Page 52 of Bayou Sunset

“You be okay?” He knew the vegetation could be sharp.

Daisy Mae wiped her hands off on her swimsuit and nodded. “Let’s go.”

However, Romeo noticed her limping a bit as she hurried and saw spots of blood where she had stepped. He wanted to stop and wrap her wound to protect it from the sand but knew she was single-minded and focused on getting to her brothers. They were close, so he could bind it when they checked on her brothers.

As they neared the area, they exited the vegetation to a sandy inlet where Alice met them with her weapon pointed at the brothers while Marie tied Pierre up, JP lying on the ground with blood on his head.

Merde.He could have avoided putting Daisy Mae in this dangerous situation if he had only trusted his gut feeling and followed his instincts. It seemed likely that JP had been struck after he fired the flare to warn them, but rather foolishly, they misinterpreted it as a distress signal of a different kind.

“JP!” Daisy Mae cried and began toward her brother.

“Stop,” Alice ordered, turning her gun on Daisy Mae.

“You no shoot me,” Daisy Mae said and continued forward.

Alice turned the weapon fully on Romeo. “Mais,I would him.”

Daisy Mae suddenly stopped, her eyes filled with anguish as she grappled with the impossible choice between saving him and meeting her brother’s urgent need. The torment in her eyes was unmistakable as she weighed the options. Finally, he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding when she decided to spare his life, fully aware that Alice might not have shown the same mercy.

“Why ya do dis?” Daisy Mae asked.

Romeo was convinced that Daisy Mae’s friend held them at gunpoint out of sheer greed. He believed Alice and Marie were solely interested in keeping the treasure for themselves, leading to this extreme and dangerous situation.

“’Cause we deserve it for staying in dis town,” Alice said.

Romeo vented his frustration, harshly condemning himself and the other men for not targeting the women as potential suspects first. The exhaustive investigation covered virtually every town resident except Alice, Marie, and Shelly. They could not fathom the possibility of betrayal from Alice—the law—considering her close bond with Daisy Mae. He still couldn’t comprehend it from Shelly, who he was sure to be arriving shortly.

“Do something. Da bitches be crazy,” Pierre said before Marie backhanded him, and he fell over in the sand.

Romeo found himself in a precarious situation, with Alice holding a weapon. He couldn’t afford to underestimate the danger she posed, especially considering the potential risk to Daisy Mae. Despite the stakes, Romeo was relentless in his determination to take action. He deliberated meticulously, considering every possible course of action in search of the best approach to maximize their chances of success. However, now, Alice had the upper hand, so he had to follow orders.

Alice waved the gun toward JP and Pierre. “Over dere, both of ya.” Then, to her sister, “Tie dem up.”

“Daisy Mae, too?” Marie asked as if in disbelief.

“She be hurt,” Romeo said, hoping that would free her from being tied up, leaving someone to untie them when they were left on the island.

Alice’s expression briefly shifted to one of concern as she scanned Daisy Mae, her eyes catching the sight of blood on the sand around her. After a moment, Alice reassuredly remarked, “She be fine.”

Daisy Mae swayed, and Romeo could see that she was struggling. He was particularly concerned about the sand that had gotten into a cut on her foot, as it posed a serious risk of infection. Romeo was afraid that if they immobilized her and left her alone, as he suspected they might, Daisy Mae’s conditioncould deteriorate rapidly.

He urgently needed to find a way to free them before Shelly arrived. Hope was fading fast as Alice turned her head to talk to Marie. Suddenly, Romeo launched himself at Alice, and in the chaos of the struggle, the gun fired as they tumbled to the sand.

Chapter Thirty-Two

DAISY MAE’S PIERCING scream shattered the peaceful beach sounds, echoing across the inlet as her heart raced. Frozen in shock, she stood motionless, her eyes fixated on Steve and Alice, who were tumbling to the sand in the aftermath of a single gunshot. In that moment of confusion and dread, the question loomed large: which one of them had been shot?

As blood began to stain the sand, she felt herself on the verge of losing control. Even with one of them injured, Steve and Alice continued to struggle in their fight for the gun.

When Marie approached and attempted to separate Steve from Alice, Daisy Mae sprang into action. She leaped onto Marie’s back, vehemently trying to prevent her from getting involved in the altercation. As they tumbled backward, Daisy Mae briefly struggled before wriggling from under Marie. Both regained their footing at the exact moment.

Daisy Mae quickly glanced at Steve and Alice to ensure Steve was still distracted, then lunged at Marie. Caught off guard, Marie stumbled and fell onto the soft sand, leaving Daisy Mae with an opening to strike her with a powerful punch to the jaw.

Merde.Daisy Mae winced as shooting pain jolted up her arm, causing her to shake her hand to alleviate the discomfort. Gradually regaining her composure, she noticed Marie rising to her feet. The two opponents cautiously circled each other, focusing solely on the other, seemingly indifferent to the ongoing altercation nearby.

Daisy Mae urged, “Leave ’em be,” feeling torn between wanting to step in herself and trusting Steve to handle the situation. The knowledge that Alice had received training as a sheriff’s deputy and was skilled in combat made her uneasy, as she feared they might be evenly matched in a confrontation.

With determination in her voice, Marie squinted her eyesand said, “Sorry,chère. No can do.” Swiftly, she surged forward, and another shot echoed in the air.

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