Page 123 of Gambler's Fallacy

“Short of hiking, there’s no way to approach without alerting anyone,” I say. I clutch the knife Vortex had given me tighter. “If there are any Lockwoods there, I’m gutting them.”

“Not if I get to them first,” he says grimly. “Grab my gun. I’ll cover us while you get in to find them.”

I sheath the knife and take the extra gun, checking the bullets. It’s been a while since I used a firearm, but the weapon is familiar in my hands. Too bad it’s a simple glock and not a semi-automatic rifle.

I realize as we get closer that there are men right outside of the shack. Any element of surprise we might’ve had is going to be impossible to maintain.

“Get them!” a familiar voice shouts. “But don’t kill them!”

“Make up your fucking mind!” somebody else yells. “I should have listened to him when I had the chance.”

I don’t wait for Vortex to park the car before I open the door and get out. I duck down behind the door and assess the situation.

There are four men total, and one of them is Caleb’s dear old Uncle Earl. His eyes widen when he spots me and Vortex. “Wait! Kill those two! Kill them both!”

Vortex gets out, using the other car door as cover, and he shoots in their direction. One of the men cries out and staggers, though it looks like the injury is just in his shoulder.

“Fuck!” he yells, his gun dropping to the desert floor.

I spot Caleb ducking behind the van. It has a catering logo on its side, so this must be the one that had taken them.

No sign of Seven, though.

Vortex shoots again, and this time the man he’d shot before goes down. Bullets spray everywhere, though, and several embed themselves into the metal of Vortex’s SUV.

I notice Earl running toward the shack. I aim my gun at him, but before I can fire, a bullet dings against the door I’m hidingbehind. I grimace. Any other angle, and that bullet would have gone straight into me.

“Stop shooting!” Caleb shouts. “All of you! If you give up now, I’ll even make it worth your trouble.”

Figures that he’d try to solve his problems with money.

Vortex huffs, probably having the same thought, but he holds his fire. I glance over at him, and he shakes his head. It’s risky to shoot blindly, especially when we don’t know where Seven is.

None of us would ever forgive ourselves if he got caught in friendly fire.

The other men stop shooting as well. I don’t know if it’s Caleb’s offer or something else that’s making them rethink their choices, but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I dash toward the shack, ducking behind the wall right as another gunshot rings out.

“Fuck you, Caleb Spade!” a man shouts. “I’m not catering to you fucking Spades anymore!”

“You think Valentín Diamante is going to look kindly on your actions today?” Caleb calls back. “Your boss won’t appreciate you stepping out on your gang.”

A Diamante? Of fucking course they’re involved. Although it sounds like the man isn’t acting on his boss’s orders.

I grin. That means it’s fair game to beat him up, once I get my hands on him.

Seven is more important, I remind myself. While Caleb distracts them with his chatter, I duck inside the shack, ready to strangle Earl and rescue Seven…

But there’s nobody inside.

I curse and look around. There are two chairs in the middle, with rope coiled on the floor around them. I can guess who was tied up here.

The dust on the floor has an array of footprints and smears. Several lead to the window. When I peer out the window, I see more footprints on the ground outside, leading away from the shack.

There are two distinct sets. Seven and Earl, I bet.

I grimace and hop out the window myself, following the tracks. I should tell Vortex and Caleb where I’m going, but I don’t want to give myself away.

The footprints lead to the nearby cliff face, with brush all around. It seems empty at first glance, but all the rocks and bushes provide enough cover that somebody could easily hide here.

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