Bruce slammed the gas pedal. The train had taken forever to pass. He parked in the back of the studio and sprinted to the entrance. When he slid the key into the steel door lock, it turned freely, which meant it hadn’t been locked. Something was wrong. His heart bucked against his ribs like a bronco. He yanked the door open, bolted in two steps, and then stopped at the sound of yelling.
“He’s dead,” Sarah yelled.
“Shut up. You’re next.”
Morgan? From the dim hall, Bruce peered into the bright studio lights and flinched. A dark-haired woman had a gun pointed at Sarah, and a man’s body lay on the ground beyond her. Blood pooled around him and spread across the floor.
Shit!
Adrenaline flooded Bruce’s system. He flattened himself against the wall and crept toward the opening.
“Look at me when I’m talking to you, bitch.” Morgan’s voice rang out.
Definitely her in a disguise. God, the woman was completely insane. And holding a gun on Sarah for some reason.
He inched closer.
“It’s finally time for my revenge. And how sweet it will be. Poor Bruce. Losing a second love. I don’t think he’ll survive this one.”
“Bruce? What does he have to do with this?” Sarah’s head turned in Morgan’s direction.
“I’ve been planning this for years. This was never about you. You’re just a pawn in this game. In the wrong place at the wrong time. I would have had him to myself and destroyed him by now if not for you.”
Bruce’s nerves fired under his skin. Morgan must blame Sarah for his rejection of her in the hotel. But taking it to this level was insanity.
“Oh, he has no idea.” Morgan strolled across the room, waving the gun around, apparently enjoying herself. “I can’t wait to tell him the little secret I’ve been keeping.”
Bruce squinted at Morgan’s diabolical grin as he ticked through the options to disarm her.
She took another step toward Sarah, who backed up.
“You see, I was adopted, and my life wasn’t so bad until my parents had a daughter of their own. My new sister ruined everything. A real pain in the ass. I left home at eighteen and headed to Hollywood to get away from all of them.” She paced in front of Sarah. “I wasn’t born with this body. Got a boob job, plastic surgery, died my hair, changed my name, and landed a job on the soap opera.”
“Morgan, please—”
“Shut up. I’m not done.” Morgan stopped in front of Sarah. “I still hated my sister and was going to make her pay for all she cost me growing up, but I couldn’t because she died first.” She aimed the gun at Sarah. “Guess what her name was?”
Sarah shook her head. “I have no idea. Please, don’t do this.”
“Okay, you’re no fun. I’ll just tell you.” She took a step closer. “Emily. That name mean anything to you?”
Bruce sucked in a breath, and his heart stopped. Emily had an adopted sister who’d run away from home. He’d never even seen a picture of her. Christ, it was Morgan.
Sarah gasped. “Bruce’s wife?”
“Bingo. See, I had it all worked out. Precious Emily. I wanted her to pay for everything she took from me. And then Prince Charming came along and sat her in the lap of luxury.” Morgan sneered. “I was looking forward to fucking my sister’s husband, but you spoiled that. It would have been the ultimate revenge, having what Emily cherished most.”
Bruce’s blood screamed through his veins. He shook his head. Morgan was batshit crazy. He had to save Sarah. His gaze locked on a fire extinguisher hung near the opening to the studio. He lifted it off the bracket, stilled, and focused.
His body, full of adrenaline, revved into high-alert mode. Block the emotions. Another mission. The most important one of his life. Save Sarah. He pulled out the pin.
“Too bad he found another love and will lose you too. Enough talking now. Time to finish this.” Morgan aimed the gun. “Bye-bye, ballerina.”
Bruce squeezed the handle on the extinguisher and burst into the room spraying a white, blinding cloud.
Morgan whirled around and fired wildly at it as Sarah dove to the floor, grabbed the gun next to the man’s body, and in one fluid motion came back to her feet. She swung the pistol hard, cracking the butt against Morgan’s head.
Morgan slumped to the ground.
Bruce ran out from the cloud and snatched up Morgan’s gun.
“Bruce! Oh my God. Oh my God.” Sarah shook her head and brought a hand to her mouth. “He’s dead. The stalker. The gun went off and I—”
“Get behind me and stay close in case there’s someone else in the building.” He grabbed her arm and shoved her behind him.
“She was going to kill me.”
“I know.” He backed her against the nearest wall and dialed 911 as he scanned the upstairs window and corridor for any possible threats. His muscles twitched, ready to react. He kept his body in front of her as a shield, the gun in his hand aimed at Morgan. The dispatcher told him the cops were already on the way.
“Hang in there, baby. Just stay put until the place is secure.”
Her body pressed against his back, and she reached her arms around his waist. He squeezed her hands with his free one. God, he’d almost lost her to lunatics. Either one of them could have taken her out. His heart thundered in his chest.
The sound of sirens grew louder, and in minutes, police flooded into the room.
An EMT examined Sarah, and two cops questioned her in another room while others talked to Bruce. He told them about the recording he’d set up. Everything should be on it unless someone had turned the machine off.
Morgan left in an ambulance.
When the police finally let Sarah go, she ran into Bruce’s arms for a crushing hug. He rocked her back and forth, kissing her hair and holding her tight. His voice cracked as he squeezed her hard. “It’s over. You’re safe.”