Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
I was aware of the crunch of shoes on the old underbrush, and was glad for the fact that my eyes had hours to adjust to the dark while they likely struggled to see even a few feet in front of themselves.
I knew from experience how disorienting the woods could be at night.
That was why two men crossed right under me without even knowing I was hovering a few feet over their heads.
Taking a slow breath, I aimed, and pulled the trigger.
The shots whistled out, impossibly loud in the quiet space, making sleeping birds startle and fly off as I saw the bodies fall face forward onto the ground.
I didn’t waste a second, grabbing the rope, and swinging down, then doing an up-close-and-personal tap to the back of each of their heads.
I grabbed the gun that had flown out of one of their hands, and then I was fucking booking it, knowing each step would give me away until I got somewhere and stayed put.
Two down.
But from the sounds of shouts and footsteps, at least ten more.
Fuck.
No, damnit.
I wasn’t going to panic.
I still had the advantage here as the men seemed to fan off in different directions. Only one seemed to be making his way toward me.
I glanced to the side, trying to tell if my next closest cover had anyone near it, but over the steps of the guy approaching me, it was impossible to tell.
He took a step closer.
Then another.
One.
Two.
Bang.
Maybe not a kill shot. It was hard to tell, but there was no time to tell as I turned and ran.
There was another guy a few yards up. I could just make out his shadow.
Hearing me, he started to turn.
It was never the best bet to shoot when you were on the move, especially when you didn’t want to give up your location. But there was no other choice, because I damn well knew he wouldn’t give a fuck, would point and shoot until I dropped.
A shot rang out.
Then another.
And another.
One was mine.
Another thunked into the trunk of a tree.
But judging by the burning on my arm and the warmth trickling down my skin, the third one had at least grazed me.
Fucker.
I squeezed off another, hearing a howl as the man dropped.
I did make sure I did a double-tap with this one, since I was practically running over him as I went to my next location.
I heard all the voices left shouting now, calling to each other, then the stomp of their feet as they followed the unavoidable sounds I was making.
Then, suddenly, gunshots.
A fuckton of gunshots.
The sound seemed to come from everywhere, echoing around the woods, disorienting me, making me second-guess what I was doing.
Then I heard them.
Screams of pain.
What was going on?
Friendly fire?
My heartbeat, reasonably controlled until that moment, started pounding against my ribcage as my foot caught a tree limb, sending me flying forward, my stomach bottoming out, and forcing me to throw out my forearms to break my fall.
Just as I heard someone booking it toward me.
“Got him!” he called out, making me whip over onto my back, knowing there was no way I could get to my feet fast enough.
He was too close.
I was just raising my arm.
Then, suddenly, the gunshots rang out.
Bang bang bang bang bang.
I braced for the impact at the first explosion.
But it wasn’t the man standing over me.
I knew because, suddenly, the moon peeked out from behind a cloud, and I watched as his body jolted once, twice, three times before he wavered on his feet, then toppled backward.
The fuck?
I whipped around, getting up on my knees, gun raised.
And there she was.
Her red hair bright even in the dark, like it had been that first night.
Her arm was raised, a gun in her trembling hand.
In fact, her entire fucking body was shaking.
“Hey,” I said, voice soft, coaxing. “Mills, hey,” I said, trying to get to my feet slowly, as not to startle her and end up with a plug in me too. “Mills, it’s alright,” I said, then reached out as fast as I could, grabbing the barrel of the gun, and pushing it down until the muzzle was facing the dirt. “You’re alright. You’re okay.”
There was no time for soothing her.
I had to get her down. Or hidden. She couldn’t be standing here, just waiting for Neeley to grab her, or shoot her.
I yanked the gun roughly out of her hand, tucking it into my waistband, then grabbing her, and running.
What the fuck was going on?
How was she here?
Where did she get a gun?
I had to get her to her car. Get her inside. Get her the fuck out of here.
I could finish this some other time.
“Not so fast,” a voice said, and I fucking heard the sound of the safety being slid off before I even spotted Neeley a few yards away, his arm raised, his face splattered with blood.