Page 45 of Ice Cold Liar (Ice Breaker Cold Case #14)

Henry had been left behind. Henry would bark. He’d alert someone.

I don’t have a phone on me. No way to track me.

Unless…did Madeline have a phone? Could she be tracked?

“On your wedding night when I found him, Hudson was bleeding and he was going to kill you,” Madeline revealed. A reveal that she seemed to relish. “When I came into the guest- house, he had a gun. He was going to chase you down and shoot you. I stopped him.”

“You stabbed him in the heart.”

“It seemed fitting. He’d broken my heart, after all.”

Naomi had no response. But that was fine because Madeline seemed to have plenty she wanted to say.

“I trusted him. It wasn’t just that he pissed me off by marrying you.

He and Ivan were working together. Stealing.

Betraying me. Hudson was supposed to use Ivan to stop crimes.

But he wasn’t. They funneled so much money into offshore accounts.

Hudson was neck-deep in sin with Ivan. Brock knew about it.

He wanted a slice of the pie that they had.

Brock is the one who came to me and told me what they were doing, before the wedding.

So Brock is the one I partnered with. I took out Hudson.

Brock killed Ivan. Brock was supposed to kill you, but Eb got in the way. ”

Naomi crept away from the sedan. Acted as if she was going to head to the entrance of the guesthouse. Naomi was seventy percent sure she’d heard a car engine. Not just any engine.

Hello, ‘68 Impala…I hear you growling for me.

Okay, fine, maybe her ear wasn’t quite good enough to actually recognize the engine, but hope was keeping her going. She hoped that she heard that ‘68 Impala. “You killed Brock. To…to hide your involvement? To make sure your fall guy never changed his mind and turned on you?”

Madeline followed her. “I killed Brock because he could not be trusted. He would say anything when the pressure was right. I wasn’t about to be implicated by him.”

“Uh, I hate to point this out.” She walked backwards, edging toward the guesthouse but keeping her eyes on Madeline and keeping the wrench concealed. “But you are about to be super implicated. You kidnapped me from a police station. Ballsy move, I’ll give you that. But dangerously dumb.”

“No one saw me take you! The security cameras in the back of the station don’t work. Clark made sure they didn’t work.”

Clark? Her brows shot up.

Madeline laughed. “He was on the take with Ivan. That means he was part of Hudson’s web. I knew it all along.”

“You sent him to kill me, too.”

“Um, I did. Told him that we couldn’t have loose ends. Told him that Hudson had shared secrets with you and that you had to be eliminated. Clark was panicked and desperate. It was like pointing a loaded gun.”

“You actually are pointing a loaded gun at me right now.” Another step backwards.

“Indeed, I am.”

She could feel sweat at the base of her back. “Even if there weren’t cameras, Eb is going to realize something happened to me. Eb is going to come after me.”

“You’ll be dead when he arrives. A seizure that was too powerful for you. Such a shame. You fought them your whole life. But in the end, you just weren’t strong enough.”

Her knees locked. “I’m not having a seizure.”

“You will when I’m done with you. Certain drug combinations will cause a seizure. A mix of stimulants and antidepressants, a lovely witch’s brew that will boil in your veins. Something fun made up and used on a few of the CIA’s enemies over the years.”

Naomi shook her head. “No.”

“Yes.” Adamant. “It’s easier, you’ll see. I mean, torture would be terrible for you. This way, well, it will only be a few moments. I had intended for you to die in a fire. My original plan. Figured that would be a fun, full-circle bit for you, considering what happened to your parents.”

Her hand tightened around the wrench. “Fun.”

“Um. But Brock screwed that up— twice. He had two chances to make you burn, and he messed up both times. So now I’m improvising.”

“So…Ivan didn’t plan the fire at my home? You did?”

A shrug. “Brock was following my orders. But don’t be mistaken, Ivan wanted you dead, too. There was a line of people waiting for you to die.”

How fantastic to know. Her breath panted out. “I’m no expert, but won’t your little witch’s brew show up in a tox screen after I’m dead?”

Madeline laughed at her. “Who will order the tox screen? You fled from the police station because you couldn’t bear to be around Eb any longer. He was too much like your husband. A liar and a killer. You came here, and, overwhelmed, you suffered a life-ending seizure.”

She had a death grip on the wrench. “And how did I get here?”

Madeline blinked.

“I rode with Eb to the police station,” Naomi pointed out. “In that beautiful ‘68 Impala of his.”

“I hate that car,” Madeline gritted out.

“I happen to love it,” Naomi returned. “And, speaking of my dream ride, it’s right behind you.”

Madeline spun around. The gun spun away, too. Shifted away from Naomi. “No, it’s not! Eb isn’t here!” Madeline cried.

No, he wasn’t there. Not yet. But she definitely heard a fast-approaching engine, and she’d just gotten her perfect distraction. Naomi yanked up the wrench. “Batter up, bitch.” She lunged for her prey.

Too late, Madeline tried to turn back for her.

Naomi slammed that wrench into Madeline’s arm as hard as she could. The gun flew from Madeline’s fingers. Naomi pulled back, and she swung again. This time, she slammed the wrench into the side of Madeline’s head.

Madeline screamed even as blood arched into the air.

And a black Impala came hurtling toward them.

Yes! Yes!

Madeline fell to the ground. The gun had landed under the sedan. Eb was racing toward her in that beautiful Impala, and Naomi could even see Henry in the passenger seat.

I’m okay. I’m safe. We’re all okay.

Gripping that wrench like the lifeline it was, Naomi surged toward the Impala. Eb was already out. Already shouting?—

“Get down!” He had a gun aimed at her.

She dropped without hesitating. Because this was Eb. She trusted him.

She believed in him.

She loved him.

That certainty pierced through every cell of her body.

So she just fell.

Eb fired his gun, and she knew he’d hit his target when she heard the thud and grunt behind her. Pushing to her knees and pressing up on the palms of her hands, Naomi glanced back.

Madeline was on her feet. She’d gotten the gun from beneath the car. Or—no, maybe that was a secondary weapon? Didn’t super spies always have second weapons? Madeline had a gun in her hand, but blood was on her body. Near her shoulder even as she tried to aim the gun and shoot at Naomi.

Eb fired again.

The second bullet had Madeline staggering back. But still holding the gun. That woman just would not stop.

But she didn’t get to fire because Henry leapt at her. He slammed his paws into her chest and took Madeline down.

“Naomi!” Eb grabbed her. Pulled her to her feet. His hands bit hard into her shoulders. “Baby, baby, please, tell me you’re okay.”

She still had her wrench. “I heard you coming.”

“I fucking love you. ”

She smiled. “Good, I love you?—”

He shoved her behind him.

“Too,” she finished. Naomi peeked over his shoulder.

Henry had his paws on Madeline’s chest. Her blood stained his paws. Blood from the gunshots. But Madeline wasn’t dead. Her eyes were open, and her hands pushed weakly at the Golden Retriever.

Eb stalked toward her. Scooped up the gun from the ground and tucked it in his waistband.

“Help…” Madeline whispered.

“Henry, back,” Eb ordered.

Henry whined, but he moved back. Not to Eb’s side. To Naomi’s. That beautiful, fierce dog barreled right to her. He bumped into her legs. Sat on her feet. Hunched back and stared up at her with adoration on his face.

“I love you,” she told him, and she dropped to her knees to hug him. “Who is the best boy ever?” The best, apparently blood-thirsty and vengeful boy.

That’s what happens when you threaten to shoot my dog.

“Why the hell did you do this?” Eb asked Madeline. “ Why?”

“Because she loved Hudson,” Naomi replied.

His head turned toward her. Disbelief was clear to see in his expression.

“Because she loved him since she was sixteen years old.” She held her dog tighter.

In the distance, she could hear sirens. More cars approaching.

Eb had apparently come charging in with a whole cavalry behind him.

“And I think she loved you, too.” Madeline had loved him.

Hated him. Maybe both? Maybe love and hate all twisted together?

Maybe that was the way Madeline felt about both Hudson and Eb.

“The hell she did.” His hands pressed to the wounds on Madeline’s body. “You’re not dying, you hear me? You’re going to answer for what you’ve done. You’ll pay for hurting Naomi. You will pay.”

Then the other cars rushed onto the scene. Patrol cars. Unmarked vehicles. Hunter jumped from one. Colson Reid was right with him. A woman in a gray suit. So many cops.

“Put your hands up!” A fierce order from an older cop.

Eb raised his hands. His blood-covered hands. “I’m not the bad guy.”

No, he wasn’t.

Naomi rose. Moved to stand in front of him. “He’s the hero.” Henry bumped her. “They both are,” Naomi corrected.

“Fuck that,” Eb snapped from behind her. “ You are, slugger. ”

Aw, had he seen her killer swing?

“ Drop the wrench, ma’am! ” the cop blasted.

Oh, right.

She dropped the wrench. It clattered to the ground. “For the record, I didn’t kill anyone. ”

“I believe you,” Eb said.

With her hands still up, she looked back at him.

“I believe you,” he said.

I believe you.

Strange because it felt like…

I love you.

“Say it again,” she whispered.

And he opened his mouth and said…

“I love you.”

The best words she’d ever heard in her life.