The Best Man to Trust

CHAPTER Eighteen



A stunned hush fell over the room. All eyes went to Greg—or at least the object gripped in his hand.

A split second later, Scott began to shove up from his chair. “Greg, what the hell—”

“Back off, Scott,” Greg ordered without looking at him. “Unless you want me to pull the trigger right now, you’ll stay in your seat.”

Scott froze half-out of the chair. Meredith could practically feel the physical effort he had to exert not to move any farther. Finally, slowly, furiously, he lowered himself back in his seat.

Meredith frantically tried to think of what to do. Even if he wanted to make a move, Scott was nowhere close to Greg. Alex, too, was on the other side of the room. By the time either of them got across the room, Greg would have fired off a shot, maybe two. Greg had been the one seated closest to Rachel, a choice Meredith suspected had been deliberate.

And now she was closest to both of them.

If anyone was going to stop this, it was going to have to be her.

She took a step forward, trying to draw his attention to her. “So what was in the flask, Greg? Since clearly you weren’t filling it with anything from here.”

His eyes flicked toward her for the slightest of moments. He smirked. “Water.”

“Why not just leave it empty?”

“A guy does get thirsty.”

“So what were you doing in here the other day when you told Tom and me you were refilling the flask?”

“Listening in on your conversation. I heard you coming and decided to duck in here so I could hear what you were talking about, in case you’d figured anything out.”

“Like you did outside Haley’s room?”

The smirk deepened. “Guilty.”

“Why pretend to be drinking so much?” she asked, easing ever closer. “Why the charade?”

“I figured it might give me an advantage, make people less likely to suspect me.”

“Like a blow to the back of the head?”

“Figured that out, did you? Yes, when I couldn’t get your keys I figured I needed another way to get close to these two, to make myself seem innocent. I just didn’t get a chance to take advantage of it before you rounded all of us up in here.”

The smile evaporated, his expression becoming deadly serious. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to have to ask you to sit down. This isn’t any of your business.”

“It looks like you’re about to kill someone in my house,” she said calmly. “I believe that makes it my business.”

“I don’t want to have to hurt you.”

Meredith almost shook her head in amazement. “You’ve already killed two people. Don’t tell me you’re suddenly developing a conscience.”

“I don’t need to. I don’t have anything to feel guilty for. They deserved what happened to them. You don’t. But I can’t afford to let you stop me from finishing what I came here to do.”

She raised her chin, meeting his eyes with an unblinking stare. “So what are you going to do if I don’t sit?”

He tilted his head, his mouth twisting in a mocking smile. “Come on, Meredith. You’re not fooling anyone. We both know this whole tough-girl routine is just an act. Most of these guys might not have remembered you. I mean, let’s face it—you weren’t all that memorable. But I do. I remember that girl who used to follow Brad Jackson around like a puppy. I knew Jess was wrong. Brad was a bully with a temper. I had no trouble believing a guy like that would beat his wife. And you would have let him, wouldn’t you? Because you’re not a fighter. So why don’t we make this easy and you sit down and stop wasting both of our time?”

The words struck a painful, familiar chord inside her. Because he was right. She never had been a fighter. She’d always gone with the flow, tried to get along, tried to make people happy. She’d never fought back against her mother’s criticisms and derisions. She’d never fought back against Brad, not once. And she had let him hurt her, far more than any person should ever let another.

And Greg was also dead wrong. Because she wasn’t that person anymore. She was done being treated badly. She was done being dumped on and taking anything she didn’t deserve from anyone.

She wasn’t weak. Not anymore.

More than anything Tom had said, she finally believed it herself, could feel it in her bones as hard determination surged through her in a powerful rush.

She was strong.

And she would be damned if she let this man hurt anyone again.

“No,” she said firmly, her voice hard, not bothering to hide her anger. His eyes flared in surprise, the sight sending a surge of satisfaction through her. “I’m not going to let you hurt anybody else.”

“She deserves it.”

“People who hurt other people always think they have a reason. That doesn’t make it right.”

The patronizing amusement on his face only deepened. “And how exactly do you intend to stop me?”

She stepped closer. “Any way I have to.”

In an instant, every trace of patronizing amusement vanished from his face, replaced with cold purpose.

And he aimed the gun at her. “Stop.”

She did, every limb, every muscle, every cell in her body freezing as she stared at the gun aimed square at her chest.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Greg said. “You’re not a part of this. But I will if I have to. I think I proved that yesterday with your keys.”

“No, you won’t.”

The words were deadly calm. They also didn’t come from anyone in the room, echoing from the doorway.

Her heart leaping, Meredith jerked her head toward the entryway, recognizing that voice before she saw the speaker.

Tom. It was Tom.

He stood there, hands fisted at his sides, every inch of him radiating fury. Rick loomed behind him.

He was here. He was even farther away than Scott, but he was here. Another distraction, another chance to talk Greg out of doing something.

“Put the gun down, Greg,” he said evenly, though there was no missing the thread of barely suppressed anger in his voice.

Frowning, Greg barely glanced at him. “I thought you were clearing the road.”

“We were. We got as far as we could before we had to turn back to refuel the truck. More important, we were able to get a cell phone signal and get through to the police. They’re going to start digging from the other end. They’ll be here as soon as they can.”

Any triumph Meredith might have felt at the news was killed by the hardness that fell over Greg’s features. “Then I guess it really is time for Rachel to get what she deserves.” He swung the gun back to her. “One more move from any of you and I pull the trigger. Believe me, there is nothing I want more. The others were just warm-ups for this.”

“You killed them,” Rachel said in horror and disbelief. “Haley... Jess... You killed them.”

His face twisted with sudden rage. “No, you killed them, the same way you killed my son!”

Rachel stared at him, mouth agape. “What are you talking about?”

“Are you finally ready to stop lying? About the reason you didn’t want me invited to this wedding? About why you broke up with Scott back in college?”

Rachel’s eyes flared with unmistakable panic.

“I already know why,” Scott said flatly. “Kim told me a long time ago.”

Rachel jerked her head toward Scott. “She did?”

“Yeah. It’s because I didn’t have enough money.”

Greg arched a brow. “Oh, is that what Kim told you? I’m afraid she was lying, covering for her friend here so you would give up on her and not learn the real reason.”

A chilly silence fell over the room. Greg looked at Rachel expectantly.

“Rachel, what is he talking about?” Scott finally asked.

She blinked rapidly. “I...I...”

Greg exhaled sharply, the sound thick with contempt. “You just can’t tell the truth, can you? Even now, even after everything that’s happened, even when it’s clear there’s no way it isn’t coming out, you refuse to just come clean.”

Rachel began to shake, but still she said nothing, her lips working silently, no sound coming out.

“Fine,” Greg said, looking straight at Scott. For a split second, a hint of something that almost looked like regret touched his eyes. “Rachel and I slept together in college.”

Scott flinched, the color slowly draining from his face. His shocked gaze swung sharply from Rachel to Greg, finally settling back on his fiancée. “Rach, what is he talking about?” he said again.

She looked him straight in the eye, tears brimming in hers. “I’m so sorry.”

“How could you do that?” He jerked his head back toward Greg. “How could either of you do that?”

Greg had the grace to look chagrined. “Well, I think we all know I didn’t always make the best decisions when I’d had a few. That’s assuming I even recognized it was her. The sad thing is, I didn’t even remember it happened.”

“It was a mistake,” Rachel said, her eyes pleading as she stared at Scott.

“And it was only her first one,” Greg said. “Because then she found out she was pregnant.”

He stopped dramatically, as though giving Rachel time to deny it.

She didn’t, closing her eyes as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

“You...had a baby?” Scott said numbly. “His baby?”

Rachel simply sat there, her body shaking, wincing against the words as though they were physical blows.

“I’m assuming the timing didn’t work out, so she couldn’t try to pass it off as yours,” Greg said. “Some women might have gotten rid of it, but not Rachel. Somehow I have a feeling it had more to do with not being able to destroy a part of herself than any kind of maternal love. Because that’s all that matters, Rachel, isn’t it? You?”

“You don’t know anything about it,” she ground out through gritted teeth. “You don’t know how hard it was.”

“How could I, since you never told me? I had to find out from Kim.”

“Why?” Scott asked, still staring at Rachel in disbelief. “Why would you sleep with him? We were in love.”

“Yes, we were,” Rachel said desperately. “We are.”

Scott’s stony silence was as devastating as a straight denial. Rachel flinched.

With all eyes off her, Meredith realized this was her chance to make a move. She couldn’t get close enough to Greg, not without him noticing. But she could get between him and Rachel.

Directly in the line of fire.

She began to ease over to her left, slowly, gradually, praying he wouldn’t notice.

“It was the end-of-semester party fall of senior year,” Rachel explained. “Do you remember? I’d barely seen you all semester. You kept bailing on me and canceling every time we had plans, but you promised you’d be there. It was our last chance to be together before I went home for the winter break. You promised. And then you stood me up. Again.

“I wasn’t thinking straight. I was drinking, and I was angry, and I just wanted to hurt you. I got this stupid idea that sleeping with one of your friends was the only thing that would hurt you as much as you hurt me. Tom was there—he tried making excuses for you, but I wasn’t interested in listening—but obviously he never would have done that to you. But Greg would do anything in a skirt, especially when he’d been drinking.”

Fresh tears appeared in her eyes. “I’m sorry. As soon as I woke up the next morning and realized what I’d done I knew what a horrible mistake I’d made. I would have done anything to take it back. I still would. When Greg didn’t seem to remember what happened, I was so relieved. I thought I could just pretend it didn’t happen. I was the only one who seemed to know it had, and all I wanted to do was forget.”

“And then you found out you were pregnant,” Scott said.

Rachel swallowed hard. “Yes,” she whispered roughly, the word barely audible.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t know how. I was afraid you wouldn’t forgive me. Would you have? Can you forgive me?”

Tellingly, painfully, he just stared at her, as though she was a stranger, not saying a word in response.

“What about me?” Greg asked coldly. “Aren’t you going to ask for my forgiveness?”

Rachel looked at him in shock. “Is that why you’re doing this? Why you killed Haley and Jess? Because I didn’t tell you about the baby?”

“And Kim, don’t forget her. I had to take care of her earlier because I knew you wouldn’t invite her to the wedding. She’s the one who told me what you’d done, what all of you had done. Part of her Twelve Steps, making amends to people she wronged. It didn’t matter. She still had to pay. She still had to be punished. You all did. For conspiring to keep him a secret and give him away. Because you didn’t wrong me, you wronged my son.”

“He has a family, people who love him—”

“He’s dead.”

A hush fell over the room, the words seeming to echo endlessly in the stillness.

He’s dead... He’s dead... He’s dead...

And that was when Meredith understood, Greg’s words from the day before coming back to her.

Losing a child. That’s not something any parent could get over...

Oh, God.

It didn’t seem possible, but Rachel went even paler. “What are you talking about?”

“He died two years ago! Those people you gave him to, they had a pool. He fell in when they weren’t looking and drowned before they even noticed. They didn’t protect him. They let him die. So you are a murderer. As soon as you gave him to those people, you as good as killed him yourself!”

Rachel gave her head a desperate shake. “It was supposed to be better for him....”

“You mean better for you. You didn’t even know, did you? You didn’t even bother to keep track of him. You just gave him away and forgot all about him.”

“No. I—I thought it would be easier not to know....”

“Well, it’s not. I didn’t know about him until it was too late, and it sure as hell isn’t easier. I never got a chance to know him at all.”

“What kind of father could you have been? You drank 24/7. And you really think that you could have been a parent, could have protected him? You?”

“I deserved to have the chance!”

Rather than deny it, Rachel simply closed her eyes, giving her head a small shake.

This was it. Meredith was finally close enough. She took a full step over, in front of Rachel.

Directly in front of the gun.

She watched Greg’s eyes flare in outrage. “Move,” he growled.

“No,” she said, not letting herself react to the anger in his voice. “I’m not going to let you hurt her. You’re going to have to shoot me first. And I don’t believe you want to do that. You might have killed people you thought deserved it, but I don’t think you believe I deserve that, do you, Greg?”

His mouth worked furiously, but he didn’t say anything.

“And if you hurt Meredith in any way,” Tom said with utter coldness, “then you’re going to have to shoot me, too, before you can get to Rachel. Because I will be coming for you.” His voice sounded closer, and she knew he must have moved nearer. Not close enough to intervene, but enough to truly have her back, exactly as promised.

“Me, too,” Scott said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him finally, slowly, rise to his feet.

“And me,” Rick said, his voice deadly calm.

“That’s it, Greg,” Meredith said. “If you want to kill Rachel, you’re going to have to kill all of us first. Is it really worth it?”

From the frustrated rage on his face, he wanted to argue that it was. His eyes flicked from her to the others and back again, until resignation slowly fell over his features. “No,” he murmured. “I guess it’s not.”

She felt no relief at hearing him say it. In spite of his words, he didn’t lower his weapon, the gun remaining unwaveringly focused on her.

“So what now, Greg?” Tom asked calmly. “You’ve had your say. We all know the truth. Why don’t you put the gun down?”

Greg looked down and past her, Meredith imagined, to where he could still see Rachel, even if he couldn’t get a clear shot. “All right. Maybe it’s better this way. Now you know your friends are dead because of you, the same way my son is. You have to live with that.”

“And what about you?” Meredith asked softly. “What are you going to do?”

He shifted his eyes toward her, the look in them so chilling her heart leaped into her throat. He smiled. “I’m going to be with my son.”

Before anyone could react he swung the gun to his own temple.

And pulled the trigger.

Meredith flinched, a scream bursting into her throat and sticking there, her tense muscles refusing to let it out. Instead, she could only stand there, trying to process what she’d just seen, trying to erase the horror that had just unfolded before her. In the back of her mind she heard Rachel scream.

Then Tom was suddenly at her side, gently placing his hand on her elbow and leaning close. “Are you okay?”

She looked up into his eyes, taking in the concern on his face—and more important, the fact that he was whole and solid and unharmed. They both were. All of them—Scott, Rachel, Alex. Rick and Ellen.

It was finally over. They’d made it.

She managed a shaky nod. “Yes.”

“Can you get everyone out of here? I’ll check on Greg and get something to cover the body.”

It took a second for the words to sink in. “We can close the room up until the police get here.” Which didn’t seem as urgent anymore. There was no longer a killer for them to apprehend, and the danger was over. No one else was going to be hurt.

At least, not physically, she amended, glancing over at Rachel and Scott. Rachel still sat in her chair. Scott stood in front of his. Several feet separated them, but they might as well have been a million miles apart. They didn’t look at each other, didn’t speak, simply remained where they were, shell-shocked.

Her heart aching for them, Meredith shook off her own remaining shock about what had happened. Squaring her shoulders, she moved forward. “Come on, you guys,” she said gently but firmly, glancing toward Alex on the far side of the room to include him. “Let’s get out of here.”

The danger might be over, but these people were still her guests, her responsibility, and they needed her, perhaps more than ever. Needed her to take charge, needed her to be there for them, needed her to be strong. And for their sakes, she would be.

As strong as she knew she could be.