Page 56 of Lone Star Witness

Using it like a javelin, she hurled it at Sonny.

Slade charged forward. So did Nash, Caroline, and Jericho. All converging on Sonny. All trying to stop someone other than Sonny from being killed.

Marise’s limb smacked up against the side of Sonny’s arm. It probably hadn’t hurt him that much. Not physically anyway. But it was like igniting a keg of ready to blow explosives.

“You bitch!” Sonny yelled.

Sonny shoved Rosa toward the edge of the bluff. Clearly, ready to push him over the side. Marise reached out, catching onto the colonel’s arm. Trying to stop him from falling.

But she failed.

Slade was still a few feet away when Sonny gave Rosa and Marise a fierce shove sending them over the bluff.

His heart stopped. It just stopped. And in that moment, no hellish memories of war and battle were as bad as this.

Nothing was as bad as losing Marise.

That’s why Slade had to do something, and he had to do it now.

Knowing that Jericho and Nash would do their best to cover him, Slade ran to the side of the bluff. Sonny then darted back behind the tree, grabbing Stephanie again and hauling her to her feet. He was struggling with her, though and having trouble balancing with his injured leg. Slade figured that was the only reason Sonny didn’t try to gun him now.

“You can either try to save the bitch and the colonel or kill me. Your choice,” Sonny taunted.

“Kill him,” Slade heard someone shout.

Marise.

Slade glanced over the bluff and saw her. He saw her. Alive. She was holding onto Rosa’s harness.

“Kill him,” Marise repeated. “I saved myself.”

Yes, she had, but for how long? That rope had been damaged with Sonny’s bullet, and Slade wasn’t sure how long it would hold.

Sonny cursed and started shooting. At Slade. Slade dived to the side, and Nash pushed Caroline behind cover. Jericho whipped out his slingshot, and in a lightning-fast move, he hurled a rock at Sonny’s head.

The man shouted in pain again. And he dropped Stephanie. Not his gun, though. Sonny held onto that, brought it up, and took aim at Slade.

But Slade was lightning fast, too. Ditto for Nash.

All three of them fired, their shots slamming into Sonny’s body at the same time.

“Die, you sonofabitch,” Slade snarled.

And that’s exactly what he did.

Sonny McKenna didn’t draw another breath. Didn’t manage to speak or even blink.

He was dead.

Slade didn’t take even a second to celebrate. Neither did Nash and Jericho. They all hurried to the edge of the bluff, and Slade caught onto the rope below the frayed part. And he started hauling up Marise and Rosa.

His brothers helped, both catching onto the rope as well. One final heave, and Rosa and Marise were dragged to the top. To safety. And with the relief flooding through him, Slade took hold of Marise and pulled her into his arms.

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Chapter Twenty

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