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The police, he thought, and he automatically reached for his gun
using his crippled hand. He screamed in pain and confusion as he
realized that the gun wasn’t there. It had been on the front seat but
it wasn’t there now and none of this made sense.
He got out of the car and looked up the road. The jeep pulled into
view, the one from the store parking lot, the one that had almost
killed him. It came to a stop and Erin leapt out. At first he couldn’t
believe his good fortune, but then he remembered that she lived
here and it was the reason he’d come.
His good hand was shaking hard as he opened the trunk and
removed the crowbar. He saw Erin and her lover racing to the
porch. He staggered and limped toward the house, unwilling and
unable to stop, because Erin was his wife and he loved her and the
gray-haired man had to die.
* * *
Alex skidded to a stop in front of the house and both of them
jumped out simultaneously, running for the door, calling the kids’
names. Katie still held the gun. They reached the door just as Josh
opened it, and as soon as he saw his son, Alex swept him up in his
arms. Kristen came out from behind the couch and rushed toward
them. Alex opened his arms to her as well, catching her easily as
she jumped.
Katie stood just inside the doorway, watching with tears of relief
in her eyes. Kristen reached out for her, too, and Katie moved
closer, accepting Kristen’s hug with a blind rush of happiness.
Lost in the tidal wave of emotion, none of them noticed Kevin
appear in the doorway, crowbar raised high. He swung hard,
sending Alex crashing to the floor and the kids stumbling and
falling backward in horror and shock.