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“Yes. See, I really fucking hate you. You got the fame. You got the glory. So I am going to make you suffer before I’m done. First thing, you’ll be losing hearing in your left ear. Nate drove the knife into your right ear all those years ago. This time, it will be me. My voice will be the last thing you ever hear.”

“Get the fuck away from her!” Hunter’s voice. Roaring.

His wonderful, wonderful voice.

The gun muzzle jerked from her forehead. And Shelby attacked. She surged forward, she threw her body against Kimber’s, and they crashed into a tangled heap together. Shelby could only see blobs. Shadows. But her fists flew fast as she pummeled the other woman, and Kimber screamed again and again and Shelby drove her fists into Kimber’s face harder.

Kimber brought up the knife. It sliced across Shelby’s shoulder.

Shelby kept hitting Kimber.

Kimber drove the knife into Shelby’s side.

Shelby grabbed the handle. Wrenched the knife away from her body. She twisted and shoved and kicked—fighting truly blindly—and she staggered away from Kimber.

“Shelby, run!” Hunter’s roar. “She’s got the gun again—baby, run!”

On her feet now, she turned toward his voice. It had come from the left. Hadn’t it? “Hunter?” She couldn’t run. Couldn’t leave him. No. “Hunter!”

“Turn right, baby, right!” Loud. “Go straight. Go into the woods! Don’t stop! She’s fucking shooting—Shelby—run!”

A bullet exploded, breaking the night like thunder.

But it didn’t hit Shelby.

Hunter…Hunter stopped talking.

No! A scream that couldn’t break free. Shelby turned right. She ran straight. Her feet pounded over the cement, then the dirt. Then branches clawed at her as she raced into the woods.

“Shelby! I’m coming after you, Shelby! I will kill you!” Kimber’s fury followed her.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

How many damn times had he been shot? Three? Four?

The last bullet had just driven into his stomach, and the impact had taken Hunter down again. Just when he’d gotten the hell up. He stared at the stormy sky, the rain falling hard on his face.

“Shelby! I’m coming after you, Shelby! I will kill you!”

No, she fucking would not. Hunter drew in one breath. Then another. He pulled in the pain, and he used it. He’d been worse off than this before—maybe—and he would not give in. He would not sprawl on the ground while his Shelby died.

Snarling, he shoved up.

“Ah!” Kimber’s scream. “What is it with you? Can’t you just stay down?” She fired her gun. A blast that hit him along his upper shoulder. Not in the shoulder. Along it. A graze. None of her shots had been well aimed. She’d hit before because she was close physically. But…

Another shot. One that missed him entirely.

“Just die!” Kimber yelled. She tried to fire the gun again, but nothing happened.

Used all the bullets, did you? Or maybe the gun had just jammed and he’d gotten damn lucky, but either way…

He’d spotted his gun. Just a few feet away. He lunged for it.

But someone beat him to the gun. Another hand flew down—a hand covered in a black glove. Hunter was really freaking sick of those gloves. Why did killers always wear black gloves?

“I’ll take care of him.” A man’s voice. “You go after her. She can’t get away, Kimber. It’s kinda the whole point, right? Only one final girl. One, not two. So go after her! Stop her!”

Kimber tossed down her useless gun. Shrieking, she ran into the woods.