Two more shots came, and these hadn’t been aimed at Sunny but at Ethan and her. So, now they were the targets, too.
Of course they were.
The shooter obviously didn’t want to leave any potential witnesses behind. Too bad they hadn’t actually seen anything to help them identify the person who was doing this. That way at least she might know exactly why they were all in danger.
“How’s Sunny doing?” Livvy muttered to Grace when there was a lull in the shooting.
“I think I’ve gotten the blood flow slowed down some,” Grace replied.
Livvy glanced over at them, and while she couldn’t see Sunny because of Grace being in front of her, Grace was no longer wearing her jacket. She’d likely pulled it off to use as a compress on the wound.
“I’m going to have Sunny crawl under the house,” Grace let them know. “Livvy, I want you to do the same. Think of the baby,” she added, knowing that saying that was more effective than giving an outright order.
Livvy peered behind her at the narrow opening beneath the house. Only about a foot high, which meant she’d have to squeeze underneath it. It would definitely get her out of the direct line of fire, but she didn’t want to think of all the critters lurking there.
From the corner of her eye, Livvy saw Grace maneuvering Sunny through that narrow opening. And yes, she saw the blood now, too. Maybe Grace had indeed managed to staunch it some, but Sunny was definitely still at risk of bleeding out. They needed to put an end to this now.
“What if we fire shots into the ground of the cornfield?” Livvy asked. “We could keep our aims low so there’s no risk of hitting anyone who might be driving by on the nearby road.”
Grace volleyed glances at both the cornfield and the direction of the road, and after a few moments of thought, she nodded. “Maybe it’ll hit the SOB, and if not, it might at least send him or her running.”
That was the idea, and while Livvy didn’t relish their attacker escaping, it would be the first step in getting Sunny the help she needed.
“All right, Ethan and you fire,” Grace instructed. She couldn’t do the same without moving out into the open.
Livvy and Ethan took aim to do just that. But there was movement in the field. Someone was running toward them, shoving the cornstalks aside. If this was the shooter, then this wasn’t an attempt to escape. It was more like a last-ditch effort to take them out while knowing he or she would be gunned down.
But Livvy didn’t intend for them to be taken out.
She held off shooting. Ethan did as well. And they kept their weapons aimed at those moving stalks.
Finally, someone burst through them, and Livvy stopped herself from pulling the trigger when she saw the woman.
Vernice.
Not armed. Or at least not holding a gun. That was because her hands were duct-taped together at the wrists in front of her. There was also a swath of the tape across her mouth. Her eyes were wild, terrified. And while the woman appeared to have been attacked, or something, Livvy knew this could all be a ruse.
Vernice stumbled forward, tripping in the shallow ditch that separated the road and the cornfield. She fell hard near the back end of one of the cruisers. The side of her face slammed into the ground, but she immediately tried to get up, craning to look at something or someone behind her.
“Stay low, Vernice,” Ethan shouted to her. “Try to crawl to this side of the cruiser.”
The woman’s head whipped up, and she speared Ethan’s gaze with those wild eyes. If this was indeed some kind of ruse or trap, then Vernice was very convincing at playing her part.
She managed to lever herself up enough to scramble by the cruiser. Not exactly a safe position since if there was a shooter, he or she could move further down the cornstalks and get to her.
But Livvy was guessing that wouldn’t happen.
After all, if the shooter had wanted Vernice dead, she wouldn’t have made it this far.
There was another shot, and it slammed into the house right above Ethan’s head. Livvy caught onto him again and yanked him down. Since Vernice obviously hadn’t fired it, that meant she wasn’t the shooter.
Well, not for this round anyway.
But Livvy still didn’t trust her. After all, that memory of Vernice peering in through the bathroom window was crystal clear now. The woman had witnessed Livvy’s mother being murdered and hadn’t done a thing to stop it.
In the distance, Livvy heard the wail of the sirens. She noticed Grace texting someone. No doubt telling them to hold off on their approach until she could give them the all clear.
Whenever that would be.
