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Josie was never good at holding her breath for a long time, but tonight all that changed. It seemed like forever undoing the tight knots around William’s wrists. Afterward, she immediately reached for the .22 at her ankle. She had less than a second to worry about ricocheting bullets before she placed the nozzle against the trunk’s keyhole and pulled the trigger.
The water pressure prevented the trunk from springing open; Josie rolled onto her back and pushed her legs up with all of her might. Her head started to spin from lack of oxygen, and her body begged for her to breathe. She couldn’t tell if the trunk had open, she was too worried whether her lungs would explode.
An arm wrapped around her waist and suddenly she was rising. However, they weren’t reaching the surface fast enough, she needed oxygen now.
Josie gasped just as her head broke the surface.
She coughed, sputtered, and coughed again as her chest rose and fell with great heaving breaths. Beside her, with his arms still tight around her waist, William went through the same process to clear out his lungs.
Josie wanted to ask whether he was okay, but talking was an arduous chore. Belatedly, she became aware of short pops that sounded like firecrackers.
Someone was shooting.
She lifted her right hand and was grateful she still held the .22. She glanced at William, but neither risked speaking or drawing attention to themselves. Silently, they waded to the edge of the lake with the hope that the large blue car parked there would aid as cover.
William pressed a finger to his lips and then boosted her out first. Yet, when it came time to pull himself out, pain blasted through the left side of his body. Suddenly, the shooting stopped. “William, what is it?” In an instant she forgot about the surrounding danger and focused on him. He groaned and struggled again to get out of the lake. The task appeared to be too difficult. “Here, let me help.” Josie set the gun down and grabbed one of his arms and pulled.
It was a slow process, but through pain-filled groans they managed to get him out. William immediately rolled onto his back and clutched at his left arm.
She dropped to her knees beside him. “Baby, what is it? Were you hit?”
He nodded and sucked in air through gritted teeth.
“Where?” Panicking, she tugged and pushed up his black turtleneck. His pale skin glowed in the night and so did the bright trail of blood that streamed from his left shoulder. “Oh my God. We have to get you to the hospital.” Remarkably, he gave a short chuckle and pushed her hand away. “That’s going to have to wait.” “You’re losing a lot of blood.” His wounded growl tore out her heart. “There has to be something I can do.” He nodded. “We need to find something to slow down the circulation.”
Josie glanced around, and then tugged at the sleeve of her shirt. Within seconds, she’d ripped the material cleanly from her arm, and proceeded to tie it tightly around his shoulder.
Splash! Josie and William jumped. Josie also reached for her .22 and aimed it at the figure...the two figures in the water. “Don’t shoot. POLICE,” a man choked out through heavy pants.
She froze at the preposterous declaration, but she didn’t have time to ask any questions. Two short pops came from her left and she turned to see one of Michelle’s bodyguards shooting at the cops.
Josie shifted her aim and fired. Time slowed as the shot missed its target, and the thug turned his attention to her.
Another shot came from the lake, and she watched with stunned fascination when the man spun like a marionette and hit the ground.
Her gaze traveled to the shooter, the man who’d identified himself as a cop. On guard, Josie took a protective stance before William and kept her gun trained on the man approaching them. Josie frowned at the man’s stunned expression. “Andrews?” Her hand tightened on the gun. “Ferrell.” “The real one,” William added weakly.
A smile ballooned across the wet cop’s face. “You’re alive.” He tried to heave the man next to him out of the water. “Can you help me with him?”
Josie hesitated.
“Here, hand me the gun,” William said. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t make any sudden moves.”
After thinking it over for a second, she did as William suggested. Together, she and the cop managed to get the second body out of the water. When the cop climbed out, he was a flurry of movement, removing the still man’s tie and performing the CPR.
“Do you need any help?” William asked, cautiously.
“One one thousand, two one thousand. I got it covered, four one thousand.” The cop pinched the man’s nose and blew into his mouth.
Josie itched to help as well, but had never learned this medical procedure. It didn’t look like it would matter though, the cop’s buddy or partner wasn’t responding. “Come on, Jorge. Breathe for me.” More gunfire sounded off in the distance, and Josie jerked in the direction of the house. “What in the hell is going on?” “At this point, I have no idea,” the cop said. He pinched the man’s nose and blew into his partner’s mouth again.
To her surprise, the man coughed and spewed out water. She watched as he then curled onto his side and his body rattled with gurgling water. “Are you all right, man?” the cop asked. Jorge shook his head. “Hit.” “Where?” “Arm.” In no time the cop had also tore some of the man’s clothing to stem the blood loss. Another round of gunfire came from the house.
“Jorge, I’m going to have to leave you here while I go and check on the others. I also need to get some more back up out here. I’m going to leave you with...” “William and Josie,” William answered. “Yeah, with these guys, okay? Nod if you understand me.” Slowly, Jorge nodded. “Wait,” Josie caught the cop by the arm. “If you’re going after my sister, I want to come.” The cop shook his head. “I can’t allow that. I need for you to watch over these men. I’ll get help,” he promise.
She wanted to argue, but knew by the level of intensity in the cop’s eyes that it would be a moot point. Forcing a smile, she nodded and encouraged him to leave. When he was gone, she returned her attention to William. “You’re going, aren’t you?” he asked. “I can’t let her get away.” “Let the police handle it. If you go up there, they could confuse you with Michelle.” He was right. It made sense. “I have to do this,” she insisted. “I’ll be fine.” “Josie, no. I can’t lose you like this. Stay here, and let the authorities handle it.” She wanted to stay. Lord, knows she but this was something she had to do. “Josie, don’t go,” he asked with a wry smile. “Please, try and understand,” she pleaded. “I promise I’ll be back.”
Their gaze locked, and she was besieged with a list of things she wanted to say, but there wasn’t time. “I love you,” she said at last.
“Wait.” He laid a restraining hand on her shoulder. “Take this.” He handed her the gun.
He smiled, and his eyes lit with tenderness. “Make sure you come back to me.”
“You got yourself a promise.” She kissed him again, taking a little longer to savor the taste of his lips. She pulled away, but Jorge now placed a restraining hand on her arm. “No,” he croaked. Josie pulled his hand away. “I’m sorry, but this is personal.”
Chapter 38
Once again, you screwed up.
Michelle had no longer opened one of the side French doors when she heard two shots behind her. Close shots. Warning shots. She turned blindly and fired.
A lost cause. Your parents were right. You’re a lost cause.
Michelle kicked the door close and raced across the sunroom. In her mad dash, she abandoned her high-heel pumps. “I just need to grab a few things.”
You need to get the hell out of here.