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I let out a grunt as Barton punched me in the side, hitting me in the exact spot where I’d taken the bullet on the mountain. With my strength failing fast, I knew I needed to give the guys outside one body to fire at or this would all be over. I heard a grunt from the other side of the shed, but ignored it and snapped my head back, catching Barton hard in the nose. Barton cursed and released me. Oz’s voice pierced the air with a warning as I dropped to the floor. As I went down, I saw that Oz was standing close to the window on the opposite side of the shed.
“Oz, down!” I yelled, in hopes he’d remember the plan to leave the windows clear for the men outside to take their shots. He instantly dropped to the ground.
One of the shots from outside the shed went wide, hitting the wall behind us with a thud, but one caught Barton in the shoulder, stunning him for a second.
I rolled quickly away from the other people in the room in hopes I’d at least split Barton’s attention in two different directions. As I rolled, I realized Oz was trying to make a lunge for the dead gunman’s weapon. Barton noticed the move too and swung his gun from me toward Oz. I screamed Oz’s name again, then threw myself at him, knocking us both to the ground in the process. I heard another bullet tear through what little glass remained in the shed window just above our heads, and Barton wildly began shooting through it to the outside. Oz was lying beneath me, his breath coming in heavy pants. His eyes connected with mine as he shoved the gun he’d managed to grab into my hand. I quickly rolled onto my back, took aim and fired.
The shot was good–center mass as I’d been taught–and Barton’s wide eyes connected with mine briefly before he dropped to the ground and fell face-first onto the wooden floor.
There was a beat of silence as we all seemed to realize that the threat was really over. Then a sobbing Oz was sitting up and pushing into my arms. I clung to him as I watched Xander crawl the short distance to Bennett. Zach had managed to get a hold of the knife Oz had used to kill the gunman. He cut his hands loose and then hurried to Xander and Bennett and cut Xander free. Xander ripped the hat off Bennett’s head and removed the gag as Zach cut through the bindings securing Bennett to the pillar.
“It’s over, baby,” Xander cried as he leaned his face against Bennett’s. “I’ve got you.”
“Lucky!” Bennett screamed.
“Here, Dad, I’m here!” Lucky shouted.
“Wade, clear!” Zach called as he hurried to Lucky and Zoey and sliced through their bonds as well. Lucky threw himself into his fathers’ arms as soon as he was loose.
Wade came tearing into the shed, rifle in hand, and made a beeline for Zoey, who sobbed in relief when she saw him. Keith and Russ began checking the bodies for signs of life. Zach quickly cut through the rest of the bindings holding Bennett in place and then Bennett was in Xander’s arms. “Oh god. Oh my god, Benny,” Xander cried into Bennett’s damp hair, mashed flat from the hat and sweating from the stress of it all. “I thought I was going to lose you two. When I saw you tied up and Lucky—”
Bennett didn’t let him get any further before grabbing his face with shaky hands and kissing him for all he was worth. Then Lucky was wrapped around both of his fathers, sobbing into their chests as they tried to offer him words of comfort.
“We called the sheriff,” Russ said to me as his gaze met mine. I gave him a nod of thanks, then focused on the man in my arms.
I closed my eyes as I felt the sharp stab of guilt straight to my core. I had caused this. All of it was my fault for bringing these amazing people to the attention of such a dangerous, hateful human being. I felt cold hands on my cheeks and opened my eyes to see the most beautiful soul in front of me.
“Do you see them?” Oz said softly, his voice still thick with tears as he looked around at our friends.
I nodded, too heartbroken to answer with words.
“They are all alive because of you.”
I shook my head then and closed my eyes, tucking my face in his neck and letting out a sob.
“You. They’re all alive because of you. You came up with the idea of having Wade and them grab the guy outside in a way that would distract Barton and act as the signal. We knew it was a long shot, no matter what, but we pulled it off,” Oz murmured into my ear.
