Page 17 of Undone
“Cari,” came the response, in Nolan’s voice. “It’s so nice to see you, finally. I’ve missed you on the set.”
“You?”
My breath whooshed from my lungs, followed by the bitter taste of betrayal. Nolan was the one who had painted those horrible words, had shattered my window, had trashed my room? Had wreaked so much havoc in my life, in the lives of those around me?
Nolan was someone I considered a friend. We’d spent countless hours digging together in companionable silence under the broiling sun, had shared meals, had toasted each other.
Was this all because there hadn’t been a second kiss?
Panting, I tried to get hold of myself, to shove the betrayal aside and focus. Nolan and Jasper were standing feet apart in the clearing, bodies tensed, guns raised. I pictured a bullet ripping through Jasper, spilling his blood, and thought that my heart might stop.
I have to do something.
Jasper wouldn’t risk shooting me. Despite all the hell he’d raised, my gut said that Nolan wouldn’t shoot me, either—at least, I didn’t think he would. Granted, he’d told Daly that he’d kill me, but he seemed calm. He seemed rational. I could talk to him. But I had to get closer. I had to get close enough to separate him from his gun.
He might not shoot me, but I wasn’t sure he’d extend that same courtesy to Jasper. And if it was a choice between the men, it was no choice at all.
“Nolan,” I said. “Calm down. Tell me what’s going on.” I took a step closer.
“Cari, stay inside,” Jasper growled. “Get back in the cabin!”
“You’ve always been smart, Cari,” Nolan said. “That’s why I like you so much.”
“Cari,” Jasper said again. “I know what you’re thinking. Go back in the cabin.”
I took another step toward Nolan. “I know you like me, but this isn’t the way to express it. Painting words on my motel room door? Stalking me?”
“We were supposed to be together,” Nolan said finally. “That was how it was supposed to work. That was why I joined the crew. We’re meant to be.”
Perhaps not so rational, after all.
“And if that didn’t happen?” I asked, taking another step toward him. The situation was perfect. Nolan’s attention was divided between Jasper and I. He wouldn’t have time to react before I disarmed him.
“And if that doesn’t happen, it would kill me. Literally. We’ll either live our lives together, or die together. It won’t hurt, Cari. Just lay down and close your eyes. You won’t even feel it.”
Nolan’s voice was icy and steady. Fear was cold and bitter on my tongue, but it still wasn’t for me.
Jasper would throw himself in front of this gun for me. I knew I’d do the same for him.
“Cari,” Jasper growled again. His gaze was fully trained on Nolan, but I suspected he was tracking my movements from the corner of his eye. He knew what I was planning. But then again, I knew what he was thinking, too. He was thinking I’d get too close to Nolan, and it would be all over. The thought hadn’t escaped me.
“Let’s talk this through,” I said. “Put the gun down.”
One step more and it happened: Nolan lunged for me. I was ready for it, jabbing his hand to the side with one of my Krav Maga moves. While he was caught off guard, I made a reach for the gun. Nolan clung to it tightly.
“Cari! Cari, get out of the way!”
Jasper had a clean shot—Nolan’s gun was aimed at the sky. And yet we’d entered a grapple, with Nolan trying to hold on to me and me trying to push him away. The Krav Maga moves I’d learned went out of my head, and the situation became a brutal conflict of flesh on flesh. I hooked my foot behind Nolan’s ankle and tried to use my body weight to knock him backward. If I could get him on the ground, Jasper could shoot him before he had a chance to recover.
No go. Nolan was taller than me, and he weighed more. Trying to put all my weight into my foot and kick Nolan’s leg out from under him just unbalanced me. Nolan scooped me in a bear hug, and we tilted, tipping so far that we both almost went tumbling to the ground. The cold, heavy weight of the gun dug into my back.
Off to the side, Jasper paused. He couldn’t fire, or he’d risk hitting me in the fracas. If he jumped into the fray, Nolan might panic and start firing wildly.
Nolan was substantially stronger than I, but I was thinner. I squirmed and wriggled in his grip, finally slipping down through his arms. He clung to my head with his forearms, and I knelt in front of him, pushing against his thighs to put some distance between the two of us. Hopefully I could get low enough to give Jasper a shot, but Nolan was still aware of the gun trained on his head, and was squatting to keep me in front of him.
Finally, Nolan’s grip loosened, and I tumbled facedown into the dirt. Now was my chance!
Nolan wasn’t having any part of that. He dove on top of me before Jasper could get a shot off, pinning me to the ground.
