Page 55 of Lone Star Witness

“A mess Stephanie made by murdering her lover when he threatened to tell all about their affair,” Slade threw out there. He wanted to hear Sonny spell it out. Wanted to know what the woman had hired him to do.

Sonny didn’t answer that, but a flash of anger went through his eyes. “You’re awfully damn chatty. Is it because you think I’ll forget about Caroline and Marise? Well, I won’t. All of you will pay for what you did to Bodie and me.”

Slade was sure he got his own flash of anger. “And who pays for what you did to my mother? You killed her. Right here. You. Killed. Her.”

No way for Slade to hold back the anger so he just let it fly, and apparently, he was giving off enough sparks of fury to keep Sonny’s attention. Good. Because Jericho reached out, grabbed the rope and ducked back behind cover while he started hauling up Rosa.

It took everything inside Slade to stay put, to not rush over to help. If he did that, Sonny would just shoot at him, and Slade wouldn’t have a clear shot to return fire. Not without risking hitting Stephanie. Maybe once Jericho had his hands free, he’d be able to give Sonny a dose of his slingshot.

“Sonofabitch,” Sonny snarled when he saw what was happening with Jericho. He turned, adjusting his aim toward Jericho.

Slade did something about that.

He fired a shot at Sonny’s leg.

The man howled in rage and pain when the bullet slammed into his shin, but he still moved damn fast. He scuttled back behind the tree, dragging Stephanie along with him.

Slade continued shooting at the tree, keeping his shots low, so he wouldn’t hit anything vital on Stephanie. Still, it was a risk if Sonny threw her down or let her fall. Then, she could be killed, but at the moment, Slade wasn’t going to focus on that. No, Sonny was his target.

The gunfire gave Jericho some precious seconds to get Rosa to the top of the bluff. The colonel had some cuts and bruises on his face, but at least he was alive.

Jericho immediately hunched down and started untying the rope harness. He was still in the process of freeing the colonel.

When all hell broke loose.

Sonny charged out from the tree, and he didn’t have his human shield with him. He’d no doubt ditched her so he could run fast and hard. So, he had his hands free to kill.

Jericho reacted, turning and readying his gun. Slade pivoted, too, and did the same.

But they were both too late.

Sonny grabbed Rosa, putting him in a chokehold and shoving the barrel of his gun against the colonel’s head. Rosa didn’t struggle. Didn’t try to break free. Probably because he couldn’t. Rosa was still in the rope harness and his hands were still tied.

Hell.

Sonny had a bargaining tool, and unlike Stephanie, Slade very much cared what happened to this particular human shield.

“This dog and pony show ends now,” Sonny growled. “Either Marise and Caroline come out from hiding or else I start putting bullets in Rosa. I’ll start with his arm and just keep shooting until the bitches and my sons all come out and face me.”

Sonny had spat out the word, sons, as if it were the worst sort of profanity. That made a compliment to Slade because he didn’t want this piece of shit feeling any kind of connection with them. That connection ended when he murdered their mother.

“On the count of three,” Sonny went on while Slade was ready to make his move. He was going to have to tackle Sonny and pray that Rosa didn’t get shot in the process. “Come out or I fire the first shot. One, two…”

Marise stepped out from the tree.

Shit.

She actually stepped out.

“This is not getting down or staying behind cover,” Slade managed to say through clenched teeth.

“I’m not going to hide while Sonny kills the colonel or you,” she said, not going toward him. Probably because she knew Slade would shove her behind him to keep her out of the line of fire.

Instead, she walked straight toward Sonny.

“A brave bitch,” Sonny mocked.

“A bitch with a stick,” Marise countered, and she lifted the tree limb she had been holding next to her leg.

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