Page 160 of Say Yes to the Death

“Queso,” she muttered into her comms unit. It crackled in her ears. Had they heard her? What was the range on these things anyway?

She whirled around and pretended to be surprised. “No, thanks. I have a pool boy at home.”

The short one cracked his knuckles. “I said, you’re coming with us.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you’re hard of hearing. Go. Fuck. Yourselves,” she enunciated carefully. “I’m not going anywhere.”

The tall one pulled a rag out of his pocket and dabbed something from a small bottle onto it. Oh, no. Not chloroform again.

“Seriously? Chloroform? Are you guys twelve?” Why was nobody coming? Had they not heard the queso?

“I don’t think this one’s going to come quietly, Corbin,” he said, passing the rag to the short one. “We’re almost out of time.”

“I don’t need it,” the short one who must have been named Corbin said, dropping it on the ground and pulling a handgun from his belt.

Claire’s heart rate skyrocketed. The edges of her vision were going blurry. She had been prepared for knives and chloroform. A gun had somehow never occurred to her. Barney had never used one.

“Come with us, or I’m going to shoot you in the fuckin’ head.” The short one jabbed the weapon in her direction.

Claire took a step back. Her heels brushed the edge of the lake and sank into the mud. It was freezing, and her mother’s words of warning rang out in her mind. Was this the end?

She bent down and slipped off her shoes in case she needed to run. Her wig slipped, and before she could secure it, it fell into the water. She whipped her Taser out of her ankle holster and pointed it at them.

“Hey, wait. Isn’t that?—”

“Claire fuckin’ Hartley,” Corbin said, bringing the gun up. The safety clicked off. “Just my lucky day.”

A gunshot rang out. The Taser in Claire’s hand exploded, and she screamed and staggered back into the lake.

Several things happened at once. The double doors on the patio banged open, and the real Wendy Flutter stomped out screaming. Her hair was wild and tangled, and her crop top had a massive tear in one side. Several other event attendees followed behind her. How the hell had she escaped?

“Claire Hartley, I am gonna kill you!” she screamed.

Every ESA brother but the short one whirled and turned to look at Wendy.

“Dude, it’s her,” one said.

Dark shapes ran around the corner of the house. Luke and Kyle sprinted toward them from the woods, and on the side of the house, Nicole and Mindy approached the fray. Her breath hitched. They were too close.

“Gavin?” Mindy’s voice rang out in the night.

What? What the hell was Gavin doing here? Unless?—

She didn’t have time to focus on the chaos unfolding around her. She needed to survive. Claire whipped her shoe at Corbin’s head.

Another gunshot rang out.

She braced, waiting for the impact. Someone dove in front of her, and something stung her hip. She cried out in pain and fell backward into the lake. The frigid water stole her breath. Her lungs burned. For a moment, she was stunned and could only look up at the stars. But she needed to keep moving.

Then Corbin was on her. He had a face like a shovel, and a vein was ready to pop in his forehead. She staggered to her feet, dripping with lake water.

He dove for her, and she thrust the heel of her hand upward and into his nose.

He cried out and dropped to his knees, clutching his face while blood poured out around his fingers. She gave him another punch for good measure, and he collapsed backward into the lake. If she made it through this, she was going to tell everyone he peed his pants.

“Claire!” Luke yelled, but she couldn’t tell where it was coming from. She scanned the yard and looked up just in time to see Mindy punch Gavin in the face.

Someone grabbed Claire from behind. She went rigid, Sawyer’s words echoing in her mind like someone was fast-forwarding a tape recorder. She tucked her chin and blocked the attacker from getting a grip on her windpipe.

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