Page 68 of Justified Lies

Lianna was half a foot taller than the woman and even with her bum ankle, she would bet on herself to win that race any day. The sticking point was where would Lianna run to? Would she risk going home? There was a landline at her house and if she did make it, she could lock the door safely behind her.

But what if she didn’t make it? What if she got to the driveway only to have her daughter wandering around looking for her? What if she brought Diane back to the girl, putting Annie in harm’s way? But it was the only option she had because if Lianna did get away, Diane might go back to her house anyway.

Diane had freed Lianna’s arm once she regained her balance after the shove, but she still walked unnervingly close. The tip of the knife pressed against Lianna’s sweater as they walked. She could hear Diane still speaking, her tone bitter and harsh but she was no longer processing the words. Lianna had to act now, before she got to point B. Inhaling a final steadying breath, Lianna channeled the images of her children, then pulled away and ran.

****

As soon as Gabe turned onto Lianna’s street he saw the pair walking ahead. They were about halfway between her home and the end of the road. The women stuck out like the odd couple—Lianna tall and dark, Diane short and blonde. Slowing his car to a crawl to stay undetected, he pulled into Lianna’s driveway and out of sight.

After considering retrieving his firearm from the trunk, he quickly dismissed the idea. There was no time to waste. Lianna was in danger, and she needed him now. He didn’t know exactly what kind of danger she was in, just that she was in it, and that was enough for him.

Luckily, Gabe had peeled out of work the minute he listened to Lianna’s voicemail, hearing the tension in her voice. He was only a handful of miles away when he had finally gotten through and heard the women’s exchange. The anger and contempt in Diane’s voice shocked him. It also fueled him, as he obliterated the speed limit trying to reach her.

Lianna must be so frightened, but she had kept her cool, wisely telling Gabe the woman’s name and that she had a weapon. After Diane had disconnected the call, he had dialed 911. They should be backing him up any minute now.

Gabe jumped out of the vehicle and cautiously took off towards the pair. Although anxious for Lianna, he was focused and steady. Snatching a weapon away from a woman half his size didn’t even make him think twice. He just needed to make sure it wasn’t used on Lianna first.

As he crept toward them, he came up with a game plan. Running through the trees on the side of the road was slower and louder, but would keep him hidden should Diane check her back. If Gabe were stealth enough, he estimated he could get within ten yards of the women before he had to reveal himself.

Listening hard, he approached the duo. If Diane was still talking, Lianna was relatively safe. For a while Lianna had been pleading her case, debating with the woman who Gabe could now see held about a nine-inch knife at her side. But for the last several seconds Lianna had grown quiet, her body seemingly on autopilot.

Within striking distance now, Gabe exited the cover of the trees ready to reveal his position. To his surprise, Lianna turnedsuddenly and sprinted towards him. The move caught Diane by surprise as well. The woman stood there in shocked stillness for two seconds before she reacted, swiping the knife. Fortunately, that was all the time it took for Lianna to get out of her reach as she bound towards him.

“Stop!” Diane screamed after Lianna.

Lianna slowed when she saw Gabe, her eyes wide with fear.

“Run!” he commanded, glancing down at her sweatshirt that was torn and caked with blood. “Lock the door and stay in the house,” he bellowed without sparing her another glance.

To his relief, Lianna continue past him. She was safe for the time being, and he intended to keep her that way. All his attention now focused on the woman with the weapon.

Diane stopped giving chase when Gabe stepped fully onto the roadway. She was locked in his sight, a deer in headlights appearance to her icy blue eyes. Indecision flickered across her face before she turned and sprinted towards the stairs. Gabe knew he needed to give chase. This woman had a role in all the hardship Lianna had been through recently and that ended today.

Narrowing the distance between them easily, Gabe was almost close enough to reach out and grab her. They had just passed the first evergreens, unveiling the stairs beyond, when Diane stopped and spun. The move startled Gabe. He had been sure she would flee down the steps towards the ocean and away from him. After all, it was insane that she would face off against a man twice her size. But that was exactly what she was doing.

Gabe’s momentum betrayed him and before he could pull back, she thrust the knife. He felt the pain in his left side as he simultaneously raised his arms to stop her. The force of his elbow connecting with her head sent Diane flying back into therailing of the stairs. Her foot clipped the bottom of the rail, and she lost her balance.

The scene played out in slow motion, her arms spinning several times as panic masked her face. Then she was falling backwards. With a yell, she went over the edge and down the side of the cliff.

Gabe heard her land with a sickening crunch. Just narrowly skidding to a stop himself, he used the railing as support. Leaning over in search of her body, he found it twenty feet below tangled in dense shrubbery.

She landed on the tree roots slightly uphill, then rolled into the bushes based on the sound of her landing. It was then he first heard the sirens.Lianna. Needing to be with her, more than he needed his next breath, he turned to run. That’s when the pain in his side forced him to double over. He looked down.

His white dress shirt was covered in blood.

****

Lianna didn’t stop running until she reached her house. Slamming the door behind her, she locked it then kept moving. Not able to afford the luxury of catching her breath, she sprinted up the stairs two at a time. Slowing only when she reached Annie’s room, she opened the door as calmly as possible. Her breaths were coming in shaky gasps now, and the last thing she wanted was to frighten her daughter.

The little girl had fallen asleep, her head on a stuffed unicorn, book open in her lap. Tears painfully stung Lianna’s eyes as she resisted the urge to run to the girl and squeeze. Instead, she closed the door again and continued down the hall to her office.

Hightailing it over to the desk, she grabbed the landline that she never used. Quickly she dialed 911 and detailed the situation as concisely as possible. No sooner had she hung up, she heard sirens in the distance.That was fast.

Lianna stood there momentarily, hesitant to make her next move. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, her heart still trying to beat its way out of her chest.Gabe. What if he needed her? It didn’t seem likely, but what if Diane had somehow gotten the upper hand?

Running back down the stairs, she pulled open the door in time to see two police cruisers speed down her street. Jogging to the end of her driveway, her mouth hung open at the scene unfolding. In the few minutes she had been inside, two ambulances and other police vehicles had parked at the bottom of her road.

At the top of her road, police were setting up crime scene tape, closing off her street to traffic. The sound of a familiar voice flooded her with relief. Charles was in his SUV having a discussion with a uniformed cop. He saw Lianna, pointed, and was permitted to proceed.

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