"Wait!" Steve shouted, causing Cal to spin around. Steve stared into the barrel of the pistol as Cal's finger massaged the trigger. "Look," Steve said. "I mean, look, dude . . . you can't kill Donovan, not if you love Kim."
Cal's eyes narrowed. "You're wrong. If he's just out of the way, there's nothing to keep Kim and me apart."
"Come on, dude. Face it. Kim's not going to ever go with you if you kill him." With Cal turned, only Steve could see Shane, who started to rush Cal.
Something must have alerted Cal, because he turned sharply. "Hold it!" Shane froze as Cal trained the gun at him. "No closer."
Steve's muscles seemed to unlock all at once. He leaped to his feet and started toward Cal, but the other man was faster. The gun spun back at Steve, and Cal barked, "Don't move. Either of you." He waved the gun back and forth between Steve and Shane. "I know a trick when I see one."
"Cal, this is no trick," Shane said in a voice that was remarkably calm for someone who was staring down the barrel of a gun. He had dropped his hands, so they were no longer up in the air. "I'm just trying to reason with you." His eyes fixed on Steve and Shane almost imperceptibly nodded his head.
"Reason?" Steve snapped. "Get serious, Donovan. This dude doesn't give a damn about reason. He's insane."
"No, I'm not," Cal shouted, aiming the gun at Steve. Then he spun around and pointed at Shane. With his gun pointed, he motioned in Steve's direction. "Get over there. Next to him." As Shane complied, Cal continued to bark orders. "Not too close."
Shane came to a stop about three feet to Steve's right, as Cal went back to moving the gun back-and-forth between them. "Come on, Cal," Shane said.
"Stop trying to talk to him, you idiot," Steve said, continuing to talk even as Cal stopped waiving the gun around and it came to a stop aimed at Steve. "Are you going to shoot me, dude?" Steve asked. "You really think that'll help? Hell, you shoot me and you might as well pack your bags for Death Row."
Out the corner of his eye, Steve saw that Shane had slipped his right hand behind his back.
Come on, Donovan, Steve thought. Cal's finger seemed to be tightening around the trigger once more, but Steve ignored it. He had to keep Cal's attention.
"You heard me, Cal. Death Row. Where they stick that needle in your vein. That's-"
Cal cut him off with a growl. "I don't think so." He pulled the trigger.
Steve had no chance to react. Something slammed harm into him and he stumbled, losing sight of Cal. Out the corner of his eye, as Steve fell, he saw Shane's right arm swinging around and something flashed in the light.
In the same instant, the room erupted with the sound of gunfire.