Page 146 of From This Moment

Piper hurried forward, dropping to her knees. Parting the fur that was matted with blood, she found a cut about two inches long above his shoulder blade.

“What the hell did you do to him?” She glared up at Zander. “I saw you bent over him, then you tucked something into your waistband.”

“Piper!”

Ignoring Ava’s shock, she straightened and moved closer to Zander.

“Zander would never hurt Buzz, he loves him like we all do.”

“Okay, maybe I was wrong.” Piper decided to back off. This entire situation felt volatile and she didn’t know why. “Let’s go, Ava, we have to finish the race or they’ll come looking for us.”

“Not so fast.”

Ava saw the gun the same time as Piper.

“What the hell, Zander? Quit messing around. Where the did you get that anyway?”

“Come here, Ava.” Piper reached for the girl and tugged her close.

“Zander, stop it, you’re scaring us!” Ava cried.

“This wasn’t meant to happen yet.” He looked agitated. “We had it all planned, and it wasn’t supposed to play out like this.”

“What are you talking about?”

How could the face of a person you’d known for months suddenly change? Gone was the indifference, and in its place was something sinister.

“Adjust, I need to adjust like he would,” Zander said.

“Zander, talk to me,” Ava pleaded. “I don’t understand any of this.”

“I hadn’t planned it like this, but you suspected something.” He waved the weapon at Piper. “You saw me tucking something in my jeans. Father asked me to get revenge, and worked out the plan, and this is the start. We have several more people to kill before he is avenged. But your brother and you were chosen as the first.”

“First what?” Ava whispered.

“First people to die.”

“Dear God.” Piper realized then that he was the person responsible for everything that had happened to the Howard family.

“Your brother is lauded as one of the best FBI profilers they have, Ava, and yet even he has not worked out what I’ve been doing.”

“Tell me it wasn’t you who cut Dad’s breaks, and poisoned Mom? Tell me Zander!” The words were torn from Ava.”

“We planned everything, and it worked. We kept your brother in Ryker Falls, and now he’s going to die… along with both of you.”

Piper shivered as Zander spoke the words calmly.

“And, Charlie?” Ava whispered.

“That was my father’s idea. He told me exactly what to do,” Zander smiled, and Piper saw the insanity then.

“Stop crying!” Zander waved his gun at Ava as she started sobbing. “Or I’ll shoot Piper now, with you watching.”

Piper pulled the girl into her chest and pretend to cry too, pushing her face into Ava’s hair.

“Don’t say anything, and run when I say,” she whispered.

Ava nodded.

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