Page 70 of Deadly Revenge
Then a shot rang out.
Chapter Forty-Seven
The shot echoed around the mountains, making it hard to tell where it came from. Maya grabbed Hope and Juniper, dragging them over to the tree line. Not far from the evergreens was the edge of a cliff that dropped straight down. Abigail was lying near the lakeshore.
Hope stared at Maya with a horrified expression. Was she shot? She didn’t feel like she’d been hit. But could she be reacting and have enough adrenaline to not notice she’d been struck? Maya would keep going until she couldn’t. But nothing hurt. She continued dragging Hope along the edge of the trees until she found a spot where the terrain didn’t sharply drop off.
“Get down and stay here,” Maya said. Hope was now pale. Had Hope been hurt? Maya checked the girl over, but she seemed okay at least in that regard. There was no blood. Nothing to indicate that she was injured.
Maya quickly checked Juniper’s body. Juniper was fine. If Maya had been shot, the adrenaline would have worn off by now. She glanced over at Abigail. She hadn’t moved. Maya had to get back to her to administer first aid since it appeared she was the one who had taken the bullet.
“Your... face...” Hope stammered.
“What about my face?” Maya felt with her fingers. She’d heard of people being shot in the head and still able to function. Had that happened to her? Although any rifle with the range to nail them would more likely instantly kill her. She did feel something warm and sticky, though. But she was also so hot and sweaty that didn’t mean it was blood.
Maya ran her fingers over her face and then inspected her hands. She did see blood. She continued feeling around, but she was okay. There were no weird gaping holes in her head. Where had the blood come from? She realized the shot had probably spattered Abigail’s blood back onto herself. She really needed to get to Abigail and administer first aid.
“Stay,” Maya told Juniper before turning to Hope. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move. You’re well-hidden here.”
Maya ran over to Abigail and dragged her back over to where Hope and Juniper were. She might not like Abigail at all. Okay, that was an understatement. She thought about earlier when she’d wanted to let Abigail drown. Maya knew she’d never go down that road. She’d taken an oath as an officer and she had to administer first aid. But Maya was exhausted. Her muscles shook and protested dragging Abigail. Normally, she would never move someone in this state, but she couldn’t give first aid out in the open with a shooter on the loose.
Hope’s entire body trembled. Maya hated that she had to see this, but she’d worry about Hope later. Rightnow, she had to see if Abigail was still alive. Maya felt her throat for a pulse. There was none. She wasn’t breathing. Blood pooled underneath Abigail. Maya was about ready to start chest compressions when she realized the shot was center mass and had probably killed Abigail instantly. If the shooter wasn’t someone with a sniper background, like Aaron, then he’d just been lucky.
It didn’t matter. Maya would normally continue first aid until a flight for life could arrive, but she could tell that Abigail was too far gone and they could all still be in danger. Her priorities now were keeping Hope safe and finding the shooter. It had to be Abigail’s partner. Maybe Abigail had told him where they were. Maybe he heard Maya radio. There was no way she was letting him get away. But she did need Hope to be safe.
Maya stood and tried to wipe off her face. The blood was only on the side that had been closer to Abigail. She was probably smearing it, making herself look worse. Hope was still shaking.
“Hey. Don’t look at her, okay?” Grabbing Hope’s shoulders, Maya continued using a firm voice to help the girl focus. She turned her so they were facing each other and Hope’s back was to Abigail. “Look at me. I’m fine. You’re good too. None of us were shot. I know my face is a mess, but I’m okay.”
Juniper barked in agreement.
“I’m going to help you get to a safe spot where the helicopter is coming. They’ll be here soon,” Maya continued.
“You’re leaving me again?” Hope said as tears started streaming down her face.
“I have to. Someone just shot Abigail. They might be coming after us. I need to find them before anyone else gets hurt.”
“My uncle always says that his job is to go after the criminals that normal people would run away from.”
“Your uncle is a smart and brave man. He’s absolutely right,” Maya said. “And so are you. You’re a lot like your uncle. He’s taught you well. You can do this. I will get you to a secure location. There’ll be a helicopter coming soon. It’ll take you to your parents and your uncle. Your uncle might even be on it. You want to see him, right?”
That earned a nod and slight smile from Hope.
“That’s what I thought. Abigail can’t hurt you anymore and I’m going to make sure I find whoever shot her. Come on. Let me get you out of here and to where the helicopter will be. You’ll be protected there.”
Maya turned and started walking. Much to her relief, Hope followed. She kept Hope on the side by the trees in case the shooter was still out there. It would be a harder shot for him to take out Hope. Juniper was in between them, tail up and wagging. Maya figured she had cooled down after her “swim” in the lake. Hopefully she had enough energy to do one more track.
There was no way Maya was going to let Abigail’s partner get away. He needed to pay for his crimes too. Especially the crime of Agent Bernardo losing his life.
Anger gave Maya a second wind. She could do this too.
They walked over to the tall evergreen trees that marked the trail. Maya guided Hope down. She had to stay strong for her niece. Maya figured if she showed fear then Hope would feed off that. But inwardly, her heart pounded as her chest tightened. She worked hard not to show her feelings. Not too long ago that had been her way of living all the time. Reliving that way of holding in her anxiety made Maya glad she’d started the process of healing. Josh was a big part of that. Would he be on the helicopter? Or was he injured or even... Maya shuddered and worked to shut down that thought and stay focused. She practiced the mindfulness she’d learned and took in her surroundings.
On this side of the lake everything was peaceful. There was smoke, but the wind was carrying the thickest part of the smoke in the other direction. Birds chirped as if nothing bad had happened. She needed Hope to stay out of sight. Maya spotted some bushes and tall grass off the trail.
“Let’s go over here,” Maya said, pointing in the direction of the shrubs. They trekked their way over to behind a bush. “Sit here. It’s hard to spot you and the helicopter will land over there in the meadow. When it comes, the blades are going to create a lot of wind. They’ll blow dust and any other debris like small branches around. It won’t hurt you, but just duck your head down and turn your face away so you don’t get dirt in your eyes. Got it?”
“How long before the helicopter arrives?” Hope asked.
