Page 97 of Nave
I thought of never seeing Nave again.
I thought of the baby Ben would take from me.
And I knew I would do whatever was necessary.
I flew forward when I heard Ben behind me. He was driven by disgust and anger, I was sure, would want me to pay for what he’d done.
I’d just curved around the pig run to the main path back toward the houses.
When a foot kicked out, colliding with the back of my knee, sending me flying forward.
The screwdriver flew out of my hand as I threw out my arms, bracing for the fall, my heart shooting up into my throat at the thought of the impact, of the damage.
I landed on all fours, the pain from my already aching wrist intensifying, making tears spring to my eyes even as I scrambled forward, trying to get away.
But he was there, his hands reaching out, grabbing for me.
I whipped over, dragging my knees to my chest and kicking out with everything in me.
He was too far gone to care about the marks on his shirt.
He was animalistic in his fury.
Well, I could be feral too.
My arm arched upward, feeling around in the dirt as Ben came over me, reaching toward my neck.
To do what?
Suffocate me into unconsciousness, so he could easily carry me away?
Like hell.
His fingers tightened around my throat as my fingers finally found the handle of the screwdriver.
But before I could swing it inward toward Ben’s throat, a shot rang out, loud enough to make me jolt, to make the birds lift from the trees, to make nearby dogs start barking.
A spray of something hot and liquid smeared across my face.
I looked up in horror to see the source.
A hole in the center of Ben’s head.
My stomach lurched, bile rising, as Ben’s body wavered, then fell forward.
I scrambled to the side, a scream caught in my throat, to avoid his weight coming down on me.
I was aware of footsteps.
And I don’t think my brain was firing on all cylinders right then, because I had no idea who to expect.
But it was Kit standing there, a gun held between both outstretched arms.
Her silky black nightgown danced around her in the breeze as she moved to my side.
Her leg shot out, kicking Ben’s body until he rolled onto his back, staring unblinkingly at the night sky.
Kit watched him for one long moment, gaze on his chest, looking for any signs of life.
