Page 85 of The Final Storm
Blood spurts to the ground with every beat of his dying heart. I stand and walk over to him, the gun shaking in my hands. Red seeps out from underneath the body, a mess of limbs and death at my feet.
A death too quick for this pathetic man, but we are short on time.
I aim the gun at him as I back up to the side of the boat, even though I’m sure he’s dead. I turn when my back hits the side to see BeLew bobbing in the water. The waves are stronger, but their heads don’t dip below.
“It’s okay boys. Come back on board,” I say, my voice cracking from relief.
Beau swims over to the ladder, shaking out his hair while he climbs. Lewis wades behind him for his turn.
“Large animal traps,” Beau says. His feet hit the deck, and he smiles, careful to avoid looking at Lindell’s body. He’s seven, and I wonder what damage I’ve done to my children who helped me kill someone.
He deserved it, but my sister would not approve.
“Milo taught us, remember? They're called predator traps. And he,” Lewis points but doesn’t look, “was a predator.”
“Someone who exploits or preys on others,” Beau recites. “That’s what Milo said.”
They both nod, and I shove Lindell’s gun in the back of my pants and usher the boys to the stern, hoping I can keep the dead body from their sight.
“What made you swim out here?” I ask. “With bear traps!”
“Predator traps,” Lewis corrects.
Beau shrugs. “Gemma said listen to your sub obnoxious mind. We had a feeling in here.” He points to his stomach.
“Obnoxious, what?” I ask. The boys sit down on a bench at the back of the boat. “You mean subconscious?” I ask.
“That’s what I said,” Beau argues. I tap them on the shoulder and turn to get to the controls. We need to get back to the others, and fast.
“We always saw the traps,” Lewis admits. I pause for a moment and turn. “But we didn’t want you to get mad at Milo. He said not to tell anybody about the traps or guns.”
“Guns?” I ask.
“You need guns to hunt, too,” Beau argues. I get to the controls and find the key still in the ignition. I turn it and the boat roars to life. There’s no time to continue our discussion or worry about what weapons the boys played with. Not that I can complain, as one just saved our lives. I steer us forward and head toward the dock, praying no one but my family finds us there.
“You need all sorts of weapons to hunt predators dead,” Lewis yells over the engine.
Ignoring the conversation, I tell myself the gunfire stopped because they were out of bullets or dead as I speed up through the choppy waters.
“Duck down,” I tell the boys, and trust they will follow my command.
We pull up to the dock moments later, and I don’t bother with fenders or slowing down much. The hull scratches along the side, and I pull Lindell’s weapon free, hooking my finger on the trigger.
The treeline moves as people rush forward.
Chapter 29
In This Together
Myheartjumpsinmy throat as the boat comes to a stop, and I duck under the steering. I peer back but don’t see the boys. They hide from view, and I swallow hard and wait.
Lori’s voice screeches, and she’s the first person I see. Morgan cries in her arms from the outburst.
“I won’t go,” she yells, and then I see Milo, quickly followed by Sam. “Luke’s still out there with the boys.”
I stand and run toward the dock, only to slip in Lindell’s blood and almost fall. Sam jumps over the side of the boat and brushes by me.
“BeLew,” he yells. He turns back to me. “Are they here? I lost them! BeLew!”
