‘‘Get behind a tree,’’ said Diane. ‘‘Now.’’
‘‘What are you—’’ he began.
‘‘Now!’’ she said.
Kingsley threw his rock toward the oncoming van with no result. He ran to the trees for cover. Diane waited. She saw Joey. His face was contorted in anger. Diane waited. She saw the van accelerate. She stared him down. He gunned the engine, driving directly at her. She threw her rock into the windshield square in front of Joey’s face and jumped away at the last minute. The van crashed into the trees, exploding the air bags. Diane was beside the van almost before it stopped. She jerked open the driver’s side door, pulling Joey to the ground. She felt between the seats for his gun and grabbed hold of it just as she felt Joey bite into her leg.
‘‘Son of a bitch,’’ she screamed and kicked at him.
Kingsley appeared from around the front and kicked him hard in the side of his head. Joey let go of her leg and lay on the ground, not moving.
‘‘Give me the gun,’’ said Kingsley.
‘‘Why?’’ said Diane.
‘‘Because I’m probably a better shot with a gun,’’ he said.
Diane handed him the gun. He checked the bullets.
‘‘Now you take cover,’’ he said.
Diane got behind the van and watched Kingsley. He rested his arm on the door of the van and took aim as the sisters came running out of the woods. He shot and one of them fell.
‘‘Rose! Oh, Rose,’’ a voice shouted.
Diane saw a patch of red spread on her upper left torso as she lay on the ground. Diane couldn’t tell if she was dead.
‘‘Damn you!’’ either Lily or Iris screamed at him.
The two of them simultaneously dove for a shallow ditch a few feet from them and started shooting.
Kingsley dropped to the ground along with Diane. She heard the bullets hitting the van and passing through.
The firing stopped abruptly.
‘‘Put your guns on the ground and lie down with your hands behind your head,’’ Kingsley shouted at them from his vantage. He was in the road halfway between the van and the low shoulder where Diane had taken cover. ‘‘Do as I say.’’
‘‘Don’t trust that they are out of bullets,’’ Diane said to him. ‘‘I think they are trying to draw us out in the open.’’
‘‘I agree,’’ said Kingsley. He crawled backward to where Diane was hiding.
From her vantage point, she could see under the van out across to Iris and Lily’s hiding place. She couldn’t see them, but as she stared, she caught sight of their clothes. They weren’t able to completely hide either. Diane turned her head to Kingsley and started to say something, but saw that he was aiming. He fired and they heard a yelp and a scream and more shots.
The shooting stopped again, and this time Diane thought they were probably out of ammunition. But she didn’t stand up to test her theory.
‘‘Rose may still be alive,’’ shouted Kingsley. ‘‘Do you want to risk not getting her help?’’
There was silence for a moment, then one of them called out. ‘‘Don’t shoot.’’
‘‘Throw out your guns and stand up where I can see you. Put your hands behind your head and kneel on the ground,’’ said Kingsley.
Diane saw two guns come flying out of the ditch and the two of them stand up, lacing their hands behind their heads before falling to their knees.
Diane cautiously went to pick up the guns. They were empty. She patted the women down while Kingsley held his gun on them. If their gazes could shoot bullets, she and Kingsley would be dead.
A bullet had grazed Iris’ shoulder blade and there was a small red stain on the back of her dress.
Diane and Kingsley made Lily and Iris carry Rose as they marched them and a dazed Joey down the road. Just as they arrived back at the house, the U.S. Marshals came driving up along with two FBI agents—and Frank.
Chapter 53
Kingsley elected to fly back to Atlanta to have his wound seen about. Diane understood. Sometimes you just want to go home. They left the cleanup with the marshals. The local doctor said Rose would make it. Joey’s gun hadn’t made a very big hole in her, nor had Kingsley hit anything vital.
Kingsley was in the window seat asleep on the plane. He looked better since the paramedics had pumped him full of their good stuff.
Diane watched the blue sky and white clouds, glad to be away from Clymene’s island.
‘‘Thanks for coming to rescue me,’’ said Diane.
She snuggled up to Frank, feeling safe and secure— it was not simply that he came looking for her, but that down deep, she knew he would and that he would find her.
‘‘It looks like you and Kingsley had things in hand,’’ he said.
