Page 54 of Deception

“No!” She glowered at Madison. “Dani was nice to me. Said what happened to me wasn’t my fault.”

“She was right.” Madison palmed her hands. “I don’t think you shot her.”

Bri looked past Madison, and her eyes widened like a rabbit caught in a trap.

Madison turned to follow her gaze. Clayton. And he was fast approaching them. She wished he’d waited a few minutes. Of course, with him fearing Bri might have Dani’s gun, it was understandable that he didn’t.

“I’ve got this,” Madison called to him, then turned back to Bri. “It’s okay. The guy that’s about to join us—he’s a National Park Service ranger like me, and he won’t hurt you.”

The wariness remained. Bri shifted her feet away from Madison. She was getting ready to run again.

“Dani trusts him, I promise.”

“Men only hurt you.”

What terrible things must have happened to this young woman for her to feel that way.

29

In a van across from the hospital, the sniper pulled the backpack from the floorboard into the passenger seat and unzipped the gray bag. With precision that comes only from practice, the sniper had the Sig crossover together in less than a minute.

Then the sniper lifted a pair of binoculars and scanned the hospital entrance a quarter of a mile away. Movement came from near the street where a tan Civic was parked. The driver’s side door opened, and a thin girl emerged.

“Where did you come from?” The question broke the silence in the van. The rumpled black T-shirt, the bedhead, and eyes that looked as though she’d just woken answered the question. It was apparent she’d been sleeping in the car.

The girl finger-combed her short black hair. Probably dyed since it contrasted sharply to her pale skin. The girl scanned the parking area, then turned and stared toward the van, almost like she sensed being watched.

The sniper shrank back, feeling foolish—no way the girl could see through the tinted windows. The girl turned and walked toward a gas station.Ifshe had slept in the car, she was probably going for something to eat.

Fifteen minutes passed. Then, Madison Thorn and the ranger exited the hospital and walked to a late-model Impala. Excitement coursed through the sniper’s veins as the Impala backed outof a parking slot and circled the parking areas, first the employee, then the visitor, slowing when it reached the tan Honda. Seconds later, the Impala pulled into a parking spot near where the girl’s car was parked, and Madison and the ranger exited the vehicle.

A quick glance showed no one was around, and the sniper lowered the van window and settled the rifle on the window frame just as the girl returned.

Impossible to get a clear shot. Nothing to do but wait. After a few minutes, the three walked toward the hospital entrance. The sniper’s finger itched to pull the trigger but couldn’t get the right shot. Then the trio disappeared behind a short strip of hedge.

A minute turned into ten.

Then the girl reappeared, followed by Madison Thorn with the ranger bringing up the rear.

It’d be like picking off blackbirds perched on a power line.

“Vengeance is mine, not God’s...”

30

One of Clayton’s jobs when he worked his way through college had been at a horse barn where there’d been a few high-strung horses, and he’d learned to come at them gentle-like. Same thing applied here with the antsy teenager. He kept his posture relaxed and smiled at the girl. “Hey, Bri,” he said, his voice calm. “Looks like you’ve had a rough time.”

Much like the horses had, she watched him warily.

“All we want to do is find out who shot Dani,” Madison said.

Bri looked from Clayton to Madison. “She never said she had a twin sister.”

“Could be because we hadn’t met.”

She shifted her feet toward the street again.

“Dani wants to see you.” Clayton held out his hand. He would rather she came voluntarily, but either way, she was coming with them.

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