Page 61 of Lone Star Wanted
Beyond them, she also caught sight of Jericho as he slipped through the tree line. He raised his gun, lining up a shot at the masked man.
“You’re not supposed to kill them,” Marlene shouted.
Cassidy turned in time to see Marlene push up from the ground, her gun swinging toward the attacker. She fired, but the shot went wide.
The masked man whirled, his gun flared. The bullet caught Marlene in the shoulder, spinning her sideways with a cry of pain.
She hit the ground hard, then scrambled behind a headstone, dragging herself out of the line of fire. Her breathing was ragged, one hand clutched to her bleeding shoulder. But she was still alive.
Still dangerous.
Cassidy’s pulse hammered as she raised her weapon again, eyes locked on the trees. The fight wasn’t over. Not yet.
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Chapter Seventeen
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Gunfire exploded around Kincade. It was a sharp, relentless staccato that shredded the quiet of the cemetery.
He dropped low and dove behind a thick marble headstone as another bullet cracked past his ear. Dirt and stone chipped away in his peripheral vision. He gritted his teeth and raised his weapon, keeping his aim low. Jericho was out there somewhere, moving fast and quiet, and Kincade couldn’t risk catching him in the crossfire.
The masked attacker and Marlene were both firing now, wild and angry. Their loud and close gunshots came from opposite directions. The chaos was deafening. Kincade pressed his shoulder into the stone for cover, peering out just long enough to get a fix on the attacker’s location.
“You bastard!” Marlene screamed from somewhere behind a tree. “You shot me!”
Kincade’s heart pounded as he scanned the tree line for movement, waiting for an opening. Thebastardwasn’t just a threat to them now. He was firing at everyone, including the woman who had helped set this entire mess in motion. But Marlene was firing her own share of shots as well.
Kincade leaned out just enough to scan the rows of headstones ahead. He spotted Cassidy and Travis crouched low behind separate markers, their bodies tense and ready. Travis had his hands free and was gripping a gun. Good. Because they might need all the firepower they could get to put an end to this.
Cassidy glanced at Kincade, their eyes locking for a second. She was still in the fight, and the storm of bullets was pinning them all down.
He wanted to ask her if she was all right. Wanted to say he was sorry for not stopping this nightmare before it had engulfed them. But that was going to have to wait. A lot of things were going to have to wait. For now, he needed answers to help him put an end to this.
Kincade forced his attention from Cassidy and turned toward the shooters. “Marlene?” he shouted. “Who is that? Who’s behind the mask?”
Silence answered him.
Then, more shots. Not aimed at him this time.
They tore through the trees in Marlene’s direction. She let out a sharp cry, followed by a string of panicked curses.
Marlene had been hit again. He was sure of it.
Another shot cracked into the air, and then Kincade saw her dragging herself through the underbrush, leaving a trail of blood behind her. She disappeared behind a cluster of headstones, vanishing from view.
Kincade swore under his breath. Whoever was behind the mask wasn’t just trying to kill Travis anymore. He was tying up every loose end he could find. That obviously included Marlene.
And the rest of them.
Marlene’s voice rose in a strangled groan. “I’m bleeding out!”
Kincade shifted, his back pressed hard to the cold stone behind him. “I can get you help,” he shouted. “We’ll call an ambulance. But it has to stop. Everyone needs to stop shooting.”
The words had barely left his mouth when another shot blasted through the air. It hit the headstone just inches from his head, splintering marble and sending sharp bits flying.
He dropped lower, heart slamming against his ribs. Dirt smeared his palms as he steadied himself, eyes scanning for the source. The masked gunman was still out there, and he wasn’t interested in surrender or negotiations.
