Twilight at Blueberry Barrens (Sunset Cove #3)(82)
The cold metal cut into Kate’s skin, but she was too numb to flinch. Her head pounded with every heartbeat, and nausea roiled in her belly. Spots danced in her vision—she knew she was about to pass out. Her legs sagged under her, and her head lolled to the side no matter how hard she tried to keep it steady.
Buckler managed to hang on to her. “Stand up!”
She tried to comply and managed to force a bit of strength into her trembling legs. She stared through the thick foliage blowing in the wind. Lightning flashed with a loud crackle and shook the ground as it hit a tree in the forest. In the brief illumination, she caught a glimpse of Uncle Paul’s face before he ducked down. More thunder rolled in. Had Buckler seen her uncle? And what was Paul planning?
She fought against the blackness hazing her vision and struggled to stay conscious. There had to be some way to distract this guy. Maybe if she made it harder for him to hold her up, she’d throw him off balance. She let her eyes flutter shut and sagged into a deadweight.
He cursed and struggled to hold on to her. The gun swayed a bit away from her head, and she saw something flash by her eyes at the same time a fresh lightning bolt lit up the sky. Buckler’s hand fell away, but a gunshot nearly deafened her right ear.
Kate screamed when the gun when off. “Claire! Drake!” Her lungs compressed, and she wasn’t sure where she should run.
With Buckler on the ground, Luke snatched up his gun, then ran toward the motionless man.
Claire sat up. “I’m all right.” She scrambled over to Kate. “You’re still bleeding.”
She also felt like she might throw up. Her vision doubled and wavered, and she swallowed. “Do Drake and Luke have him pinned yet?”
Claire’s face wavered again in Kate’s vision. “Kate, do you need to throw up? You look green.”
“Maybe.” She swallowed the sour taste in her mouth, then lay back on the ground. The rain fell on her face, but it helped sharpen her thoughts.
Moments later Drake was at her side. “I’ll need to go get Kevin and see where the sheriff is.” He glanced over at Buckler and Jonas. “Do you know the full story of all this? I don’t get how these two are connected.” He leaned close to inspect the cut on her forehead. “And how did you get this?” His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed.
“Buckler hit me with the butt of his gun.” She shook her head and pushed his chest when he started to lift her. “Just let me lie here for now. I get dizzy when I stand up, and I want to tell you what happened.” She launched into an explanation of everything that had occurred from the point when Jonas found her on the beach. “I’d convinced him I was going with him willingly. He planned to take the boat he’d rented to the mainland, and we’d go to Bangor to get married. Once we were in Bangor I was sure I could get help. We had just gotten in the truck when Buckler showed up.” She swallowed and reached for her sister’s hand.
Kate’s head pounded like rough surf on the shore, and all she wanted to do was close her eyes and sleep, but Drake had to know the rest. “Buckler intended to kill us, then go after the girls. It would look like Jonas killed us all.”
He straightened. “The girls?” He started to rise. “I’d better check on them.”
She caught his hand. “He didn’t get to them yet, so they’re safe. Who is this Rod Sisson you mentioned?”
“Heath’s partner. Rod was taking money from that rival crime organization Wang told me about. He knew someone had framed him for the murder charges he was facing. Heath must have figured it out.”
His voice was fading in her ears. She was cold clear through, and the thought of a hot bath and her soft bed was enticing. How soon could she get out of this rain? She glanced toward the trees. “What about Uncle Paul? It was him with the crossbow. I saw him. He saved us all.”
“He hasn’t come out of the trees yet, but he’s here on the island somewhere. I doubt he’ll get away, not with so many officers crawling all over it. I still can’t believe Kissner was the stalker or that Sisson was behind Heath and Melissa’s deaths.”
Her chest hitched, and she closed her eyes. “I felt sorry for Jonas. He had a rough home life. His dad left when he was in grade school, third grade I think. The few times his mom showed up at school, she was drunk and loud. I was glad when he got a job as a deputy. I thought it would help him gain some self-respect.”
Drake slipped his arm under her neck and legs. “I’m going to carry you to the car. We need to get you out of the rain. I think you might have a concussion, honey.”
Her vision wavered again. “You might be right. I-I think I’m going to be sick.” He rolled her over to her side, and she vomited into the wet grass.
He pulled out the tail of his shirt and wiped her mouth. Worry hovered in the grooves in his forehead. “I’m taking you straight to the Folly Shoals clinic.” He shrugged out of his slicker and snugged it around her. “I’ll be right back.” Worry creased his forehead as he jogged off in the rain.
Claire dug in her purse and produced a bottle of water that she uncapped and offered to Kate. “Take a sip.” Her gaze lingered on Kate’s forehead. “At the very least, you’re going to need stitches.”
The cool water washed down Kate’s throat in a blessed stream. “I was so afraid I was going to lose everything today—Drake, you, the girls.” She choked on her tight throat, then swallowed another gulp of water.