Can you hear me?” she cried.
“Sam?” he cried.
Sam picked up a near by fire extinguisher and smashed the
“He shot me. I turned and he missed my heart and hit my shoulder. I faked it until he threw me in here. Where is he?”
“Honey, I have him tied upstairs. Jack is there, too.”
“You didn’t kill Jack did you?” Luke asked, as she helped him out of the trunk.
“No. Do you remember years ago, when youassumed I was seeing someone, but I denied it?”
“Yeah, what about it?” he asked.
“I was. I was involved withJack.”
“Sam, why didn’t you tell me?” he said, as he leaned on her and they walked towards the elevator.
“Well, he’s a criminal and I was a cop. He left me because he didn’t want his world to interfere with my career. I was madly in love with him.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I want answers from both of them. Jack and I already talked about what he did to me. I had to make him realize how much he hurt me.”
“Do you still love Jack?”
“Yes. I’vealwaysloved him. It’s just that the past year, I was so filled with hate because of what I thought he did. It wasn’t him that killed my parents, it was Kyle.Parkerand Lloyd threw my brother off the roof.”
“I know. I got a report as they were checking out Parker’s back. His prints were all over Kyle’s leather jacket. He must’ve heard the officer and that’s why he shot me,” he said, as the elevator doors opened.
She opened the door. “Jack?”
He walked out into the living room. “Need help?”
“Yeah, I need to fix his shoulder. Oh, ishestill alive?” “Yes, he’s alive,” Jack said. “Here, take off your jacket,” he said,
as he rolled up his own sleeves.
“I’ll be back. I have to get the first aid kit.”
“You must be her best friend,” Jack said. “I am sorry about my
brother.”
“He’s yourbrother?”
“Unfortunately.”
“I wish I had known that he was going to betray her.” “He betrayed her the minute he met her. You probably know
that I hurt her. I didn’tmean to. I didn’t realize what I monster I was until she made me realize it. I love her. I’vealwaysloved her.” “I just don’t want her hurt. She deserves to be happy.”
“Yes, she does,” Jack said, as Sam came back into the room.
“Honey, this is going to hurt,” she said, as she poured peroxide on his wound.
“Damn, that does hurt. I’m OK. I think it was a through and through.”
“It was. Let me patch up both ends. You’re going to be all right,” she kissed his cheek.
Luke touched her face. “I’m sorry about Parker. I was so wrong about him.”
“Me, too. I guess that’s me, all over. Always trusting the wrong person,” she looked at Jack. “We still have a lot of things to work out.”
“Do you still want medead?” he smiled.
“Not right now,” she laughed slightly. “I have to deal with Parker. You know, this isn’t even my place. Oh, Luke, what about Drew?”
“The take down was all a sham. The only thing that got blown up was the bar and the apartment. There wasn’t anyone inside. This whole thing is over, except we still have to find Parker’s partner. He’s out there, somewhere and I don’t know where.”
Sam looked at Jack. “I am sorry about the bar, but,technically, I didn’t blow it up. Parker did.”
“I always wanted torebuild,” he kissed her cheek.
Luke laughed slightly. “Samantha, sounds like you have this under control. I’m going home. I’ll put an APB out on Drew. You and Jack have a lot of things to work out. I’m here for you, sweetie. If you need me, just call,” he kissed her cheek.
“I will and thanks,” she said, as she led him to the door.
Jack sat down. “So, he is the friend you were sleeping with?”
“Yeah, he’s a good man. I know he’s a cop like I was…”
“So, you reallyaren’ta cop anymore?”
“Can’t be a cop when I killed three people, maybe four…” she looked towards the bedroom. “I don’t know what to do with him right now.”
He took her hands. “Sam, I am on your side. I will be here for you. I promise. I won’t ever hurt you again.”
“What about your wife?”
“Mywife? I was divorced two years ago. I’mnotmarried.”
“I heard you had a wifeanda mistress … that Alyssa Marshall that I killed.”
“She wasn’t a mistress, yes, I had her,once, but she stole from me…that’swhy I wanted her dead.”
“How much?”
“Over two hundred thousand. She was skimming my books from the bar.”
“How could I misjudge you?” she cried.
“We’ll work this out … if you want to…”
“Do you?” she touched his face.
“Yes, I do. Now that you’re back in my life … and we’re both finallytruthful with each other … I need to make up to you how much I’ve hurt you. Sam, we need to talk. We need to open up to each other. You’ve been putting me off … I know you wanted to tell me … but I think Parker was in your way.”
“What do we do now?”
“Let me make a call. I have somewhere you can stay until you figure things out.”
“The apartment behind the bar or what used to be the bar blew up, too.”
“Oh, right. I have a house on the outside of the city. You can stay with me until you figure out what you want to do. If you decide to leave, I’ll abide by your wishes. Is there anything here that is yours?”
“Just my clothes and my money in the safe,” she said. “What about Parker?”
“He will remain alive … for now. I’ll have my men deliver him to my home. Don’t worry. I will also find this Drew person.”
“Do you know him?”
“If he is who I think he is, yes,” he said.
“Can I trust you, Jack?”
“Allure, if I didn’t love you, I would’ve killed you for stabbing me, no matter howarousing…” he smiled.
“I’m so sorry. I really should fix that up for you.”
“Later, Allure. We’ll take care of it later. Let’s get out of here,” he said, as he picked up his phone. “Lionel, you and Simon are needed at the penthouse. My brother has been acting upagain. I’d like him brought to thetea room.”
“Yes, sir. Anything else?”
“Tell Claudine to set up the extra suite. I’m bringing a guest home.”
“Yes, sir,” he hung up.
Jack looked at Sam. “Why don’t you grab a few of your things? We can send for the rest later.”
“Thanks,” she said, as she headed into the bedroom. She stared at Parker who was still cuffed to the chair.
“I love you, Sam. Please. I didn’t mean to hurt you…”
“Youkilledmy brother.”
“It was an accident. Besides,youdid it.Youlet go of his hand.”
She walked over and punched him in the head, so hard that she knocked him unconscious.
She opened her closet and grabbed most of her clothes. She picked up the photo of her parents and put it in the bag. She walked over to safe and removed the portrait. She opened the safe and grabbed all her money. She gathered her guns and dropped them all in the bag. She flipped it over her shoulder and headed out to the living room.
She smiled at Jack. “I’m ready. Um, can I follow you in my car?”
“Of course,” he said, as they headed out the door.
As they walked to the elevator, four men came out of the stairway. They nodded to Jack and headed straight for the penthouse.
Jack smiled at Sam. “My men will take care of everything,” he said.