She inhaled sharply. Luke’s car keys were covered by his sports jacket, but they hung from a hook on his belt. If he kept the same habits he had while they were dating, the key to his cuffs should be on that same ring.
“Do you have any tarps?” Dan asked.
Kyle swallowed hard. “In a cabinet above the garage.”
“Good. I’ll spread them out in the back of your truck.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder to the closet. “We’ll take a gun from there. If we’re lucky, the weapon will have been used in a previous crime and it’ll be in the system. That’ll confuse the investigators.”
“I’ll get one.”
“Wait for me. I don’t want them left alone in case either of them tries something.” Dan held Kyle’s gaze. “I’ll be right back. If they so much as blink, shoot them.”
He lumbered out of the house. Megan took the opportunity to shift her body on the couch. Her hands were bound behind her back. Finding and unhooking Luke’s keys wouldn’t be easy, but it was the only chance they had.
Lord, guide my fingers. Help me stay strong.
“You don’t have to do this, Kyle.” She kept her tone calm and reasonable. “This isn’t you.”
“How can I avoid it?” He paced the length of the room. “Luke shouldn’t have snooped. If he hadn’t gone in the closet, then none of this would be happening.”
“But it is happening and you have choices. No one is dead yet.”
Megan shifted again, as if she was uncomfortable, estimating the key ring’s position on Luke’s belt. Her fingers slipped under his jacket but found only the soft fabric of his pants.
“You realize Dan is going to pin our murders on you, right?”
Kyle swallowed hard and the hand holding his gun trembled. “No, he won’t.”
Luke slid down on the couch. Her fingers brushed against his leather belt and she traced it. From the wet bar, his cell phone started ringing again.
Please, Lord. I hope Weston realizes something is terribly wrong.
“Franny found out that someone was stealing from the evidence room, Kyle. Dan killed her for it and framed Wade.” Her mouth was dry, and she licked her lips. “Think about it for a minute. Did you see Dan talking to Wade at Franny’s party?”
Kyle’s jaw tightened.
Bingo.
Quentin hadn’t stolen her brother’s phone. Dan had. He’d set up the entire murder and then given Quentin the gun to sell afterward. But things didn’t go as planned. Quentin kept the gun and tried to use it as leverage when he decided to change his life. Dan killed him instead, setting up the murder to look like an overdose. Everyone had bought it—except June and Quentin’s grandmother.
Luke slouched lower, and the keys touched her palm. She closed her hand around them, her heart pounding.
“Whose truck is Dan spreading the tarps in right now? Not his own. He’s using yours. Think about it, Kyle. He’s going to turn on you.”
“I…” Kyle’s gaze darted to Luke’s phone. He let out a breath. “He can’t. I know too much.”
“Quentin probably thought so too.”
Kyle’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He shook his head and backed up a few paces as if to separate himself from her words. His gaze darted to the windows overlooked the driveway. The unattached garage was just beyond the glass.
There was no sign of Dan, but they needed to hurry. Luke shifted once more, and the keys slid off his belt.
Thank you, Lord.
“The stuff in the closet is bad,” she continued. “But it’s only drugs and weapons. A good defense attorney might be able to get the evidence thrown out on a technicality. Killing a law enforcement officer in Texas, however, is a capital crime.”
Luke’s phone rang again.
“Or you can free us and end things now. Tell the police what you know about Dan.”
Kyle sucked in a breath. “I dunno, Megs.”
Luke’s fingers brushed hers and she released the keys. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and nodded ever so slightly. She needed to keep Kyle distracted.
“How long have you been doing this?”
“Only a year. I didn’t want to get involved, but I make next to nothing as a pharmacy technician and I have all this credit card debt, not to mention the house. The bank was breathing down my neck. I needed more income.”
Kyle could justify it, but he was a drug dealer. People had overdosed on the drugs he sold them. He deserved to spend the rest of his life in jail.
She tamped down her anger and plastered an expression of sympathy on her face. “You were in a bad place. It couldn’t have been an easy choice.”
“It wasn’t.” He licked his lips. “I knew you would understand.”
“I do. And that’s why I’m looking out for you now. I care you about you, Kyle. Do you really think Dan does?”
“No, but he can’t go against me either. I know too much.” The hand holding the gun lowered to his side. He came around the coffee table, his expression earnest. “I’m sorry, Megs, but there’s no other—”
Luke lunged from the couch and tackled Kyle. Both men went flying. They slammed into the bookcase, sending it crashing into the wall. Kyle’s gun sailed through the air and landed on the carpet.
Megan rocked off the couch and kicked the weapon farther out of reach. The sound of glass crashing was followed by a grunt of pain. She turned. Luke was crumpled on the floor.
Kyle bolted for the door. He swung it open and ran for the garage. Luke struggled to his feet, grabbed his primary weapon from the wet bar, and checked to make sure it was loaded before cutting her loose.
“Take my backup,” Luke ordered.
The gun was cool against her sweaty palm. Holding the weapon didn’t erase the fear, but it put her on a more level playing field. She let out a breath. Luke scooped up his cell
