Soul Possession(37)

She aimed for Jessie. Rick roared his denial and Jessie screamed as he covered her body with his own. A shot rang out, the sound echoing over and over in her ears.

Chapter 16

Jessie’s screams of anguish split the air. Rick tensed, unsure of who had done the shooting, Kim or Truitt. All he cared about was protecting Jessie from further harm.

“Rick, is Jessie all right?” Truitt demanded.

Rick raised his head and turned to see Kim lying on the ground a few feet away, the gun she’d aimed at Jessie a few inches from her hand.

“Call it in, Truitt. We need help. Is she alive?”

Truitt took his time walking over to where Kim lay. Still holding his gun on her, he knelt and put a finger to her neck. Then he shook his head.

Then Jessie moved in Rick’s arms, her hands frantically spreading over his chest and around to his back.

“Are you all right?” she demanded weakly. “Did that crazy bitch shoot you?”

“God, yes, I’m all right,” Rick choked out.

Jessie was a mess. There was blood, mud, and dirt caked with leaves covering her entire body. Her eyes were glassy with shock and with the announcement that he was okay, she seemed to completely melt down and crumble.

She began to shake violently and low moans ripped out of her throat as she clutched desperately at him. Rick eased her down long enough to tear off his jacket and wrap it around her naked body.

Truitt dropped down beside them, his hands shaking as he tried to touch Jessie. But he couldn’t seem to figure out where he could without hurting her so he let them drop.

“I’ve called it in but we need to get her out of here. It’ll be quicker if we carry her out than if we have them come in for her. A helicopter is coming to take Jessie to the hospital.”

“Kick her for me,” Jessie whispered.

Rick’s brow wrinkled in confusion. He was sure he heard wrong.

“What was that, Jessie?”

She glanced up at Truitt and tried to lift her hand to touch him. Truitt caught her fingers and lowered his head to press her palm to his lips. There was raw grief and emotion and stark fear in Truitt’s eyes.

“Kick her. I told her that I’d survive so that I could kick her teeth in while you two took her down. So kick her for me, please.”

Rick started to laugh. By the end he honestly didn’t know if he was laughing or crying. He stood shakily to his feet and then swore at how weak he felt. Was this what love did to you?

Truitt reached gently for Jessie, sliding his arms underneath her. “This is going to hurt, baby. I’m sorry but I have to get you out of here.”

“S’okay,” she slurred out. “I’m just so damn happy to be alive. I can take anything.”

Truitt lifted and Rick held his breath at the cry of agony that engulfed Jessie.

Tears glistened in Truitt’s eyes as he held her against his chest.

“God, I’m sorry, Jessie. I’m so goddamn sorry I had to hurt you.”

Jessie laid her cheek against Truitt’s chest and closed her eyes. For a moment Rick panicked and he clumsily put his fingers to her neck, relieved when he felt a faint pulse. Then he carefully pulled the jacket around her to shield as much of her body as he could.

“She’s done, man,” Truitt said quietly. “She hung on for as long as she could, until we could get here.”

“The hell of it is, she didn’t need us,” Rick said as they walked past Kim’s body. He stopped only long enough to send up a flare to signal their location and the location of Kim’s body, and then he caught up to Truitt once more.

“No, she didn’t need us,” Truitt said, awe in his voice. “Not only did she survive with horrific wounds and an injured knee, but she beat the crap out of Kim and would have killed her if we hadn’t shown up.”

“I’m glad she didn’t have to,” Rick said softly. “She’s been through enough without having to pull the trigger.”

“Jesus Christ, Rick. Kim was the serial killer? All this time?”

Rick couldn’t even wrap his brain around it. Female serial killers were rare. What motive could Kim possibly have had? It was obvious she was out of her goddamn mind, which made him even more glad that Truitt had taken her out. If she’d lived, she probably would have pled insanity, gotten a few years in a mental institution, and then been on her merry way again.

Sometimes the system sucked.

Rick stared at the woman in Truitt’s arms and swallowed the knot in his throat. She was amazing. A survivor. And he loved her so damn much he felt like he was spazzing in about twelve different directions.

Love wasn’t supposed to happen. Was it? Love was something you worked at. Worked hard at. He’d seen his parents work every day to stay together and make each other happy. But maybe love happened, and commitment was about making a relationship work after you fell in love.

Several police officers and a host of volunteers swarmed through the woods, led by the flare Rick had sent up. When they came upon Truitt carrying Jessie, cheers went up and echoed through the woods.

Jessie stirred and tried to lift her head. The celebration seemed to confuse and frighten her. She withdrew, burying her face in Truitt’s neck and Rick quickly stepped in front of Truitt to shield her from most of it.

“Let’s go,” he said to Truitt. “The helicopter should be landing soon and we have to get her to the hospital.”