Page 123 of Deadly Cry

‘You’ve never liked me,’ Chris whined.

‘You’ve never given me a reason to. You’re vanilla, Chris. You’re boring and predictable. You don’t take risks. You allow yourself to be led, to be manipulated. You’re pointless. Right now, you have the chance to do something spectacular and you don’t even realise it.’

This did not sound like she was trying to get him to put the knife down. This sounded more like a goad, a call to action and somehow that action was going to include her.

Some people used their power for good and others did not.

Kim knew she had to somehow break this bond.

‘Don’t listen to her, Chris,’ she said.

He glanced her way, as though he’d forgotten she was there.

‘It’s your one chance, brother, to show me what you’re made of. You wanted a police officer in the public eye. Well, there’s one right there. She’s alone. Kill her and we get to leave and no one—’

‘Ignore her, Chris. She’s doing what she’s always done. She’s trying to—’

‘You could give us back our freedom, Chris. Let her live and we both spend the rest of our lives in prison. I’ll be protected, but a pretty boy like you will be gang—’

‘Chris, wake up,’ Kim snapped, trying to remove that picture from his mind. ‘She’s using you to get out of facing justice for all that she’s—’

‘How could I not respect the man who set us free?’ Lena asked, shouting over her.

Damn. Lena was offering him everything he’d ever wanted from her. Attention, respect, even affection.

All Kim could offer him was a lifetime in prison. She was losing the battle, but she had one last shot, she realised, as he moved to the centre of the room at equal distance from them both, demonstrating that Lena had turned his attention her way.

She was sitting against the double doors, and she knew there was no way out. Her only choice was to play the same game as his sister.

‘Chris, you came to me,’ Kim said gently. Empathy and understanding had saved Archie’s life. If she tried to shout above Lena, there would only be one winner.

‘There’s a part of you that wants this to end. Inside—’

‘Don’t listen, Chris. She knows she’s in danger. She knows she’s not going to—’

‘Inside, there’s a part of you that wants to sever that control. You see, I know things about you that your sister doesn’t.’

He turned his attention towards her.

‘I know that you didn’t want to hurt any of these people,’ she said, remembering the graphologist’s report. ‘You are a decent—’

‘Oh, shut the fuck up,’ Lena cried. ‘Just do it, Chris. For once you have the power—’

Kim tried to tune her out as she fought to hold his attention.

‘You are decent and have integrity. You mourn for your victims; you empathise with—’

‘Do it, Chris,’ Lena shouted. ‘Just take the knife and do it. How could I ever beat you? Finally, you will have won.’

Chris moved towards her.

‘Don’t do it,’ Kim said, trying to remain calm. ‘If you do, you’ll never be free of her and—’

Suddenly, he lunged towards her holding the knife forward. She saw the blade heading towards her chest and the determined look in his eyes.

Lena had said the magic words. She had told him he could win.

Kim threw up her arms to shield herself from the knife.