Page 70 of Dark Shadows
“You’re lying!” He shoved her away. “Just like the rest.”
Savanah's hand emerged from her pocket. The pepper spray caught him full in the face.
Wesley screamed, stumbling back. The gun wavered. Savanah dove for it, fingers closing around cold metal. They grappled. It was a war between Wesley’s strength and Savanah’s desperation.
“I loved you!” he howled. “I did everything for you!”
The gun went off.
Wesley staggered, red blooming across his thigh. His eyes met hers, filled with betrayal and madness and something like love.
“Savanah.”
He lunged. Savanah pulled the trigger again. This time he fell, clutching his shoulder.
“Please,” she begged with the gun trained on him as she backed toward Mason. “Don't make me kill you.”
Wesley lay there, blood seeping into the barn floor, watching as she cut Mason's bonds with the knife on the table across the room. Wesley’s eyes never left her face.
“I would have given you everything,” he whispered.
“You already did.” Savanah's voice broke. “You gave me friendship, protection, love. And then you twisted it into this.”
Sirens wailed in the distance. Jacob must have traced her phone. Wesley's eyes drifted closed.
Mason took the gun from her trembling fingers and pulled her into his arms.
“I've got you,” he murmured into her hair. “I've got you.”
Jacob burst through the barn door with his gun drawn, followed by two deputies. “Everyone okay?” His eyes took in the scene; Wesley bleeding on the floor, Mason holding Savanah.
“We need an ambulance,” Mason said.
Jacob holstered his weapon and knelt beside Wesley, checking his pulse. “He's still alive.” He looked up at Savanah. “We got the DNA results. The partial second DNA profile from the blood at Beverly's scene came back as a match to Wesley.”
“How did you have Wesley’s DNA?” Mason asked.
“He apparently volunteered at the local Summer Camp and they require a background check, fingerprints, and a sample DNA.”
Savanah buried her face in Mason’s chest and finally let the tears come. Tears for the little boy who'd shared his candy. For the protector who'd become a monster. For the friend she'd lost long before she'd pulled the trigger.
“How did you find us?” Mason asked.
“Tracked Savanah's phone.” Jacob hesitated with a grim expression. “After you didn't answer, I went to Wesley's house looking for him. Found something you both need to know about.”
“What now?” Savanah asked. “I’m not sure I can take anymore.”
“He had a hidden space in his closet.” Jacob's voice dropped. “Dedicated to you, Savanah. Photos covering the wall. Items stolen from your mother's house; clothing, jewelry, old school projects. He's been collecting pieces of your life for years.”
Savanah's legs weakened beneath her.
“I found journals,” Jacob continued. “Detailed accounts of your daily routines. Places you worked, people you dated. Names of people he planned to 'remove' from your life. Your stepfather was next on his list.”
“Richard?” Her voice cracked.
Jacob nodded. “He had maps, schedules, weapon selections. All meticulously planned.”
“He's been watching me all this time.” The realization hit her with physical force. “Not just here. Everywhere.”
