Page 69 of Fatal Deception
“Whoa. Whoa.” She managed to approach Bo, grab her reins even as she reared back up. Audra stayed out of the way as the horse came back onto all fours. “It’s all right, sweetheart. I’ve got you now.” But she didn’t have time…
Rosalie caught up, and so did Duncan and Franny, who Audra hadn’t realized had followed them out.
Franny moved forward, took the reins from Audra. “I’ve got her,” Franny said firmly. “I’ve got her. I’ll be okay. You guys go.”
Audra took off, but Rosalie was right behind, talking to Duncan. “You two go back to the house. Get Bo put away. Then you can lead the cops to us once they get here.”
“Rosalie.” Duncan’s voice was little more than a growl, but Rosalie kept pace with Audra and just spoke louder.
“We can handle it, Duncan. We have to handle it. Go with Franny. Please.”
Audra didn’t pay any attention to see if Duncan argued or not. She kept resolutely walking to the back of the property. She could have grabbed a horse—Bo, even—but she wasn’t sure Bo was okay, and any other horse would take too long to saddle. Her truck could have made it back here, but she would have had to backtrack. The UTV was out of gas, so on foot it was.
“Audra…” But Rosalie never finished whatever she was going to say. She just kept up with Audra’s relentless, determined pace. Over hills and dips, along the fence line and to the back of the property.
Maybe Audra was breathing heavily from exertion as they began to approach the end of her property line, but she hardly noticed. Out there in the distance, she saw a figure.
No, two figures.
Only when she saw the sun glint off the metal of what was likely a gun did she begin to slow. But she didn’t stop.
Because she could see clearly one figure was standing with his hands in the air—that was Copeland. And one figure held a gun toward him—that was Karly.
If it meant something, if she felt something, it didn’t penetrate the icy shell inside of her. The only thing she really concentrated on was a renewed sense of determination. She lifted her rifle as she walked closer.
“Audra, we should try to sneak up on her. We should—”
“There’s nowhere to hide,” Audra replied. Because all around them was just the rolling grassy land of Young Ranch and the spot they’d sold off to the lumber company with years-old stumps lining the ground.
Whether it was their voices or something else, Audra didn’t know, but Karly looked toward them, the gun still pointed at Copeland. Audra thought she’d turn it toward her and Rosalie, considering they were armed, but Karly didn’t do that.
She stepped closer to Copeland, behind him almost, but not fully. Because she pressed the metal to his temple.
Audra stopped on a dime, but she didn’t lower her gun. She didn’t feel panic or terror or worry. She was so calm, everything around her felt like some…unreal dream. She could feel Rosalie behind her, but all she saw, all she felt, was the calm dark gaze of Copeland from across the grassy expanse between them.
“Audra.” Rosalie sounded scared, but Audra didn’t feel it. She was numb. She was calm. She knew what had to be done.
She kept Karly in her gunsight. “I’m going to shoot her,” Audra murmured.
“She’s using Copeland as a shield.”
“I can see that. I can also see exactly where I need to aim to hit her and not Copeland.”
“But… Audra, what if you hit him?” Rosalie asked on a concerned whisper.
Audra’s hand wanted to tremble, but she wouldn’t let it. For years, she’d won shooting awards. Hell, she’d helped save the ranch with the money she won a few years in a row. Now she’d help save the man she loved.
“I won’t hit him.” Not when everything depended on this. On her.
She’d been preparing for this moment, whether she knew it or not, all her life.
THE GUN WASpressed to his temple. Copeland had no doubt Karly would pull the trigger if pushed even a little bit. She was holding on to everything by a thread. He couldfeelherdesperation. Her loss of control, and maybe loss of hope that she could turn this whole messed-up endeavor into what she’d envisioned.
Audra didn’t look the least bit scared. She held the impressive-looking rifle against her shoulder, aimed at…well, he knew it wasn’t aimed athim, but it sure felt like it with Karly using him as a human shield.
If Audra had any feelings about that, she didn’t show it. The sun blazed behind her in a riot of deep reds and oranges. Her expression was calm, her eyes direct.
“Drop the gun,” Karly called out over the distance between them. “You’ve got ten seconds, or he’s gone.”