Raina shot to her feet and stood; Loretta was there, just twenty feet from them.
Now, she had the knife.
And she was done talking or listening. With the precision of a circus performer, she drew back an arm and sent the knife flying.
It would have hit Raina. It would have hit her cleanly in the chest.
But it didn’t. Because Jordan somehow thrust to his feet and launched himself forward, pushing Raina back.
“No!” she cried.
But Jordan was on the ground, bleeding. And Loretta Oster was still staring at Raina with a smile on her face.
In the distance, Raina thought she could hear the whirr of an airboat.
“Know that saying? Never bring a knife to a gunfight? My opinion on that is simple—you bring both.”
She drew out a gun. Raina didn’t doubt Loretta’s ability to fire the weapon.
Loretta took aim.
* * *
Axel was where he needed to be. Tate Fielding lay on the ground, moaning and bleeding. Titan raced to him, sniffing and whining. Axel rushed over, ducking down to see where the blood was coming from. He needed the man alive.
He didn’t know Tate Fielding’s part in it all, and he was evidently in bad shape now, but he was damned well going to lead him the rest of the way to Raina.
“Where is she?” he demanded.
Fielding wasn’t bleeding from the throat. He’d been stabbed. But he was alive. Shaking, he reached up and pointed.
He hadn’t really needed Tate.
Titan was ahead of him, already racing through the trees and foliage. Axel drew out his gun and followed.
Axel burst through a pile of leaves and saw Jordan Rivera had made it out to the Everglades.
He’d made it out there, apparently, to die.
He was on the ground, a knife in his chest, eyes open, staring blankly ahead.
Raina was at his side.
Facing her, Loretta Oster held a gun.
Titan let out a growl that sounded more like the roar of a lion. He was going to race forward, tackle Loretta.
But it would be too late.
“Drop it!” Axel roared, raising his Glock.
Loretta broke her stare from Raina to look quickly at Axel, assessing the threat. She wasn’t going to listen to him. She was going to fire, no matter what.
He couldn’t let that happen.
She might know her weapon; he knew his better.
He fired and Loretta dropped to the ground.
Titan was still in motion, flying across mud and muck and grass, landing atop the fallen woman. Axel rushed forward.
Raina stood still as rock, staring at Loretta where she had fallen.
“Raina!”
She turned to him. Staggered toward him. But she couldn’t put her arms around him. Her wrists were bound. He dug into his pocket for his knife, freeing her.
She fell against him.
“Jordan... Tate...” she cried. “They knew. Axel. Help—Jordan needs help. He saved me, stepped in front of me. He needs to get back to the hospital.”
She was shaking. He nodded; she didn’t realize Jordan was already dead. Tate, however, might live.
“Andrew is right behind me. He’ll get Tate to a hospital.”
“Tate was supposed to kill me. He couldn’t do it. But he was fine when I ran—”
“I’m afraid he’s not fine now.”
“Jordan needs help desperately.”
He drew in a deep breath.
“Jordan is... I’m sorry. He’s gone, Raina.”
She stared at him, eyes wide, then she turned, rushing back to Jordan. She fell on her knees by his side, touching him. “Oh, Jordan!” she whispered.
Axel heard the whirr of an airboat. Andrew.
But suddenly, shots were fired, ringing out wildly.
He dove for Raina, drawing her back with him behind a crooked old oak. More shots exploded.
Axel drew a finger to his lips.
“Titan! Get over here!” Raina said, and the dog obediently came to her call, whining softly as he joined them behind the tree.
Axel expected to see Frank Peters.
But it was Jefferson Fielding who walked carefully toward them through the hardwoods, ducking down by Loretta.
“We’re out of it—thank God, we’re out of it,” Jefferson whispered.
Axel didn’t know what alerted him. They hadn’t made a sound. The dog hadn’t even made a sound.
But Jefferson Fielding didn’t see him; he just looked straight at Raina.
“It was an accident,” he said to her. “It all started with an accident, but then she blackmailed me. She used the firm. Used me to find people. Don’t you see? I’m sorry. Tate couldn’t do it. I have to do it. I have to because it will all fall down, like a house of cards. I hated Loretta for what she did to Tate, teasing him and then using him, but