Page 55 of Marked For Revenge

Harley put away his phone and turned to Ava, to remind her to stay behind him and let him shield her. But he already knew she would be as cautious as she possibly could be. So that’s why he just settled for dropping a quick kiss on her mouth and got them moving.

He didn’t move with a barreling pace, and that wasn’t all for Ava’s benefit. Harley wanted to be able to hear any little sound despite them trudging through the thick underbrush and weaving around the trees.

And he finally heard something.

Movement in the area right where Ava had pointed out. Harley didn’t head straight there. Going with his plan of circling around, he went even further to the left, almost in a straight line while he kept watch from the corner of his eye for any glimpse of Caleb or his captor.

Each step felt like a huge risk, knowing Ava and he could be shot. But he was beyond thankful when no bullets came at them.

Harley stopped when he finally saw something. Ava must have spotted it at the same time because she quit moving and turned in the direction of a small clearing. Emphasis on small. There was only about a ten-foot strip where there were no trees, and the moonlight filtered in enough for Harley to see someone.

Caleb.

He was alive, and Harley knew the breath Ava dragged in was one of relief.

At first glance, it appeared that Caleb was alone and leaning against one of the trees on the far perimeter of the clearing. Maybe placed there as human bait to get Ava and him to go rushing in after the young man. But then Harley saw the gun and realized that someone dressed all in black was behind Caleb and pressing the barrel to his head.

Ava’s next breath definitely wasn’t one of relief because she knew her son could end up being killed right in front of her.

Harley tried to make out anything about the person who was holding Caleb, but it was hard to do since they had hunkered down, using Caleb as a shield. That would prevent Harley or Ava from trying a head shot. Or anywhere else for that matter since they could end up shooting Caleb.

“I’m supposed to tell you something,” Caleb said, his voice trembling. “A trade. Me for you, Ava. But I don’t want you to do that,” he blurted out.

The person holding him acted fast by ramming the barrel of the gun against his temple and tightening the chokehold around his neck.

Of course, it had come down to this. It was always about getting to Ava, and the killer knew she would want to save her son. But Caleb wasn’t her only child. The daughter she was carrying had to be protected, too.

“I’ll offer a trade,” Harley stated, not to Caleb or Ava. But to the killer. “Me for Caleb.”

Harley couldn’t hear the killer’s response but, judging from the way Caleb flinched, he’d just been given a reply to pass along.

“No deal.” Caleb let him know and then he paused. “If I’m dead, I can’t be used to—”

That was as far as Caleb got before his captor bashed the gun against his head again. This time, it drew blood that began to slide down the side of Caleb’s face.

Because Ava’s arm was against his, Harley sensed her tense and could practically feel the anger coming off her. It was torture watching this being done to her child.

“No, I won’t,” Caleb snarled, and this time, Harley was certain he was talking to the killer.

Caleb moved as if to try to break free of the chokehold, but the killer hung on. In the shuffle, though, the killer also moved. Not much. Just enough for a shot. It wouldn’t be a kill shot to the head but rather to the killer’s right leg that was now extended out from Caleb’s body.

“I’ve got this,” Ava muttered.

She didn’t waste a second. With her hand steady, Ava took aim and fired.

AVA KNEW THIS wasn’t a shot she could miss, but it was still a risk.

A huge one.

After all, she couldn’t put the bullet in the killer’s head so he or she could just reflexively pull the trigger and kill Caleb on the spot. Still, this was the best chance they had of getting all of them out of there alive, especially since there was no way the killer would let Caleb live even if Ava did sacrifice herself for him.

The shot sliced into the killer’s leg and Ava immediately heard the cry of pain. Not a man’s voice. No. A woman’s.

Marnie’s.

Caleb took advantage of the injury by diving to the ground. Or rather, trying to do that, but Marnie just dropped down with him, pulling him back into the chokehold and putting her gun to his head.

“You want him to die?” Marnie shouted, the pain and desperation coating her voice. Both were lethal factors here since they could lead Marnie to do something that almost certainly wasn’t part of her original plan.

---