“Give me my fucking—”
His gun appeared in front of his face.
Hell, truth was all three of them probably wouldn’t make it out alive. He really had nothing to lose if he accidentally shot Red. Maybe that’s why Cade had finally given him a weapon.
Either way, it was a really bad day to die.
* * * * *
One minute Reena was being shoved to the next leering man and the next she fell over his prone body, her bare hands plunging into red snow.
She blinked at the color in confusion. Okay, so she’d lost her mind?
Gunshots split the air and she screamed in surprise. All around her, the hunters were grabbing their pistols and returning fire. For the longest time, she lay on top of the dead man, fearing any movement would bring a bullet into her head.
Paralyzing terror gripped her as the gunshots continued. She struggled to get her bearings and finally managed to snap out of her stupor and quickly searched the dead body for a weapon.
Whoever was shooting at them was either a friend or foe of hers. If they were friends…well…too bad. If they got in her way while she was taking out the hunters, she’d deal with the guilt afterward. But if only she could find this guy’s damned gun!
Frigid air sawed into her lungs like fire. Ice-cold sweat pooled at the base of her neck and she continued to search the lifeless body, hoping to hell the other men were too busy firing their guns to pay her any mind. Acrid gunpowder smoke slammed into her nostrils, making her gag, and her ears rang from the zings of shots spiraling around her. She’d just about given up finding a weapon when she touched smooth cold metal at the small of his back.
Yes!
Self-control whipped through her like an explosion as she palmed the weapon. She rolled off the man and onto her tummy. Releasing the safety, she used the lifeless body as a shield, took aim and prayed the gun was loaded. She fired at the first man, the son of a bitch who’d conked her on the head. He cried out, dropped into the snow and lay still.
More gunshots rang out. She took aim at another man who turned toward her and pulled the trigger of his gun. The bullet slammed into the dead man’s back. She plugged the asshole two times for good measure. He clutched his chest, dropped and remained motionless.
She fired at another figure hunched down behind a fallen log. Shards of snow flew up in the air like a white tornado. She’d missed. Thankfully he didn’t return fire and it was then she figured the guy was dead.
Great!Shooting blindly. Wasted bullets. She needed to chill and get her head into focus mode!
Her breath caught as another bullet tore through the upper back of the dead man she lay behind. A nauseating wave of lightheadedness almost toppled her as another man, his face bloody, took aim at her. He was the guy she’d shot earlier. The one who’d conked her over the head.
He stood about twenty feet away. Wobbly, but standing nonetheless, he aimed right at her head.
Oh God!
Frantically she tried to ignore the image of the bullet tearing into her brains as his finger tightened on the trigger. She held her breath as he stepped forward.
If she lifted her gun and aimed at him, he’d plug her dead. But she really didn’t have much choice. He would kill her either way.
He took another step forward, a horribly smug sneer on his face.
She’d have to raise her gun. At least then he would kill her before he raped her. She blinked wildly as he dropped to his knees, fell face first into the snow and lay deathly still.
A huge knife protruded from the man’s back. Cade stumbled toward her. Falling. Clutching his right arm.
Her tummy hollowed out. He was injured and he’d come to her rescue. Again.
She rolled onto her knees, wanting to put as much distance between all the dead men and herself as possible. Wanting to help Cade.
But as she got to her feet, dizziness swept through her and she dropped on her butt into the cold, puffy snow. There were bodies everywhere. They littered the red snow.
Sickness churned in the pit of her belly. Her side hurt like a bitch and her feet and hands were so cold and red she swore they would have to be amputated. An unexpected, sharp bite of tears stung her eyes and a dam of despair threatened to spill from her, but all that disappeared when she detected movement from one of the fallen men on her left, outside the fray of the campsite.
Sweet Jesus.No. She couldn’t handle putting a bullet through another guy’s head. Not now. The scent of death was too overwhelming.
But she recognized the man’s coat and his light-blond hair.
