Death By a Dark Horse

nervous?'

I clamped my lips together. His exhale came hot and long against my cheek. In one swift move he yanked on my shirt, dislodging several buttons, and jammed his hand inside my bra. My mouth turned sour and a whimper rose in my throat.

'How about now?' He dug his fingers into my breast. 'Maybe I make you hot.' His tongue flicked against my cheek and I jerked my head aside, my temple colliding with the gun. He laughed, short and ugly. I clamped down on my anger, but couldn't stop the tremor that shot through me. 'Too bad I have to catch a plane. You and your sister together would be entertaining.'

God, he was sick.

And there was no sound from downstairs.

He jabbed the gun barrel into the side of my face. 'Invite them up.'

He hadn't lost track of them, unfortunately. I prayed they were working on escaping, and stayed silent hoping to buy them more time.

'Do it. The other option is for us to go downstairs. If so, I will wound you so you live long enough to watch me shoot each of them. Your choice, but I'm getting sick of clearing bodies out of this damn kitchen myself and the smell is enough to make me gag. I could use some willing help. Then again, I might just set a match to the place. Hmm, maybe they should stay down there.'

'Do what he says, Juliet.' My voice shook so much I couldn't tell if it was loud enough for her to hear. I felt I'd signed our death warrants, even though I'd avoided his threat. Tears spilled down my face, but I was too frightened to sob.

After a moment there was more scuffling, then running footsteps on the stairs. Greg pulled me backwards several steps, his forearm tight at the base of my throat, choking me.

Sarah lurched through the doorway.

'Greg…?' She made a move toward us and he swung the gun at her.

'Stop right there, Sarah.' She did, and her eyes popped with surprise.

More footsteps sounded on the stairs, but at a considerably slower rate. Juliet and Delores stopped at the doorway to the kitchen, behind Sarah. Juliet's eyes grew wide as she took in the scene. Delores's face, although expressionless, was ashen. She held her left arm carefully. Greg put the gun against my head again.

'Well, that's better. Now Delores, don't tell me you've gone and hurt yourself.' His voice was saccharin with mock sympathy.

'You ought to know, you bastard,' she growled. 'You're the one who pushed me down the stairs.'

'Not as spry as you used to be, huh?'

She held her silence, but her eyes narrowed.

'What am I going to do with you girls?' he said.

'Greg-'

'Shut up, Sarah.'

She blinked as rapidly as the trembling of her chin.

An exasperated rumble vibrated in Greg's throat. 'Looks like I've got more planning to do than I thought. You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?' He pressed the gun to my head, again.

All eyes were on me, the obvious target of his question, but I was rigid with fear. I couldn't answer. I didn't want to die, not now, not like this. I didn't want anyone else to die, either.

'Now Lee,' Greg gestured with the gun toward the legs on the floor. Delores and Juliet followed his motion and Juliet gasped. Greg laughed at her reaction. 'He couldn't leave it alone, either. He screwed up, but the dumb shit thought I should give him more money. Now that's not fair. It's not my fault he drank the first five hundred. Why should I support his drinking habit?'

'Is he the guy who took Thea's horse?' Delores asked.

Sarah whimpered, and held her hand up like she was trying to stop Greg. He ignored her.

'Oh, how quickly we catch on. The idiot took the wrong horse, but I expect you figured that out already. Everything would have been perfect if that dickless moron had followed instructions.'

Juliet slid a quick look at Sarah before addressing Greg. 'Why did you kill Valerie?'

'I didn't kill Valerie.'

Sarah jerked toward my sister. 'See? I told you he didn't.'

The sneer Juliet turned on her was as contemptuous as any I'd ever seen, but Greg jumped in, defending himself in a righteous tone.

'She was already dead when I got to her Saturday afternoon.'

Liar.

Sarah waved her hands, again trying to stop him. 'No, Greg! You weren't here! I picked you up at the airport. Thea did it – caused all this trouble! You told me -' She stopped herself and cowered, watching Greg, worry and confusion stamped on her face.

He sighed. 'Did you see me get off the plane?'

'No,' was Sarah's whispered response.

'And you picked me up where?'

'At the curb outside of 'Arrivals.'' Again whispered. Tears dripped down her cheeks. 'But -'

'How much of my business do you think would have survived if the police even questioned me about Valerie's murder? People would assume I did it if you ran at the mouth about how I found her. Then I'd never be able to get new investors to keep that deal going.'

'I know you didn't kill her! I'd tell people that!'

'This is why I don't trust you, Sarah. You don't think, you just talk.' He made a little gesture with the gun, smacking me on the forehead with the barrel.

I flinched.

Juliet caught my eye and I read her perfectly. I'd missed my chance to act while he was distracted. Disappointment sank through me.

'Oh, what's this?' Greg hadn't missed the look. 'Secret signals?'

'No,' Juliet said quickly. 'I thought she was going to faint. She's so pale.'

'Don't you worry about big sister.' Greg squeezed my shoulders. 'She's so little I can hold her up even after I shoot her.' He laughed. 'Oh, I almost forgot. It's going to be Sarah who shoots you all. Then, the poor thing, sick with remorse, will shoot herself.'

'Greg!' Sarah wailed. 'I love you! We're going to go away together. Remember? Last night? You told me you loved me – you always loved me! You gave me this!' She held up her left hand. 'You love me!'

'You're an anchor around my neck, you stupid cow.'

He swung the gun toward her and she screamed. I let my knees collapse and dropped back against his chest. The moment he leaned into my weight I tipped forward, pulling him with me. With every ounce of strength I possessed I swung my arm down, slamming my fist into his groin. He yelped. I twisted and thrust my elbow hard into his ribs. His grip loosened and I pivoted, jamming the heel of my hand up into his nose. A sickening crunch erupted from his face under my hand, and blood gushed from his nostrils. Shrieking, Greg grabbed at his nose, flinging the gun across the room. It clattered to the tile floor and slid to a stop against Lee's leg.

Juliet leapt past me and smashed her fist into the side of Greg's head. He staggered and was tipping when she landed a round-house kick in the middle of his back.

It was a good bet he was already unconscious when he smacked, face down, onto the cold, hard, kitchen tile. He didn't even bounce.

Sarah screamed again, then sank to her knees and crawled across the floor to her would-be murderer, sobbing his name.

Juliet and I stared at him.

Delores stared at us.

'Did we kill him?' Juliet's question was almost indiscernible, since both of her hands covered her mouth.

'I don't think so,' I said, surprised at how steady my own voice sounded. 'We'd better find something to tie him up with before he comes to. He's going to be mad.'

Juliet sprinted down the basement stairs and reappeared moments later with a roll of duct tape. We taped his ankles together, then pulled his arms behind his back and wrapped a large amount of tape around his wrists. Sarah