Katherine swallowed back her fear. "You think you know me so well."

How long would Dane be able to hold his breath?

"You want to save the world, Kat. It's your flaw."

Not this time.

You don't know me.

She thought of all the self-defense cla.s.ses she'd taken. Hours and hours, so she wouldn't be weak. So she wouldn't freeze when this one moment came.

Her fingers slipped from his, letting go of the gun. In the next instant, she was spinning in his arms-and her fingers went straight for his eyes. He cried out in shocked pain and his hands automatically went to cover his eyes.

Giving her plenty of target s.p.a.ce.

Katherine kicked out, aiming for his groin, using as much force as she could. He'd destroyed so much of her life-of so many lives-she wanted him to hurt.

He stumbled back. She grabbed the gun. She'd save Dane, all right, but she'd make sure that Valentine was dead first. She wasn't going to let him come back and attack just as Dane was getting out of the water.

She lifted the gun. Aimed it at Valentine.

He was laughing.

She pulled the trigger.

And nothing happened.

He laughed harder. "That's what happens with those cheap cop guns. When water gets to them, sometimes they just don't work."

No. No.

He rose, and there was something sharp in his hand. She could see the outline. Bigger than a knife. Longer. Jagged. Metal? Some hunk of metal or gla.s.s?

Water sloshed behind her. Katherine jerked and glanced back. Dane had just broken the surface of the water. Mac was in his arms.

And in the next instant, Valentine had his makeshift knife at Katherine's neck. "Try to get away, try that little elbow trick again, I'll slice your throat open," he promised her. The rage was there, burning beneath his words. He'd always been so calm, so controlled with her before, but now...now she was seeing the beast.

She didn't move.

"Do you want to see how much blood can pump out of sweet Kat?" Valentine called out to Dane.

Dane was heading toward the sh.o.r.e.

"Shove your friend back into the water," Valentine ordered.

Dane stilled. Water poured off him. "He's unconscious." His voice carried easily. So did his rage. "Mac isn't a threat to you."

"Not now," Valentine agreed. "Now shove him back into the water!"

"He'll die!"

"Isn't that the point?" Valentine whispered to Kat. "Your cop should be smarter." His sigh blew over her cheek. "Just let him sink," he told Dane. "Then you can come out and try to play the hero for Kat. Either you'll die or I will. If you move fast enough, you might even be able to go back into the water and save old Mac before he drowns."

Katherine shook her head. Don't do it.

The weapon nicked her skin, and she felt the wet warmth of her blood.

"Stop moving, Kat!" Valentine barked.

"Don't let him go," Katherine said, ignoring Valentine. "Dane, bring Mac out! Save him!"

"Let him die, Dane," Valentine snarled at the same time. "It's him or Kat. You choose."

Life was always about choices. Choosing to save. Choosing to kill.

Choosing to die.

She could feel Dane's struggle. She saw his hands. They were wrapped around Mac's body. His best friend. His partner.

Mac was already hurt. If he went beneath that water, would he ever come back up?

"I choose," Katherine said as her right hand rose to her neck. Because, maybe, maybe this was the way it was always meant to be. It would hurt, there would be blood, but Mac would live. Dane would live.

Valentine?

It's about the choices we make.

"No," Valentine whispered in her ear. "Don't."

Because he really did know her well.

"Please..." Valentine was begging her.

Or was that Dane?

Both of them?

She pressed forward, heading not away from the weapon but toward it, even as she grabbed Valentine's hand and tried to shove it away to the right.

The gla.s.s sliced across her throat. Blood slid down her neck.

"No!" Dane's roar.

But Valentine had dropped the weapon. "Katherine!"

She sagged in his arms. Took them both down to the muddy ground. Water was sloshing. Dane coming to her. He'd better be hauling Mac with him.

Valentine's hand was at her throat. "Why? I could have killed you."

Her throat hurt, but it wasn't an injury that would kill. The wound wasn't deep enough to kill. She'd pushed his hand away in time, or maybe-maybe Valentine had stopped himself.

"Choices," she told him, voice rasping. The slice might not be deep enough to kill, but it still hurt. "I couldn't...let Dane...make the wrong one."

Valentine leaned over her and lifted the chunk of gla.s.s. "He'll still do what has to be done."

Katherine stared up at him. Even in the darkness, she could see his pain. The hopelessness. Both were so clear to her. "Why?"

"Because I can't stop myself."

He lifted the gla.s.s over her. It looked like he was preparing to drive that weapon into her chest.

"It's Valentine's Day," he told her, voice breaking. "I love you, Katherine."

She grabbed his hand. Held the weapon back. "No you don't."

You don't go out like this.

You don't get to decide how this ends.

Dane slammed into Valentine. They rolled on the ground. She heard the thud of flesh hitting flesh. The men were pounding each other. Dane was on top, driving his fist into Valentine's face. Again and again.

But Valentine was fighting back. He still had that gla.s.s chunk, and he shoved it through Dane's right fist.

Katherine screamed, but Dane kept fighting. He rammed his head into Valentine's. Drove his left fist into the killer's stomach. The fight was brutal and b.l.o.o.d.y.

The gla.s.s flew from Dane's hand.

Mac was on the ground a few feet away. Katherine ran to him. She felt for his pulse. Beating. Breathing. Yes. He'd make it. Now if they could just find Ross and Maggie, maybe they'd all have a chance.

All but Valentine.

Cops always had a backup weapon, and going on a hunt with Valentine, there was no way Mac wouldn't have come prepared.

She reached down near his ankle.

Yes.

Not a gun. A knife. He'd strapped a knife to his ankle.

She leapt back to her feet and ran toward the fighting men. The knife was gripped tightly in her fist. Dane and Valentine were staggering to their feet. Getting ready to slam into each other again.

No.

It ends.

"Valentine!"

He spun at her call.

She drove the knife into his chest. His hands closed around her arms. His body shuddered. "Good-bye, Michael," she told him, voice breaking.

Because now she understood. Michael had wanted her help all along. He'd wanted her to save him, as she'd tried to save her mother.

Only saving Michael meant killing Valentine.

"I did it," he whispered. "I died for you." His fingers eased their grip on her. He staggered, then fell, his body slumping over.

In the next moment, Dane was there, pulling her against him. Holding her so close.

She heard a whoop-whoop-whoop fill the air, and a gust of wind blew over her face.

The helicopter. The helicopter was there.

It was landing. She could see the bright lights spilling from it.

"The...cavalry..." Valentine whispered.

Dane's gaze was on Katherine's neck. "Why the h.e.l.l did you do that? He could have cut your throat wide open."

"I shoved his wrist back. From that angle, he wasn't going to be able to do much damage." She'd practiced that move before. He didn't realize how many self-defense cla.s.ses she'd taken over the years. She'd tried to prepare herself, again and again, for this moment.

He pulled her against his chest again. Held tight. He was soaking wet, so was she, and she could feel the shudders that shook his body. Voice thick with fear and rage, he said, "I thought you were going to die in front of me."

She'd been afraid that she might.

"Don't ever scare me like that again," he ordered, and held her even tighter. "I think I lost about ten years of my life."

Better than losing all of it.

Better than Mac losing his life.

Mac.

She and Dane rushed to the fallen man. There were other footsteps, racing toward them now. The helicopter had landed, and the EMTs and the cops who'd been on board were running to help. The EMTs. Valentine had made that request deliberately, because he knew that they would be hurt. That I might be hurt.

Mac was groaning and trying to open his eyes. A giant cut ran from his temple to his jawline. "Did we...get him?" he asked, squinting to see in the dark.

"Yeah, buddy, we did." Dane clasped his hand.

Katherine glanced back at Valentine's body. The knife handle rose from his chest. She'd driven that blade in as hard as she could.

His blood was on her hands.

She tried to wipe the blood onto her jeans. The sticky wetness clung to her.

"Good..." Mac rasped. "Hope...b.a.s.t.a.r.d...suffered..."

Not as much as his victims had suffered, no.