AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He was hired by the man who Bella accused of raping her. Noni found out about Corey’s plan and warned Bella.”
Dianne looked sadly at Noni’s still form. “I couldn’t help her.”
Val caught the edge of the tape on her ankles and pulled until her feet were finally free. She ripped the tape off her face, then crept toward Noni to check her pulse. Still alive, but—as Corey had said—barely.
“She likes when you stroke her hair,” Dianne whispered.
Val did so, using one finger to brush hair off Noni’s forehead. Her red hair was matted with blood and her face was so bruised that she was unrecognizable. The woman’s eyelids fluttered, but she didn’t open her eyes.
“We’re going to get help,” Val promised, then inched her way to the door and listened. “I don’t hear anything.”
Dianne’s mouth firmed with determination. “We have to run while we can. There’s still one boat out there.”
“Let me check for weapons. We’ll be safer if we can defend ourselves.” Val slipped from the room to find an enormous gun on the table, and Val remembered Jace telling them that Bobby liked to scare people with his Raging Judge. That’s gotta be it. She picked it up with both hands because it was fucking heavy.
She checked the cylinder. Six shots and fully loaded. Yes.
A backpack sat on the floor and Val grabbed it. It held duct tape and one empty magazine. She put the huge gun in the backpack and shrugged into it. She needed her arms free to get Noni outside.
Tiptoeing back to the other bedroom, she found Dianne wrapping Noni in a sheet.
Oh no. “Is she dead?”
“No, but she has open wounds. I don’t want her to get help only to die later of infection.”
Val figured that Noni’s wounds were already infected, but she simply nodded. “Let’s get Noni to the boat.”
Dianne pointed to Val’s feet. “You don’t have shoes.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be okay. Help me with Noni.” Crouching, she slid her arms beneath the woman’s back and carefully lifted her. “Get her feet. Hurry.”
Dianne did, but she was petite and struggled with Noni’s weight. But they made steady progress, Val walking backward and Dianne shuffling forward, Noni between them.
Out of the bedroom.
Through the small common room that doubled as a kitchen.
And out the door to the outside. Almost there.
“Just a little more,” she whispered to Dianne, who was stumbling now. Val looked over her shoulder to check the path to the dock. There weren’t any obstacles she might trip over.
“Can you operate a boat?” Val asked. She could, because Burke had loaned her his boat all of the times she’d searched the bayou for Dewey Talley after Van’s death.
“Yeah,” Dianne panted. “I can.”
“You’ll need to drive. I’ve got Bobby’s gun and I’ll be watching for Corey.”
And then they were on the dock. “Let her go,” Val instructed, and Dianne lowered Noni’s feet to the dock. “Good. Now get in and I’ll hand her to you.”
Dianne got into the boat, but it rocked dangerously. She turned and held out her arms, like Val was going to toss Noni to her like a ball.
“Crouch down,” Val said. “Be steady. She’s heavier than you.” She dragged Noni closer to the edge of the dock. “Can you grab her feet?”
Dianne did and Val inched closer to the edge of the dock, sliding Noni into the boat as Dianne guided her.
And then they were done. Noni lay in the bottom of the boat, still motionless.
Val hoped they hadn’t killed her by moving her, but if they’d left her behind Bobby would have finished the job. Val was about to step into the boat when a roar broke the silence.
