Twilight at Blueberry Barrens (Sunset Cove #3)(81)

He looked over at Claire. “See if there’s a blanket or something in the truck. She’s freezing cold.”

Claire nodded and moved with reluctance away from her sister. She paused by the hunter. “We’re lucky you were in the area. Where are you shot?”

“It was luckier than you think.” The man’s voice was stronger, and his arm circled Claire’s throat. He put the gun in his hand to her head. “All of you, drop your weapons.”

Drake gaped at him, then his gaze traveled to the gun. It was a Glock 22. Efficient for a shot to the head. What was going on? He couldn’t figure it out, but he hovered over Kate in case he needed to be a human shield.

When Luke hesitated, the guy pressed the gun barrel against Claire’s forehead hard enough to make her yelp. “Do it or she’s dead.”

Drake glanced at Luke, whose face had lost all color. Luke pulled his gun out and tossed it to the ground. Drake held his hands out. “I don’t have a gun.”

“I saw you go over the cliff,” the man said. “Kissner here would be upset if it weren’t for the fact that you’ll be dead soon enough.”

“Look, let me tend to Kate,” Luke said. “You can tell us what you want while I take care of her bleeding.”

“Patch her up so I can kill her?” The man laughed. He dragged Claire back with him closer to the pickup parked in the clearing.

Kate stirred a bit, and Drake touched her cheek. “Kate?”

Her lids fluttered and opened. Her gaze was unfocused at first, then sharpened when he spoke her name again. “Drake?” Her hand reached for his face. “He said he killed you. Am I dead too?”

“No, honey.” He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and pressed it to the wound on her head.

“She’s going to be. It would have been kinder not to make her live through all this.”

In that instant Drake recognized the man. “I’ve seen you in Rod Sisson’s office. You’re his maintenance guy or something. Austin Buckler?”

“I think it’s the ‘or something’ you need to worry about. I clean up Rod’s messes.”

“You killed Heath and Melissa.” He clenched his fists and started to rise, but Buckler aimed the gun at Drake’s head and he stopped. “Why would Rod want them dead?”

“I’d wondered the same until I took a look at the hard drive I stole this morning. Ol’ Rod was taking money under the table to help send Wang away.”

Drake got it then. Rod was helping Wang’s rival. “All that sympathy was phony. No wonder he gave me the name of an incompetent private investigator. He wanted me to focus on Wang too. It would be just one more nail in the guy’s coffin.”

“And it’s going to get me even more money.” Buckler narrowed his eyes at Drake. “Which one is going to die first? Maybe this one right here?” He dug the gun into Claire’s forehead hard enough that she cried out again.

“No!” Kate sat up and reached for her sister. “Don’t hurt my sister, please. You still don’t have your notebook back.”

Buckler dragged Claire back a few feet.

“Please, please, don’t hurt her.” Tears clogged Kate’s voice.

The guy had no choice but to kill everyone who’d seen his face. Drake still couldn’t accept the fact that Heath’s partner was behind this.

An arrow whistled by his head, and he dove to the ground to cover Kate. “Get down!”

*

Drake’s warm breath on Kate’s neck gave her a sense of security even though bullets zipped by their heads like hailstones. She turned her head and looked around to see Claire on the ground with Luke atop her. His face pale, Jonas lay on the ground with his eyes closed. A crossbow arrow had pierced the right side of his chest, and blood stained his shirt. He looked dead.

Her brain still felt fuzzy—it was hard to think through what was happening. Who was shooting from the trees? Kevin? He might have turned around before he called and seen what was happening. But no, he wouldn’t be using a crossbow.

“Are you hurt?” Drake’s low voice spoke in her ear.

“My head hurts.” It was thumping like someone was repeatedly hitting her with a hammer. “Are you hit?”

“No, I’m fine. I’ve got to get the gun away from him.”

She clenched her hands in his shirt. “Jonas said he killed you.”

“He tried.”

Claire was only three feet away, and Kate reached out her hand toward her sister. “Claire, are you all right?” She spoke as softly as she could.

Bullets zinged into the trees about ten feet away, and she winced at the sound. Buckler was trying to hit the bowman.

Claire’s pale face turned toward her. “I’m okay. Is it Paul out there?”

“Maybe. Or a hunter.”

Luke jerked his head a bit to the right. “We’ve got to try to crawl into the woods. Let’s try rolling that way.” He eased off his wife. “You roll that way a few feet, honey. I’m right behind you.”

Before Claire had a chance to implement his plan, Buckler leaped toward them. His boot connected with Drake’s side, and the impact shoved him off Kate. Buckler grabbed her by the arm and hauled her to her feet.

He turned her to face the woods. “I’ve got Kate. Throw down your weapon, or I’ll put a bullet in her head.” He pressed the gun against her temple.