Trust Me

Chapter 25

Tears welled up in Ranalla's eyes. Her chest hurt, and her heart felt as though it was breaking. She couldn't breathe as she gazed up into his steady eyes. Looking deep, she searched for a sign of him lying, but his eyes told her otherwise.

"You." Her voice cracked. "I trusted you."

His eyes never wavered as they looked hard into hers.

Her father spoke. "Maybe you will have learned a lesson how not to trust anyone, especially someone like him."

Ranalla turned around at the tone Gregory had taken. He was standing up, pointing the gun at Vince this time. He took a step back and motioned for Ranalla with the free hand. "Move by your mother." He never took his eyes off the other man.

With her mouth hanging open at the sudden switch of her father's focus, she moved to her mother's outstretched arms. Vince was standing straighter. His expression was still bland as he watched the man holding the gun pointed at him.

"Think I wouldn't figure it out, Vince?" Her father smirked. "Though I have to admit you had me fooled for a very long time."

Vince shrugged.

"I'm trying to piece all this together. Many things are still blurry. Were you involved in Margaret's deception?" He inclined his head toward his estranged wife, sitting on the couch with her arm around her daughter.

Vince didn't blink. "Yes."

Ranalla looked over at her mother. Margaret met her eyes and nodded silently.

"Thought your timing was a little too perfect. Were you in league with Sheldon the whole time?"

Vince shook his head. "No. He approached me last year and asked me to spy on you to see if you were aware of Ranalla's whereabouts. He wanted me to kidnap her."

Her father nodded. "Not surprised. He can't win her over, so he forces her. Sounds like the wimp he was."

Ranalla spoke up. "Then why did you want me to marry him?"

Without looking at her, he answered. "His father owns a shipping company. I needed the resources he supplied. You were my ticket to getting them."

Getting over her shock, Ranalla stood up. She looked with confusion between the two men. Gregory moved the gun slightly in her direction.

"Sit down, Ranalla." A voice expecting obedience lashed out at her.

"No. I don't understand any of this." She turned to Vince. "You helped my mother escape?" He nodded with eyes on her father. "You agreed to kidnap me for Sheldon?" Again he nodded. "So where does this plan to kill me come in?" Her voice raised with each question.

Vince answered softly. "Should I tell her or you?"

Gregory laughed. "You wouldn't come to your senses, child. You wouldn't accept Sheldon's attention. You wouldn't listen to me. I thought for sure you'd come back crawling on your hands and knees begging me for forgiveness. I never imagined that you'd land on your own feet."

"But kill me?" She threw her hands up. "Because I disobeyed you? Don't you think that is taking parenting a little too far?"

"You were a liability to me. Even after I knew of Sheldon's plans I couldn't risk it."

"You knew Sheldon wanted to kidnap me?"

"Of course, I had my own spies in his organization. That's when I knew Vince was working for him, too. It just wasn't until yesterday that I realized he was working us all over."

Ranalla shook her head. "What do you mean?"

"Dear Vince here is FBI."

She looked at Vince, who once again showed no expression. "Are you?"

Vince nodded. His eyes never left her Father's face. "When did you find out?"

"My informant told me about three months ago. I wanted to see if you would go so far as to actually kill her to get deeper in trust with me. I have to admit that I was surprised when she disappeared. I was expecting to get the notice she was dead. Then I was directed to a little house a couple of hours away where I found someone who was supposed to be dead." His eyes flickered to Margaret.

"You're good, Vince. You had me convinced. I probably would have not realized if I didn't have enough connections in the Bureau."

"Who was it?"

"Why would I reveal that now? He's kept quiet all these years. I prefer to keep him tucked away even from the man I plan on killing now."

"You would dirty your hands with my blood?" Vince asked surprised. "I wouldn't have thought you'd go that far."

"You've proven to me that I can't trust even the hired hands."

"You killed Sheldon?"

"Think I can't use a rifle? I'll have you know that I can shoot about anything, but why should I put my prints on a weapon? I prefer to stay away, but I see that this situation has to be done personally."

Ranalla shook her head. "You'd kill your own flesh and blood?" She was in shock. She looked over at Vince. "I don't understand you. Do I trust you?"

Her father answered for her. "I wouldn't. Did he tell you he was protecting you? Did he seduce you?" He laughed at the look on her face. "I didn't think you were so stupid, Ranalla. Seems Vince here has been stabbing us all in the back. Where does your loyalty lie, Vince?"

Vince blinked for the first time. "Not with someone like you."

"Figured that." He pulled the hammer on the gun. "Well, I have to get going. I have a business meeting scheduled, and I have to leave now to get there in time. Might as well get this all done."

"How do you plan on explaining all this?"

"Why, you are the one to kill them. I figure your involvement with Sheldon will help make it all the more believable that you would go off the deep end and shoot these two helpless women who were running from a rogue employee of mine who seems to have had a dark past and present I was unaware of."

Vince nodded. "Makes sense."

Her father motioned for Vince to move toward the women. "You get over there. It will make this easier to get this done with."

"Forensics will show how I could not have done this." Vince pointed out.

"That is why I have connections." He smiled.

As he raised the gun up and aimed at Vince's head, the windows burst in. Vince's body fell on the women as glass flew through the air. A scream rent the air as Ranalla felt something warm and wet flow down her face.