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She clearly mouthed back Yes!
Then she took off.
Damn her and all that independence! Hunter ran. Northeast, like she’d wanted.
Only now he did it with no caution at all. He ran full out, not bothering to hide his tracks or be stealthy. He needed noise, so he’d be the target.
So Kate could get away.
She was fast, like a sprinter, flying through the trees somewhere off to his right. Then he realized he could see her, that bright pink T-shirt flashing through the trees.
Shit.
Something cracked. That pink beacon crashed to the ground.
Hunter skidded to a stop. He said a prayer in his head, hoping she’d simply stumbled. At this distance, the pink was almost a blur, but he saw it lift from the ground. Keep running. Keep running. Keep running.
But he was already running toward her.
Only to skid to another stop and duck behind a tree.
Silver had an arm around Kate’s neck. She was struggling against him.
An arrow protruded from one thigh, and Silver had a crossbow pressed up tight against her neck.
“Come on, Hunter,” he called. “Come get your girlfriend.”
“He’s gone,” Kate yelled, and Hunter could hear her fury from here. “He ran the other way, you idiot.”
“I’d say the idiotic move was turning on your cell phone, Kathryn.”
Hunter peeked around the tree. He had a gun, but he didn’t have a clear shot at Silver from here. He needed to think. He needed to think.
“Run!” she yelled. “Hunter, run!”
Then Silver must have done something because Kate cried out, and the sound fractured into sobs. Hunter’s nails dug into the tree. He had to look. He had to look.
The pink shirt was turning red. Silver had shot her in the abdomen with the crossbow. She was crying.
Hunter made a small sound before he was aware of it.
“You can’t save me, Hunter,” she yelled, and her voice was weaker, breaking. “Run!”
“I can kill her slowly,” Silver called. “While you watch.”
Hunter couldn’t believe he’d ever thought for a moment that he could have turned out like this guy.
“Or I can stop,” said Silver. “We can work something out. We have similar goals, I think.”
“He’s lying!” said Kate. “Please—please run—he’ll kill all of them, Hunter—remember sacrifice—”
She screamed.
Silver had yanked the arrow out of her thigh.
Then he stabbed her through the side of her abdomen, driving the arrow up and into her body.
Kate didn’t scream, though she looked like she wanted to.
