"Then help me save her life. Please." She had no idea what she was going to do with the knife if he actually brought her one, but if she could get him out of the room, she could lock the door and maybe buy them a little more time, although the flimsy lock on the door probably wouldn’t hold him back long. Her mind raced as she calculated how long it would take her to shove the dresser in front of the door. He could shoot his way through the wood.
This could be the worst plan she'd ever come up with.
Kelly screamed in agony, even as her hand stroked Violet's back. The baby began to cry, too.
Hannah felt like joining them. She needed to release the tension and the fear, but she had to stay strong. "We're going to lose her," she said. "Help me, Tom."
"You're lying," he said, shaking his head. "You're not going to cut up your sister. She's faking. She's not dying."
Her ruse was not working, and a sense of overwhelming despair came over her.
What was she going to do now?
And then she heard a loud bang.
Tom's gaze flew to the door. Another bang came from the front of the house, louder this time.
Her heart sang with relief, as Tom raced out of the room. She ran to the bedroom door just in time to see the front door of the cabin swing open. Tom took several wild shots.
She screamed, terrified that it was Jake that Tom was shooting at.
But then out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jake come out of the kitchen. He launched himself on Tom's back, taking him down to the floor. The gun flew out of Tom's hand. She closed the bedroom door and then raced forward to grab the gun. Once she had it in her hand, she didn't know what to do. The two men were fighting for their lives, knocking over furniture, landing punishing blows, but they were so tangled up together, she couldn't pull the trigger and accidentally shoot Jake.
Tom had at least fifty pounds on Jake, but Jake was punching with a ferocity she'd never seen. Still, she didn't know if he could take Tom down. She wanted to help. She had to do something. She had to save Jake and her sister and her niece and herself.
As Tom shoved Jake off him with almost superhuman strength and lunged to his feet, she had her chance. She fired a single shot, hitting Tom square in the chest.
Tom's eyes widened in shock as he fell to his knees and then onto his back.
Another man came through the door, and she turned her gun in his direction.
Davis McKenna quickly put up a hand. "It's me, Hannah."
She blew out a breath, her hand still shaking. She needed to let go of the gun, but she couldn't get her fingers to move. And then Jake was there.
"Give me the gun, Hannah," he said quietly.
She met his gaze and his eyes reassured her. She let him take the gun, relieved when it was out of her grip. She was reeling. Blood was racing through her veins and her heart was beating way too fast.
As Davis checked on Tom, she said, "Is he dead?"
Davis looked back at her. "Yes. He's dead."
"I killed him." She felt numb with shock. She should feel bad that she'd killed a man. She'd spent her entire career trying to save lives, not take them. But she couldn't get to that expected feeling of remorse. She kept remembering Tom's madness. He'd killed Kelly's boyfriend, and he'd threatened to kill all of them.
"Where's your sister?" Jake asked. He put the gun on the nearby mantel and took his hands in hers.
"She's in the bedroom. I should get to her."
"I'll check on her," Davis said. "Take a minute, Hannah. Get your feet back under you."
As Davis left, Jake gave her a searching look. "Are you all right? Did he hurt you?"
"No. But if you hadn't come, he would have killed me, maybe Kelly and Violet, too." She drew in a much-needed breath. "But you came—just in time."
"I'm sorry it took so long for me to get here. We ran into a few problems on the way." He looked back at the man on the ground. "I assume he was alone. Is there anyone else we have to worry about?"
"No. He was alone. He was crazy, Jake."
"I'm so happy he didn't hurt you. I heard a woman scream, and my heart stopped."
"That was Kelly. She was faking pain. We were trying to get him to go into the other room."
"Thank God." He put his arms around her and gave her a tight squeeze. "I was so worried about you, Hannah."
She savored the comfort of his arms for a long minute, wanting to stay there forever, but the sound of Violet's cries brought her head back up. "Want to meet my niece?" she asked.
He smiled. "I do."
They walked into the bedroom where Davis was examining Kelly and the baby.
"You did well, Hannah," Davis said approvingly. "Everyone looks good."
"Hannah was amazing," Kelly said, meeting her gaze. "Although, for a minute there, I was scared you were going to cut me open."
"I was just trying to get him out of the room."
"I know. I tried to play along."
"You were almost too good. I started thinking you might really be in pain."
"I feel wonderful now. Dr. McKenna said Tom is dead." Her sister's gaze sought hers for confirmation.
"Yes, he is. He can't hurt you again, Kelly. You and Violet and Brett are safe."
Her sister's eyes watered, and tears slid down her cheeks. "Because of all of you. I didn't know what was going on when I heard the shots, but I just had faith that the next person to walk through the door would be someone who wanted to help me." She looked at Davis. "I couldn't believe it was you, Dr. McKenna."
Now that Hannah thought about it,
