Say Goodbye (Romantic Suspense #25) by Karen Rose

            “Not gonna happen,” Tom said. “Besides, we know where Eden is now. By the time you got there, you wouldn’t have a home to return to.”

            Liza’s eyes widened, her lips curving in a satisfied smile.

            It wasn’t true—yet. But it would be soon. Minutes before they’d come upon this scene, Raeburn had informed them that they’d gotten the warrant for Daniel Park’s cell phone records and, sure enough, there were weekly calls from the same number, going back years. They were only interested in the calls over the last month. With any luck, Raeburn would be calling them with a triangulated location within minutes.

            “You’re lying!” DJ spat.

            “I told you. We have Pastor’s financial advisor. And his phone records.”

            DJ paled.

            Tom smiled. “I can see you understand where I’m going with this. So what’s it going to be? We can talk money, but I hold the cards. You’re not getting a penny until you let her go.”

            He watched the riot of emotions cross DJ’s face, hoping he’d realize that it was time to fold. But, of course, he did not. He backed up a step, dragging Liza with him. She followed, her eyes locked on Tom’s, her hands clenched into fists. She was waiting for instruction.

            DJ was not going quietly. Nor was he willing to negotiate.

            Tom and Croft hadn’t really discussed this particular scenario, but Tom knew it would only end when DJ was locked away for the rest of his life. Or dead. Tom was okay with either.

            Tom knew he should be a mess of nerves right now. But his mind, so accustomed to compartmentalizing, seemed to be doing okay.

            From the corner of his eye, Tom saw Croft creeping around a shot-up Jeep. Presumably Kowalski’s. They might not have discussed this scenario, but Tom had confidence in Croft’s instincts. She’d do the right thing.

            “Tell her to stop!” DJ shouted. “Your partner needs to back the fuck off.” He yanked Liza back another step and then another until he was at the tail end of a white Ford Explorer. Pastor lay dead on the ground beside it.

            Kowalski had to be dead. Pastor was dead. DJ said he’d killed three people here. The third wouldn’t be Coleen, the healer. Her body had been found in her bed at Sunnyside. Best guess was asphyxiation. There was bruising on her neck in the pattern of the chain that held her locket. At some point, DJ had dragged her by it.

            Like he was doing with the top of Liza’s scrubs right now. Her mouth was open, her fingers clutching at the fabric pulled tight around her throat. And Tom remembered his mother doing the same as his father dragged her for some imagined infraction. Fury rose, but instead of clouding his mind, it made his focus singularly clear.

            You are going to die, motherfucker.

            “Back off!” DJ screamed. “I mean it.” He dragged her toward the edge of the ravine, Tom and Croft matching him step for step.

            Liza had been fairly docile, but that changed. She began to fight DJ, her gaze darting to her left. To the edge of the ravine, which was too damn close.

            She couldn’t breathe. Tom could see that she couldn’t breathe.

            She whipped her body to the right, away from the edge, and Tom saw something else. Something he hadn’t seen as he’d driven up. A blade protruded from DJ’s shoulder. Tom recognized it as the ceramic blade Raeburn had provided and now realized that this was how she’d gotten control of DJ’s gun before they’d arrived.

            His Liza was one hell of an amazing woman.

            Tom moved so that he was in her line of sight and tapped his left shoulder. Twisting her weight that way was counterintuitive because it put her too close to the edge, but it was the only way to get DJ to let her go so they could get a clear shot.

            Liza bobbed her head once in acknowledgment, then threw herself backward into DJ’s left shoulder, shoving the protruding blade deeper.

            DJ screamed, the sound wild and shrill. Like that of an animal.

            His grip on Liza loosened and she dropped and rolled.

            Tom’s heart stopped. She’d rolled with the momentum of her leftward motion and was skidding toward the edge of the ravine. “No.”