” Jake brushed his lips across hers. “It’s true.”

“When did you start feeling that way?”

“The first time you tackled me in Glendale Reservoir.” He grinned. “Besides, you gotta love a girl who’s willing to take a bullet for your grandma.”

“Good reasons.” Chanel smiled and kissed him again.

***

Ruby, Michael, and Ellie caught up with Officer Barnes. He turned to stare at Ruby. “Thanks for your help, Mrs. Merrill. If it weren’t for you, we never would’ve found out about this scheme of Mrs. Smelter’s.”

Ruby blushed. “Wish I could’ve figured it out sooner.”

Ellie nodded. “Don’t we all.”

“How did you get here so quickly?” Ruby asked the officer, not wanting to dwell on the loss of her friends and cousin. “Last time I called the ambulance it was twenty minutes before anybody came.”