Elma had a nasty-looking black eye that she hadn’t the day before, and it was clear she’d been fighting for a while but her already damaged and frail body was no match for the irrational strength that came with crazy.

Joseph had a small black pistol in his hand and it was aimed right at the center of Church’s chest. Even with the distance separating us I could see his finger twitch on the trigger as he grappled with the white-haired Tasmanian devil in his grasp.

“He hurt Dharma.” Elma’s voice broke as she spoke to Church. “He made her call you and then he hit her in the head with his gun. She’s bleeding, bad.” Elma sounded as angry as Joseph looked as his wild-eyed gaze shifted between the two of us.

“She was supposed to tell you to come alone. She didn’t. She was supposed to tell you the old bitch didn’t want Dixie here. She didn’t do that either.” His gaze drifted past Church and landed on me. “I need you out of the way. You’re standing between me and what’s rightfully mine.”

“The fuck!” Church growled the words and went to take a step forward but the gun wavered and switched from being pointed right at him to resting threateningly against Elma’s temple. That had Church going stone still and the older woman’s eyes popping open wide. I sucked in a shaky breath and climbed to my feet. I wiped my bleeding palms on my jeans and cleared my throat so that Joseph’s attention would shift to me and off the two people standing between us.

“This is a bad idea, Joe.” I hoped keeping my tone calm and using the name I used when I thought I was chatting him up online would lower his guard and make him more susceptible to suggestion. “Someone is going to report those gunshots. Church’s dad is a cop. Elma Mae is their family. This is not going to end well for you.”

“It’s not going to end well for them!” His voice was shrill and the gun pressed harder into Elma’s temple. She cried out in pain and Church couldn’t stop himself from taking another step forward. The gun jerked away from Elma’s head and once again ended up pointed right at Church. “Someone is always standing in the way of what I want. Someone is always getting what should be mine. At work, at home, I’m always coming in second best. Except with you, Dixie. You were the only one that saw how special I could be, how great I could be. You saw the best in me. I just needed a chance.” The gun wavered a little and I screamed as I saw his finger move on the trigger.

The gunshot was louder now without the walls of the house to muffle it but nothing was as loud as the scream that ripped out of me as the bullet hit its target and sent Church to his knees in front of me. Elma Mae shrieked just as loudly as I did but her sound was cut off as she was flung to the side, collapsing in the same position I had as I hit the ground. Joseph stalked to where Church was still kneeling, blood now flowing freely down his arm and soaking into his shirt as his big body listed to the side. He lifted a hand to his shoulder and I could see him tilt his head back so that he was looking Joseph in the eyes as the other man loomed over him, the gun now focused right in Church’s face.

“You’re in the way of what I want. She was nice to me. She was sweet to me. She liked me and then you showed up and took her away.”

That wasn’t exactly how it all went down, but I didn’t think there was going to be a lot of reasoning with him. “If you keep hurting Church and the other people I care about I’m not going to be nice anymore, Joseph. This has to stop.”

His gaze shifted from Church, who was growling low in his throat and breathing hard. He was hurt, but he was also pissed off. I could practically see the wheels turning in his handsome head. He was going to take this all on himself. He was going to think that we were just getting good, and bad had wasted no time getting between us. He was going to think this was his bad even though it was clear it was all mine.

“I just want things to go my way one time. I want to be a winner for once.” He sounded whiny and pitiful, which was totally at odds with the firearm pointed at the man I loved.

I sucked in a breath so hard that it whistled between my teeth. I put my raw hand to my throat and did what I always did … I tried to fix things.

“Leave Elma and Church alone and I’ll go with you wherever you want, Joe.”

Church’s head whipped around so fast I was pretty sure he was going to get whiplash. “You aren’t going any, fucking, where, Dixie.” The words were bit out and filled with fury.

I refused to look at him because that was a lot of anger and a lot of frustrated man between me and my objective. I knew he would hate it, but I didn’t see any other option. He was shot and Elma was hurt. I didn’t know if anyone had called the police and I refused to be the reason anyone I loved was hurt.

Joseph tilted his head and considered me. “They’re going to come after us.”

That was the sanest thing he’d said since the first gunshot was fired. I put my hands up in front of me and prayed my voice didn’t shake the way the rest of me was. “I’ll tell them I left with you. I’ll tell them I picked you.”

His wild eyes widened even more and he looked down at Elma, who was growing increasingly pale. “I hurt people. They won’t like it.” He sounded like a toddler and I assumed the “they” he was referring to was the police.

“I’ll tell them it was all Church. I’ll tell them he tried to take me from you and I didn’t want to go. I’ll tell them you hurt people protecting me.” I sounded desperate and frantic, because I was. Church’s eyes shot daggers of warning at me. I could feel them prick my skin and stab into my soul but I refused to look at him. I didn’t want to lose Joseph’s attention.