Page 246 of It Happened on the Lake

He leapt onto Levi, his weight pinning Levi down, mashing his spine into the tarmac.

Levi groaned, pain radiating through his body. Still he stretched, reaching for the weapon, his fingertips brushing the butt of the gun and sending it spinning away.

Trick, too, grabbed wildly, straining to reach the pistol.

No way.

Despite his pain, Levi was not giving up. His fingers clenched around the jagged piece of glass. It cut into his flesh as he swung upward.

Connecting.

Smashing Trick’s nose, then putting all his weight into the blow and gouging him in the eye.

With a squeal of agony, Trick rolled away. Off Levi. Flailing wildly for the gun. “You fucker!” He found the pistol. Grabbed it.

Just as Dawn leapt from the shadows.

She stamped hard on his hand with a heavy boot.

Bones crunched.

Trick screamed.

And Levi heard the sound of other voices.

Shouts. Running footsteps.

Trick, holding his injured hand with the other, rolled onto his back, then tried to stagger to his feet. “You little—”

She slammed her booted foot into his face, sending him sprawling backward.

“Get the gun!” Levi said, seeing the pistol on the ground. He tried to stand and failed. Then, unable to crawl, he inched forward, scooting, determined to get the weapon. “Run!”

Dawn didn’t hear him or chose to ignore his words. Eyes laser-focused on Trick, she bounced on the balls of her feet, her hands curled into fists. “Don’t move,” she warned through clenched teeth.

The pistol was still ten feet away.

Trick dismissed the command. Tried to get up.

“Mistake,” she said. She spun with amazing agility, cocked her leg, and landed a round-house kick to his face that sent him flying. Crying out, he landed with a thud, skidding on his back.

She wasn’t finished. With a blood-curdling scream, she ran at him and jumped full force onto his crotch.

His scream of pain echoed through the alley, nearly drowning out the sound of the other voices and running feet. Was that the wail of a siren screaming in the distance? Or was Levi hallucinating? He tried like hell to hold on to consciousness, but the world was swimming around him, growing dark.

Through the blur he heard sharp voices.

Commands.

Screams.

“Stop!” a woman’s voice ordered.

A male voice yelled, “Police!”

“Hands over your head!” The man again.

The woman said, “Shit, what the hell happened here?” Then, “This guy is out of it . . . we need an ambulance. STAT. Make that two! I don’t think the other one’s going to make it.”

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