Page 64 of Two Hearts' Ploy

“Of course. Who needs a sniveling little sexpot like her? I deserve better. Once I’m living the life I deserve, I’ll be able to have anyone I want.”

Robin accidentally sent some rocks from the pathway flying, and as Garrett turned, his Glock shot off when Robin flung her entire body towards him.

Despite the blood, Wren rushed up to them, kicking the Glock off the edge of the cliff where it dropped into the lake below.

With nearly superhuman strength, Wren yanked Garrett off Robin and pushed him to the edge of the cliff.“Leave her alone you jerk.”

“Wren,”Jeff screamed out from somewhere nearby. “Get away from him so you don’t go over the edge. The rock’s about to give out from under him.”

Sure enough, Jeff was right.

As Garrett dropped over the edge of the cliff, hysterical screams echoed through the air.

* * *

Jeff watched as Wren wrapped her arms around Robin, who was supposedly her sister. Jeff and Jake had managed tobandage Robin’s arm tight to stop the bleeding where she’d been shot.

But the prognosis was good since the bullet had gone awry. There’d be a huge gouge in Robin’s arm, but she should eventually regain most of her range of motion, Jeff determined, based on his experience in search and rescue. At least it had been her left arm that had been injured, as opposed to the right, since she was right-handed.

Jake walked over, standing beside Jeff. “This isn’t the first time someone has died going over that cliff.”

“I know. I remember that Josh Loughlin’s father was one of them.”

“Who just happened to be my perverted sexual predator uncle,” Jake admitted grimly.

Jake’s cousin, Captain Joshua Loughlin, was a family friend, and was also in charge of the wounded warrior home.

“We’ve had some pretty creepy things happen here at Dragonfly Pointe,” Jeff admitted.

“Yet the folklore speaks of magical new beginnings,” Jake replied.

“I know this sounds a little crazy, but maybe it’s meant to be the balance needed to abolish the evil,” Jeff said softly.

“That could very well be,” Jake admitted, becoming thoughtful.

They both stood and watched as Robin appeared determined to spill her guts to Wren, who just seemed to be nodding her head in reassurance.

“I think I hear the ambulance. I’ll go meet them while you stay with Wren and Robin,” Jake said. “It might take a little longer to wrap up the investigative side of things. A team from the FBI will be arriving shortly. We’ll probably stop by the hospital with some additional questions after we’re finished on scene.”

“Thanks, Jake,” Jeff said.

“For what?” Jake asked grimly. “You did what you were supposed to. My guys were the ones who must not have been watching your house carefully enough since they didn’t even notice her leaving the house. We’re talking about one guy on the lake and another parked at the end of your road. At least you remembered that there was a tracking device on her SUV in case you hadn’t found her at Crystal Rock. But if it hadn’t been for Wren’s sister, Wren might very well be dead.”

“Tell me about it. Come to think of it, it was probably the only time we’ve been apart since Wren moved in,” Jeff said, blinking at the realization. “But if it hadn’t been for my sister Kate showing up, thinking she was protecting my honor, Wren probably wouldn’t have been upset enough to leave in the first place. I’m going to have to have a serious talk with Kate about butting out of my personal business.”

Jake gave him a slow smile. “It all worked out, so go easy on Kate. Speaking of new beginnings – we’ll have to see what we can do about dropping some of the charges that are probably going to be in the works since Robin was an accessory.”

“Good. I’m sure Wren would be incredibly grateful. I remember her telling me once that she’d always felt so alone,” Jeff answered.

Jake nodded his obvious understanding before heading over to talk to the paramedics while Jeff joined Wren and Robin.

Chapter Forty-Two

“I’ll take what’s coming to me,” Robin said stubbornly while Wren and Jeff sat with her later at the hospital after Jake walked into the room. “Garrett was obviously feeding me lies the whole time I knew him. He played me for a fool, but I shouldn’t have been so ready to believe him.”

“So you’ve been keeping an eye on him ever since he arrived in Crystal Rock?” Jake asked.

“More or less. He went crazy when Wren disappeared, so I knew he’d show up to watch her once I was contacted to do the makeup for the video. He’s been using me to keep a close eye on her for years. And of course, I was the one who left the notes, even though I was never allowed to know what he was writing to her. They were always sealed, and I had strict instructions to wear gloves, which isn’t a stretch since I carry several pairs in my makeup kit for makeup removal or applying custom costume paint. But I never knew he was capable of killing anyone. I knew when Chad Winslow ended up dead, that Garrett had to be responsible.” Robin hung her head. “At first, I believed everything Garrett said – that Wren knew she had a sister and wanted nothing to do with me, and even when Mom was diagnosed with cancer, she wasn’t willing to help financially.I mean, he’s been pounding it into me since I was a teenager. But I never knew anything about an inheritance – you have to believe me. All he told me was that I deserved more since I was the one to take care of Mom and you deserted her.”

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