Page 53 of Christmas Ransom

He met Carla’s gaze and saw strength and determination in those blue eyes. He hadn’t expected anything less. He gave her a small nod—not sure how to get her out of this unharmed, but willing to risk his own life to make it happen.

Cora set her shotgun aside and pushed past him and into the room. Davy could feel his gun where he’d tucked it into the back waistband of his jeans as he was getting out of the pickup. Cora was a loose cannon, but if not for her, he wouldn’t have known where to find this place. He just worried about what she would do next and knew he had to be ready.

“Hope you aren’t planning to go back to your job at the hospital,” Cora was saying, taking obvious delight in the news she was about to impart. “They know you lied about who you are. I would imagine they have already called the sheriff.”

“What did you bring this old bat for?” Jesse demanded, seemingly unfazed by the news. “I wasn’t going back to that job anyway.” Her gaze moved to Davy. “Where’s Jud?”

“He had an accident.”

“Dead?” she asked. He nodded and she smiled. “One thing less to take care of before I leave town.”

“You actually think you’re going to get away this time?” Cora demanded, hands on her skinny hips. “The feds are involved. This time you’re going down for your crimes. Finally, Debra is going to get what she deserves. Payback for what you did to her.”

Jesse frowned, tilting her head as she stared at the older woman. “Why do you care so much?”

“I knew your grandfather and I remember your sister as a child. She was good to her soul,” Cora said, her voice breaking. “She deserved better than she got, especially from her twin sister.”

Jesse’s eyes blazed for a moment and Davy feared she might start shooting—starting with Carla. He swore under his breath, wishing he had insisted on Cora staying in the pickup. He knew he would have had to hog-tie her though.

To his relief, Jesse seemed to tamp down her anger. She shook her head, dismissing Cora as she shifted her gaze to him. “Let’s get this over with. I know you have a weapon on you. Toss it over by the fire.”

“You need to let Carla go, and we’ll all walk out of here,” he said. “Carla has nothing to do with this.”

Jesse laughed. “She haseverythingto do with this. If it wasn’t for her...” She shook her head. “She should have kept her mouth shut about what she saw during the robbery. I warned her. She didn’t listen. Her mistake. Now yours for coming up here to try to save her—and worse for bringing this old hag with you.”

Cora moved with surprising quickness for her age. She charged like a small tank going into battle. Davy had only an instant to react. He half expected Jesse to pull the trigger and kill Carla before turning the gun on Cora. He drew his weapon, knowing he would probably have only one chance for a clear shot.

For years, he and his brothers had competed against each other firing at tin cans. Davy had always been the better shot. He prayed he still was.

As he raised his gun to aim and fire, he saw Carla reach beside her. As Cora charged Jesse, Carla lifted what looked like an old branding iron. In one fluid movement, she swung it high across her body, striking Jesse’s arm with the gun.

The sound of the gunshot was deafening in the small room. Davy had thought the blow with the branding iron would dislodge the gun from Jesse’s hand, but he was wrong. He heard her cry of pain, then one like a war cry as she swung the gun at Cora, who was inches away from tackling her. The blow to the side of Cora’s head sent her headlong into the floor next to Jesse.

Davy saw it all happen in what felt like an instant before he was looking down the barrel of Jesse’s gun, the black hole taking aim at his heart. He fired first. But she still got off a shot before his bullet hit her in the throat. He felt the bullet whiz past his head to lodge in the door behind him.

Blood was spurting from Jesse’s throat, but she was still standing, the gun still in her hand. Worse, she was starting to turn, to swing the barrel toward Carla, who’d gotten to her knees on the mattress. As he started to fire again, he saw Carla swing the branding iron in both hands like a batter going for a home run.

The makeshift weapon caught Jesse in the knees. She opened her mouth as if to scream, but only emitted a gurgling sound as she crumpled to the floor next to Cora.

Davy lowered his gun as Carla pried the gun from Jesse’s grip and tossed it aside. Davy rushed to her and dropped down next to her to take her in his arms. He’d never been more relieved in his life. This could have gone so much worse. Carla clung to him so tightly that he hoped she’d never let him go.

“Cora?” she asked after a few moments.

“I’m too mean to die” came the answer from the floor as the older woman pushed herself up into a sitting position and flinched as she touched the knot on the side of her head. “Is she dead?” Cora asked of Jesse, before prodding her with a boot toe.

The worn wooden floor was bright red with blood. He could see Jesse’s eyes, wide open, lifeless. “She’s gone.”

“Thank goodness,” Cora said and sighed.

“I can’t believe you found me,” Carla said against his chest.

“It was all Cora’s doing. If I hadn’t run into her at the hospital...” Davy pulled back a little to look at Carla. Her gaze went to his shoulder and his blood-soaked coat sleeve.

“You’re shot,” she cried.

“That was from Jud back at the house. That’s what I was doing at the hospital—getting it bandaged up.”

“He’ll live,” Cora said. “I just texted the cops. Told them to send a wagon for the body and an ambulance for one of the Colt boys who’s been winged.”

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