15. Finley

15

FINLEY

I was behind the check-in counter organizing forms when I heard a bloodcurdling scream outside the office.

"What in the world," I muttered under my breath as I scurried to the front window. "Oh no." It was Danielle, waving a gun, her eyes wild and frantic. My breath caught in my throat. What was she doing? Was she here for me? What else could it be?

Danielle ran toward the office, weaving and bobbing. Drunk or high or both. She screamed my name. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw guests scattering from where they'd been enjoying a hot beverage around the firepit. My hands trembled as I dialed 911.

"What's your emergency?"

"There's a woman here at Crescent Moon Ranch waving a gun. We need the police sent out right away."

"Someone already called it in. The police are on their way. Stay on the line, ma'am."

"Yes, yes, I will. But she's my twin sister. She's here for me." I wanted to make sure she knew that in case I didn't make it.

"They've been dispatched and will be there shortly," she repeated.

Shaken to my core, I placed my phone in my pocket. I had to go out there or she might shoot an innocent bystander. She wanted me. It was my responsibility to distract her from harming anyone else. I drew in a deep breath and hurried out to the office's small patio.

"Danielle?" I called out, my voice nothing more than a rasp. "What are you doing?" Her disheveled appearance sent a chill down my spine. She staggered toward me, that same crazed look in her eyes I'd seen too many times before. Unhinged.

"Finley!" she screamed, waving the gun erratically. "You have to confess! You have to tell them you did it. They showed up at the motel, looking for me. I got away before they found me, but they're going to come after me. You have to do the right thing."

If I hadn't been completely terrified, I might have found that funny. "Danielle, put the gun down before you hurt someone."

"No!" she shrieked, pointing the gun at me. "If you don't confess, I'll kill us both. I'll shoot you and then myself right here."

My hands and feet went numb as I stared at her, my mind racing to find the right thing to say. I knew from the past that there was no negotiating with a drug and alcohol addict in the middle of a binge.

"Danielle, please." I stepped closer, holding up my hands. "Let's go inside and talk. We can get you to rehab. They'll see that this is the drugs, not you."

"Stay back!" she shouted, her grip tightening on the gun. "I can't go to prison. I just can't. It should be you in prison, not me."

I moved closer, my voice calm and steady despite my fear. "You're not thinking straight. Just put the gun down, and I can help you."

"No," she screamed again. "It's too late for that."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Soren and Thad running out of the restaurant. "Stay back," I shouted to them.

In the distance, I heard the faint wail of sirens approaching. Please hurry, I begged silently.

"You called the cops?" Danielle continued to point the gun at me. "How could you do this? How could you betray your own sister? After everything I did to try to make your pitiful life better? But you're just an ugly person. You deserve to die. You really do."

"I was the one they brought in for questioning and locked up yesterday," I said softly. "Not you."

"If they think you did it, why did they show up at the motel?"

"Because you robbed the store. They have it on tape."

"No, that was you. You're the criminal. It's all an act—this nice-girl thing you do. No one believes me, but you're evil. You tried to kill me in the womb. You tried to eat me."

Well, that was new. She'd never accused me of trying to eat her before.

Before I could think of how to answer her, she raised the gun and pulled the trigger. A bullet whizzed past me, close to my ear but missing me. Instinctually, I dropped to the ground. Another shot rang out, nowhere near me this time. Thank God she was a terrible shot.

The sound of tires crunching on gravel signaled the arrival of the police. Officers emerged from their vehicles, guns drawn, positioning themselves strategically around the office.

"Danielle Baker, drop the weapon!" the deputy shouted through a megaphone. "We can resolve this peacefully."

Danielle's eyes darted around, wild and desperate. "No one understands. No one knows what I've been through. Because of you. You ruined my life. You always had it out for me. You've always lied to get me into trouble."

She aimed the gun at the deputy, her finger trembling on the trigger. The next few seconds were a blur. Gunshots rang out, the deafening sound echoing in the quiet morning. Danielle fell to the ground. I screamed, my heart pounding in my ears.

On my hands and knees, I crawled toward her. By the time I reached her, she'd gone still, blood pooling around her and soaking into the grass. The gun was still clutched in her hand, her eyes wide with shock and pain.

"No. Danielle, no. You're okay. Hang in there."

Her breath came in ragged gasps, her eyes locking onto mine. "You did this," she rasped, tears leaking from her shocked eyes. "You finally got what you wanted. I'm dying. Are you happy?"

Before I could respond, her body went limp, her eyes staring lifelessly at the sky. A sob tore from my throat as I cradled her head in my lap, blood soaking through my clothes. The officers approached cautiously, lowering their weapons, their faces grim.

Soren knelt beside me, his hand on my shoulder. "Finley, I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice breaking.

"She's gone. They shot her." My vision blurred as sob racked my body. "She came here to kill me."

"I know, baby. I know." Soren gathered me close, practically dragging me away from Danielle's body as an ambulance arrived.

By the time he'd gotten me over to the patio and we'd collapsed onto the top step, the paramedics were out of the ambulance and rushing toward Danielle. Everything slowed and I could hear only a buzzing between my ears. I watched in shock as they lifted her onto a stretcher and hauled her into the back of the ambulance. I flinched when the doors slammed shut.

"She's gone," I whispered. "She just slipped away."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"I don't know what to feel."

"You don't have to feel anything at all right now," Soren said. "You're still in shock."

"Why did she come here? She could have started over after she made her deal. Had a normal life. I'll never understand."

"Some things we're not meant to understand. There are certain people in our lives who make decisions impossible for us to condone or comprehend."

"She never loved me like I loved her."

"Her capacity for love wasn't as large as yours. She was mentally ill. You have to forgive yourself for believing in her. Even though she let you down, it was the right thing to do to have faith in her."

"Except it wasn't. She proved me wrong. Again."

"You're safe. That's all that matters," Soren said, pulling me onto his lap. "I love you, baby, so much. You're here with me now. I'll never let you down. Not on purpose anyway. Maybe by being a dummy, but I'll try my best not to be."

For a second, I thought I'd misheard him. He loved me—he actually loved me. A feeling like none I'd ever had before washed over me—bliss, gratitude. They wrapped themselves around me, filling me with warmth and such intense love that I felt lightheaded.

"You love me?" I asked.

"Yes, I love you. It just sneaked up on me. You don't have to say it back. I probably should have kept my big mouth shut. I mean, talk about bad timing."

"No, it's not bad timing. It's what I needed to hear more than anything. I love you too. I think I always did, but I didn't know."

"You just thought I was annoying?"

"More like maddening." I shivered, chilled to the very depths of my bones. The blood on my clothes made them heavy and cold, sticking to my body like glue. My sister's blood. I had no more family.

No , a voice whispered. Your family's right here. Soren and his family had become more important to me than I'd thought possible. "I feel like this is home. You and the ranch and your family, they all mean so much to me."

"You can stay as long as you want. Forever, maybe?" Soren asked.

"As long as you want me here, I'll stay." The events of the day came back, drowning me in sadness while, at the same time, my body buzzed with this new love. How it was possible to feel both things at once, I would never understand.

I buried my face in his neck and clung to him, breathing in his scent. His arms tightened around me as he rested his chin on the top of my head. This was a man who would not leave me or betray me. He'd been raised by Mama Moon, after all. She would expect nothing less.

I continued to cling to him as if he were a life raft on a tumultuous sea.

He never let go.