“Move, now.” Jeri screamed and Emma jerked and looked over at Paadi, who was also frozen in place. The color had leached from her face and she was a sickly gray. She turned away from Emma and started walking in jerky movements. Emma heard the children crying and looked over to Riley, who was now watching Jeri and Paadi.
Emma’s hand moved to the gun at the base of her back. Just as her fingers curled around the grip, an explosion jerked her body, as though she’d been shot. She’d seen a blur and her mind couldn’t process it. For a horrifying moment, she thought she had been shot. She looked over at Riley, who had a shocked look on his face, his chest blossoming in brilliant red. Buddy grabbed the downed Riley by the neck and was shaking the man wildly. The dog made no sound. Another boom and she saw BJ, all the blood gone from his face and then Emma looked over to Paadi.
Jeri was on the ground and Paadi had pulled her weapon. She aimed it at the down man’s face and shot him three times. BJ was running and as he went by Riley, he looked down and called Buddy off the man. Riley wasn’t moving anymore. Buddy’s muzzle was bloody. He sat beside the dead man and waited for a command. Emma patted her leg and the dog ran over to her. BJ ran to Paadi and grabbed her and dragged her away from the dead Jeri. He held her in his arms and he turned and the children ran to him and Paadi.
Emma ran over and threw her arms around them all and they were all crying hysterically. She wasn’t sure when they stopped crying. Dillan clung to BJ like glue, and Hailey was glued to Paadi. Emma held Cooper and her free arm was around Amanda, she was rocking both children.
“Is everyone okay?” BJ croaked, tears sliding down his face.
“I think so, we need to get these kids into the house. We need to get those bodies out of here.” Emma said, wiping her eyes.
“Get them in, I’ll take care of the bodies.” BJ panted, pushing them all toward the house. They all went willingly, and they entered the house and went to the large couch. BJ held Paadi’s face in his hands and he looked into her eyes.
“You sure you’re okay?” He asked. Paadi nodded jerkily. BJ leaned forward and kissed the top of her head, then kissed each of the children and then Emma, then he was gone.
“What do you think happened to the third man?” Emma asked, her voice still shaking.
“Hopefully dead. I’ll suggest that Brian and BJ go and look for him, make sure he’s dead and if he isn’t, then kill him.” Paadi said, her eyes hard as black diamonds.
Ӝ
Brian was running through the forest; he’d heard the multiple shots. His long legs ate up the distance, he was moving around trees and low bushes. Could it be the three men that he and BJ had found? Was it someone else? Were the children okay, was Emma okay? Christ, why couldn’t he run faster?
His breath was coming in harsh gasps and his mouth so dry that he could not swallow. It was an agonizing run; time was standing still and Brian seemed to be running against a molasses tide. He broke through the trees and saw nothing on the beach, but for the cooking equipment. Then he saw BJ, bent over a body, he was trying a rope onto the legs of a man. As Brian got closer, he could see it was Mole. His heart fell into his stomach. BJ turned when he heard Brian, drawing his Glock. Then he holstered it, and Brian could see the man was pale as death.
“Everyone okay, the kids? Emma and Paadi?” Brian asked. When BJ nodded, the breath came out all at once and Brian nearly buckled with relief.
“What happened?” Brian gasped, trying to get his breath back. He bent over at the waist and spit. Looking back at the house, he saw Emma at the doors and lifted a hand. She smiled, though it trembled and lifted a hand. She turned and disappeared.
“I was getting a tank of propane for the girls. Buddy was with me. I was coming back and saw that Pirate was leading Paadi to the house. Mole had his shotgun pointed at the kids on the beach. Then he turned and watched Pirate and I shot the son of a bitch in the back. Buddy finished him off. I shot Pirate and Paadi finished him off.” BJ said, his eyes haunted.
Brian looked down at Mole, his throat had been ripped open, his dead eyes opened wide in shock. Pirate laid beside him, three holes in his head.
“Now that you’re here, you can help me load them into the truck. I was going to drag them behind, I didn’t want the women trying to lift these bastards.”
“Yeah, after we dump them, let’s go and find Crackhead. I’m sorry we just didn’t shoot them on sight. I’m glad you were here. If we’d have been gone hunting, I think this might have turned out differently.” Brian said and the thought made him weak in the knees.
BJ untied the dead man’s feet and it took a bit of hoisting, but they got both bodies into the truck bed. The men drove about five miles away and then took a utility road. Driving in about a half mile, Brian turned the truck around. He maneuvered the truck, so the bed was pointing to the side of the road. Then he and BJ got out and rolled both bodies out.
“Thanks again, you saved our family.” Brian said and slapped BJ on the back. BJ smiled wanly, and nodded.
“Don’t punish
