Nothing.
She swore. Josh was trapped. He would be totally exposed if he made a run for it. And, judging by the shots she’d heard and seen him fire, he was probably low on ammo.
Beth slid the shotgun off her shoulder, caught his eye, then tossed it to him.
He grimaced as he caught it. Leaning forward, he pressed the hand still holding his Glock to his side, drawing her gaze to the hole in his vest.
More bullets nicked the tree as he ducked back behind it. So close!
Panic invaded her. A terrible trembling began somewhere deep inside. Her breath shortened as she struggled to pull the Ruger 9mm from the holster on her hip and flip off the safety. She almost couldn’t do it. Her left arm didn’t want to cooperate.
“Run!” Josh ordered.
She shook her head helplessly. No way would she leave him here like this.
He peered around the tree, then squatted down.
Bark burst from the trunk just above his head.
Josh swore viciously. “Then cover me. He’s at your nine o’clock.”
Heart in her throat, she nodded, then leaned to one side and fired into the foliage up and to the left.
Josh took off running toward her.
Beth continued to fire, searching the brush for any hint of movement that would let her know exactly where the shooter hid.
Blood suddenly spurted from Josh’s right thigh. His leg buckled, sending him to the ground out in the open with no cover.
Beth’s breath stopped.
Before the dust had even settled, another bullet pierced his left arm.
“No!” Tears blurring her vision, Beth burst from the cover of the tree, firing blindly in the direction Josh had told her to with both the Ruger and the Glock. Before she could reach Josh, a bullet struck her in the back.
Pain careened through her. All strength seemed to leave her legs as she tumbled forward and landed facedown in the dirt. The hard-packed earth scraped her forearms like cement when she threw them up to keep her head from hitting the ground. Dust flew up and invaded her eyes as her body went limp. Her breath vanished, sucked away in an instant, filling her with terror.
Beth fought to draw air into her lungs, but couldn’t. All she could do was listen to her abnormally loud heartbeat and futilely fight her body’s attempt to suffocate her.
From what felt like a long distance, she heard Josh emit a roar of either grief or fury.
Even the blasts from the shotgun that followed seemed strangely muffled.
Terrified that Josh was on the receiving end rather than the firing end of those booms, Beth dug deep down into an unknown reserve of strength and struggled to draw her legs up under her. Bracing her hands on the ground, she managed to rise as far as her knees. Her Glock was empty, so she dropped it and rubbed her gritty eyes with quaking fingers in an attempt to clear her vision.
Josh struggled to his feet, his horrified gaze pinned to her.
Still gripping the Ruger, she twisted slightly and saw the second shooter lying dead, half-in half-out of the brush.
Vergoma. He must have circled around behind her. Unless…
Had others joined them? Were there more of them out there somewhere, watching with weapons drawn?
A clatter drew her attention back to Josh.
The shotgun now lay on the ground.
Beth shook her head sluggishly. She needed to warn him that there might be others. But she still struggled for breath and couldn’t find her voice.
Dizziness assailed her, made worse by the wagging of her head—the only warning she could conjure.
“They’re alone,” Josh gritted, managing to gain his feet. Wavering, he stood hunched over with one arm pressed against his side. “B-Beth.” He staggered toward her. Pain and apprehension tightened his features. He stared down at her chest, then met her gaze before his eyes rolled back in his head and his body sank bonelessly to the ground.
Beth tried to call his name, but could produce no sound. Nor would her legs support her when she tried to stand.
Feeling weaker by the second, she glanced down. Blood, warm and wet, stained the sleeve of her jacket. More warmth blossomed beneath her vest.
Dropping the Ruger, she parted the front of her jacket with uncooperative fingers and stared in astonishment at the substantial holes in her vest. Ruby liquid seeped from beneath the lower edge and began to stain her jeans.
Nausea rose. Blackness floated on the periphery of her vision.
Beth sank back on her heels, but even then could no longer remain upright.
Tumbling backward, she barely felt it when her head struck the hard soil. Dappled sunlight winked down at her between the green and brown leaves above her.
Turning her head, she focused on Josh with cloudy vision.
He lay, unmoving, only a couple feet away to her left.
Forcing her burning left arm to do her bidding, she reached out and just managed to brush his hair with her fingertips.