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Jasmine had passed out on the ground, so the quiet in Selene’s yard now became absolute.

Cane went over to check her pulse and her wound.

Then suddenly, Jasmine awoke and reached over to yank the arrow out of her shoulder as she looked insane.

Cane was astonished as he scooted away from the blood spray, she had just let loose.

Jasmine dropped the arrow and her eyes rolled up as she again passed out.

Cane looked around and said, “I need something to staunch this wound.”

“Why? She is a monster, man.”

Cane looked up at Clive, who had asked this.

Orrin held an old t-shirt in his hand and stepped up to give it to Cane. He then turned to Clive and said, “He was a cop for most of his adult life. Yes, if he was like his twin, he would let her bleed out. But not Cane. His Protect and Serve training always kicks in.”

Cane did not say a word as he shook his head, placed the shirt over her wound and pressed down.

The next little while the tension grew until it snapped again when everyone heard the sharp thud of something landing on the ground.

A few minutes later, Colt came out breaking through the trees with something slung over his shoulder. Long legs hung over his back and he had a careful hold on whoever this was.

Mickey and Clive shook their heads.

Mickey asked his brother, “Colt, what the hell did you bring back?”

Colt smiled and quipped, “Sure looks like a woman to me. Ain’t never seen her before but she’s swamp people.”

Bane paused at this and asked, “And just how do you know that?”

Colt turned around and showed off her quiver. “Her arrows are all homemade. No city girl would make her own arrows. And they look so finely tuned that they actually go where she wants them to go.” He gave a nod of his head at the downed woman who’d received the arrow in her bloody shoulder. “Example number one is right there.”

Bane walked to where Colt stood and went around him then paused to look at the quiver that the unconscious archer wore. “It looks just like the Easton Flipside hip quiver but she wears it on her lower hip and that angles arrows backward so the arrows do not catch on brush during outdoor chases.” He studied the craftsmanship of the feather line, the straightness of the shaft and the worked arrow tip. “And I see what you mean. It’s a fine example of workmanship alright.”

“How do you know so much about it?” Clive asked Bane.

Bane raised his hazel gaze to him and replied, “You think that a knife or a gun is the only way to kill?”

Cane chuckled. “Let’s just say that Bane is a championship archer.”

Selene stepped around the unconscious Jasmine and rushed over to Colt. “You hurt her?” she asked as she looked worried for the girl over his shoulder. “How could you do that?”

Mickey came over as well and he paused at the way she seemed unconscious for this amount of time. “What did you do to her, brother?”

Colt shrugged with the woman still over his shoulder. “I had to get her down out of the tree without giving her a chance to send another arrow. I flung a rock and I think I caught her by surprise. She came down in an awful hurry and I think she hit the ground too hard.”

“You think?” King shook his head. “We’d better get her back to Maudie so she can take care of her.”

Shay looked up at him. “What about the bombs? And her?” He motioned at Jasmine.

King shrugged. “Bring her along. She needs Maudie’s care too, but she has to be watched very closely. We don’t want to lose her even by accident. You’ll have to bring Jude’s body along and turn him over to the sheriff anyway. He can’t be left behind to stink up Selene’s cabin no more.”

“And the Demarco’s?” Bane asked as they all tried to defer to King’s rule. They knew this swamp was his domain so to speak.

King crossed his arms over his wide chest. “What about them? If you want to track them down, go for it. But if I know men like that and I do, they aren’t here to bother anyone, they are here to get their hands on her. Besides, I doubt they know about the survival rules we grew up with here. Like not stomping through the swamp after the sun goes down or they might think all they have to avoid is gators.” He glanced over at Shay. “They are as much out of their element as you were before you came here for the first time.” He grinned then he again glanced at Bane. “All you’ve got to do is go where you think they might come up and wait for them to get here.”

Bane grinned. “You know something, that might just work in our favor.’