At the end of the driveway, Lyndsey stomped her brakes and the Miata fishtailed, sliding across the stone drive until it came to rest against the railing post leading up the front steps. Charlotte heard the twins scream. Lyndsey was out of the car in a heartbeat, running around the side of the house towards the barn.
She never glanced back at Charlotte.
Uh oh. That can’t be good.
Charlotte pulled up and scrambled out of her own car.
“Are you two okay?”
“She’s crazy!” screamed Gemma as she spilled out the Miata.
Payne jumped out, her eyes wild. “That was nuts.”
“Why were you chasing us?” asked Gemma, looking wobbly on her feet.
Charlotte moved to open the hatch of the Volvo and found her gun tucked in the spare tire well. For once she’d remembered to put it where it might be useful to her. “You two stay out of sight. I don’t know what she’s up to.”
“Are you going to shoot her?” asked Payne, her expression telegraphing excitement much more than concern.
“That’s not the plan.”
Mina appeared on the porch, gaping at the Miata squeezed against the front of the house.
“You’ve found them. What’s going on?”
Charlotte motioned to Mina. “Go in the house. Take them inside, lock the doors and hide. Call nine-one-one.”
“And tell them what?”
“Lyndsey’s gone loco,” said Payne, already mounting the stairs.
There was a gunshot and Charlotte felt something whiz by her head. A hole magically appeared in the trunk of the Miata behind her.
Holy—
The twins screamed and ran up the steps into Mina’s open arms as the woman herded them inside.
The path of the bullet lay between Charlotte and the porch. She didn’t feel great about crossing that path to follow the others into the house, so instead she spun and dove behind the Volvo, squatting, her back against the bumper. Lyndsey could hit her tank of a car with an RPG missile and she’d still have a fighting chance.
“Lyndsey!” she called at the top of her lungs. “It doesn’t have to be like this!”
“I’m not going to prison!” Lyndsey screamed back. “I’m not letting those bitches take my whole life!”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. Again with the bitches. Lyndsey was not a member of the twins’ fan club. Charlotte was beginning to think what Mina had taken as a form of sibling rivalry was really Lyndsey’s hate-fueled loathing for the twins.
Charlotte peeked around the corner of her car. Lyndsey stood by the corner of the riding ring’s fence. Seeing Charlotte, she raised her gun and Charlotte ducked back as another bullet flew by and disappeared somewhere on the opposite side of the yard, barely missing the barn Jeep.
Yikes. This woman means business.
Charlotte peeked again and saw Lyndsey walking towards her.
Crap.
“I have a gun, too. Don’t make me use it!” screamed Charlotte.
Lyndsey kept walking.
Damn. I’m going to have to prove it.
Charlotte leaned to the side and shot fifty feet above Lyndsey’s head. There wasn’t a chance in a billion she’d hit her, but it looked as if she meant business and it proved she was armed.
Lyndsey whirled and ran back to the fence to hide behind the corner posts.
Charlotte pressed her back against her bumper and stared at the Jeep.
All the cars are over here.
Lyndsey needed to escape, but couldn’t get to a vehicle without coming into range of Charlotte’s weapon. That was good in the sense Lyndsey couldn’t get far, but bad for her crouching among the vehicles. There was no real way for Charlotte to escape to safety.
“It isn’t your fault. We know it isn’t your fault,” she called. If she could get the woman talking, maybe she could kill enough time for the police to arrive.
Charlotte waited for a response but none came. Taking a deep breath, she peeked again.
Lyndsey was gone.
Charlotte heard screams.
She’s in the house.
Standing, she ran to the front door to find it locked. Inside, she could hear Lyndsey barking commands.
Here we go.
Charlotte shot at the lock and kicked the door open before twirling to throw her back against the outer wall.
No bullets flew by.
She heard Lyndsey’s voice again. Judging by the sound, she was in the kitchen.
Charlotte crept into the house, hugging the wall. No sooner was she in than the twins appeared, backing from the kitchen into the great hall with their hands in the air.
Like synchronized swimmers, the twins ducked away and slammed their backs against the wall of the great hall, one on each side of the archway leading into the kitchen.
Charlotte marveled that the girls had made the same move simultaneously, without sharing a word.
I guess that twin ESP really does work.
Charlotte scurried up beside Payne, who’d spun towards her side of the room.
“What’s going on?” she whispered.
“She’s got Mina. She’s holding a gun to her head. She looks crazy.”
Payne’s usual mask of bravado had slipped, her face pale.
Charlotte pointed to Gemma to get her attention and then pointed to the exit. “You two go outside and drive off in whatever car you can. I’ll keep her distracted.”
“The Miata?” asked Payne.
“Whatever has keys. Sure. Or my car.”
Payne’s lip curled. “That thing?”
Charlotte frowned.
Her life’s in danger and she’s still a little brat.
Something small and dark moved at Charlotte’s feet and she and Payne both yelped. She pointed her gun downward.
One of the puppies had trotted into the hall. It looked up at her, mouth open, pink tongue flashing, teeth showing as if it was smiling.
