I took a step forward and Kyle was beside me in an instant, grabbing my arm to hold me back.
Kate continued as though she was unaware that Stella only had seconds to live. “And then they set you up with Pearce Manchester. Branson knew he’d likely kill you, but you were worth the risk. All so he could hook up with the Hardshaw Group. They were gonna pay him a shit-ton of money, and he was gonna keep givin’ Manchester girls to beat and screw. And you, Stella St. Clair, are just as guilty as he is.”
Kate looked down and shrugged, dropping the bungee cord.
Stella slumped to the floor, her eyes wide open but she was clearly dead.
“Joe,” I said through my tears.
“Kate,” Joe said in a calm voice. “You’re scaring our baby sister.”
“The Simmons world is ugly,” Kate said as she walked around Stella’s dead body toward Branson, who was trying to crab-walk away from her. “She needs to learn that now.” She propped a hand on her hip and stared down at the man who’d made my life hell. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Branson looked up at her in terror, mumbling into his gag.
She reached down, jerked the cloth from around his head, and removed the handkerchief in his mouth. “You were sayin’ something?”
“I’m sorry,” he said through his tears. “I’m sorry I hurt her.”
“Hurt her?” Kate said. “You destroyed her.”
He started sobbing. “Please. I’m sorry.”
“You’re only sorry because you got caught,” Kate said. “You hunted her down like a rabbit, all so you could get that bag of money.”
“I don’t want it anymore,” he said through hiccupping sobs. “She can have it.”
“That’s right,” Kate said. “She can have it. She earned that money.” She looked up at me. “But you owe her more than ten thousand dollars. So much more.”
“I’ll get it,” he said. “I swear.”
“You swear,” Kate said with a mock frown. “I don’t believe you, Branson.”
“Kate,” Joe said in a stern voice. “Enough.”
“No,” Kate said. “It’s not enough until justice has been served.”
“It’s not up to you to mete out justice,” Joe countered.
Kate gave him a thoughtful look. “Joe. You’re right.” Her gaze shifted to me. “Neely Kate, you need to be the one to kill him.”
I shook my head in horror. “No.”
“Kate!” Joe shouted.
“Enough,” Jed called out from the shadows by the front door. “There won’t be any more killing tonight.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Kate said. “Kyle.”
Still holding my arm, Kyle pulled out a gun and fired off several rounds at the doorway.
“No!” I screamed, trying to break free from his hold. “Jed!”
Kate walked over to me and grabbed my face with both hands. “Neely Kate. It’s the price you have to pay to be a Simmons. You lose the love of your life. You lose a baby. We have to get rid of Jed.”
I could feel myself sinking deep within myself, retreating from the pain and horror, but I wasn’t that girl anymore. I was a fighter now.
Sucking in a breath, I jerked my arm, breaking free of Kate’s henchman, and glared up at my sister. “No. I’ve paid and paid and paid, and I refuse to give up anything else,” I said in a deadly cold voice. “Do you hear me?”
Kate took a step backward and began to slow clap. “Good job, little sis. Look at you, growin’ a backbone.”
“I’ve had one. You failed to notice.” I advanced toward her. “I refuse to give up one more person I love. I refuse.” Was Jed out there injured and bleeding? Was he dead? I couldn’t bring myself to consider it.
I stomped toward Joe and knelt down at his feet and started to untie his ankle, thankful I could feel my hands again.
“I never said you could untie him,” Kate said, her voice rising.
“Well, I decided he needs to be free.” I got one leg loose and started on the other. “You say we’re family, well family doesn’t treat each other like this.” I got Joe’s second leg untied, then stood and moved behind him and started on his hands. “Family treats each other with love and respect.” I looked up at her stunned face. “Family supports one another, Kate. I would do anything to go back and save your boyfriend. So how dare you try to kill mine!”
When I got Joe free, he shook out his hands and stood, keeping me behind him. “Kate. I want to help you.”
“We want to help you,” I said, moving to Joe’s side. I was dangerously close to tears, knowing that Jed might be dead on the other side of the barn door, but I couldn’t think about that right now. I had to deal with Kate first.
“No,” she said in a cold tone. “You and Joe want to help each other.”
“I wasn’t lyin’ when I said I wanted a sister,” I said. “And I do think you’re trying to show me that you want to be a sister to me too, but not this way, Kate. Not this way.”
She studied us both. “Maybe Joe’s the problem. Maybe you and I would be closer if he wasn’t around.”
A phone began to ring, and she pulled it from out of her pocket. “What do you have?”
I moved in front of my brother and looked up at him, whispering, “Joe, you have to go.”
A fire filled his eyes as he kept watch on Kate, who was listening intently on her call. “I’m not leavin’ you, Neely Kate.”
“She’s done all of this for me, Joe. She wants to be closer to me. She won’t hurt me.”
“You’re like a shiny toy. She wants you until you become inconvenient.” A fierceness filled his eyes. “I’m sure as hell not leaving you here with her.”
“I’m not leavin’ you either, but I need you to check on Jed.” My voice broke. “I can’t lose him.”
“Carlisle’s like a cockroach. He’s not that easy to kill.” I could have taken offense, but he said it with a grin. “And besides, that man loves you somethin’ fierce. He won’t let himself get killed before he makes sure you’re safe.” His gaze held mine . “I’m gonna protect you, Neely Kate, but I suspect Carlisle’s out there, planning on protecting you too.”
“What are you two talking about so intently?” Kate asked.
I turned around to face her, reaching behind my back and grabbing the gun, but I made it look casual. “I want you to let Branson go, and Joe too. This is about you and me, Kate. Sister bonding. Let them go.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Let them go? Just like that?”
I kept my hand behind my back. “Yes.”
“I agree. We should let Branson go.” She turned to her bodyguard. “Kyle. Dispose of Branson.”
A gunshot went off and Branson slumped to the floor with a bullet to his head.
“Do you still want me to let go of Joe?” she asked in a cold tone.
“You’d kill your own brother?” I asked in disbelief.
“Kyle,” Kate said.
Before he could point his gun, I lifted mine and pulled the trigger. Then I realized what I’d done and began to shake as Kyle slumped to the floor, dead.
Kate stared at me in disbelief. “Look at you, Miss Backbone,” she said with a glint in her eye.
“I won’t let you hurt him.”
“Kate,” Joe said, approaching her. “It’s over.”
She shook her head. “It’s not over. Not until I say it is.” She lifted her brow. “You gonna shoot me, Neely Kate? You gonna shoot your unarmed sister?”
“I just want this to be over, Kate,” I pleaded.
“Then you’re gonna want to let me go.”
“Why the hell would she let you go?” Jed asked, walking into the barn with blood on his shoulder.
“Jed.” I sucked in a breath, but Joe held up a hand to stop me.
Jed ignored us both. “You’ve made Neely Kate’s life hell. You’ve done nothin’ but play games with her for weeks. Why in the hell would we let you go?”
“Neely Kate’s not free just because these two nitwits are dead. Hardshaw knows something about her and they’ll be back.”
“What do you know about Hardshaw?” Jed asked.
“Enough to know she’s in trouble.” Kate turned to me. “That phone call I received—it’s about them. I’ve done my own investigation.”
“We’ve got Adkins,” Joe said. “We’ll get information out of him. He says he’s willing to talk.”
“Had Adkins,” Jed said. “I just got word they found him hanging from a sheet in his cell.”