Mason didn’t look convinced. “Where’d you get it?”

“I’m a good Catholic boy. I go to mass every Sunday. My grandmother gave it to me for protection when I joined the sheriff’s department.”

Joe turned his attention to the chief deputy, his eyes narrowing. “That’s odd, considering St. Jude is the patron saint of lost objects.”

Jeff flashed him a smile then he and Crocker rushed Joe at once. The gun went off and Mason flew off the chair, tackling me to the floor as I screamed. The three men continued to tussle and there was another shot.

“Mason. I need to find a gun,” I shouted.

“No.” He grunted in pain as he pressed me to the floor. “You’ll get shot.”

“We’re in big trouble if they overpower Joe.” I shoved him off. I was sorry to hurt him, but I needed one of those guns.

“Look outside,” Mason called after me. “The guy who found me didn’t take the bag.”

I ran out the back door toward the grouping of trees where I’d left Mason. The bag was several feet behind the tree where he had waited for me. My hand was shaking so hard it took me two attempts to open it, but I found a handgun inside with a full clip. I grabbed more clips and stuffed them into my pockets before heading back to the house.

I crept through the back door and hid behind the kitchen table as I assessed how the situation had changed. Mason had raised himself into a sitting position on the floor and was halfway between the living room and the kitchen. My heart leapt into my throat when I saw Joe lying on the floor, his face beaten. Jeff stood to the side looking unhappy as Crocker delivered another kick to Joe’s ribs.

“We’ve got a DA and a state police detective here, not to mention the fact that Joe Simmons is running for state senate and is the son of a very powerful political player, Crocker.” Jeff ran a hand through his hair and released a low whistle. “We’re in deep shit.”

“You were in deep shit long before now. We’ll kill these two and dispose of them in the hills where they’ll never be found, then I’ll take Rose with me.”

I rushed forward, the gun trained on Crocker. “I’m not going anywhere with you. Now get away from him.”

Mason swung around to look at me.

Crocker turned in surprise and smiled. “Rose, you came back to the party.” Then he kicked Joe again.

Joe released a grunt and spat blood onto the floor.

I held the gun higher, aiming at Crocker’s chest, my finger on the trigger. Mason had told me I’d better be prepared to use it if I pointed it at Crocker or one of his men. I only hoped I was.

“You can’t shoot me,” Crocker said, amused. “It’s not self-defense.”

“Mason?” I asked.

“Do it,” he said in a menacing voice.

Crocker looked surprised for a second, but he kicked Joe again in defiance. “You won’t shoot me, Rose.”

My hand shook.

Joe moaned on the floor, curling up in a defensive position, his eyes closed.

Crocker followed my gaze to Joe then looked back at me with a smirk. “If you shoot me, Chief Deputy Dimler will shoot you. And I don’t think that’s what you want.”

I didn’t answer.

“You’re too scared, Rose,” Crocker purred. “But that’s okay. It’s not easy killing a man. Watching his life bleed out.”

My stomach clamped and I hesitated as he started to creep toward me. Now he was just six feet away.

“Shoot him!” Mason shouted.

“I know what you want, Rose.” He smiled. “You want to protect both the D.A. and McAllister.” He held his hands out at his sides. “So let’s make a deal where no one gets hurt.” He took another step toward me. “If you put your gun down, Dimler promises to let your boyfriends go.”

“And me?”

He gave me his cocky grin. “You leave. With me.”

“I don’t think so.”

Crocker lunged for the gun.

I took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger. The blast filled the room and Crocker fell backward, tripping over Joe’s legs and landing on the floor. I swung the gun toward Dimler, whose gun was trained on me.

He moved his hands to his sides, the gun pointed against the wall, and took a step toward me. “Rose.” He smiled. “You can get away with shooting an escaped criminal, but not the chief deputy sheriff. Now put down the gun.”

“Mason?” My voice rose with fright.

“Don’t listen to him.”

Jeff’s face pleaded with me. “Rose, I know how this looks, but you don’t know the whole story.”

“It looks like you’ve partnered with Daniel Crocker and you told him where we were hiding. Why? And why didn’t you just tell him immediately? Why wait?”

“We were…negotiating. And as for why, do you know how much a sheriff makes? Not very damn much, I’ll tell you that. How the hell am I supposed to pay for all of my kid’s medical bills?”

“Answer this,” Mason said, his voice hard. “Why have me work on finding the leak if you were planning to turn me over to Crocker with Rose?”

Jeff turned to look at Mason. “I didn’t want you involved in this. I told you to let me take her into our protection.” He pointed his gun at me again. “And I told you to convince him to stay out of the whole situation. We both know who’s going to win this standoff. So if Mason gets hurt in all of this, that’s on your head.”