when Allen here lost his mind. I tried to rescue you, but he got a shot off before I could do anything.”
Her ranting made no sense, and as Cal lifted the gun higher, Allen threw himself at her. The gun went off and splintered the wood railing next to Julie’s head. She ducked and ran back into the house, even as she heard another shot go off outside.
Oh, shit! Oh shit! Cal? It had been Cal all this time? It couldn’t have been. Cal hadn’t been anywhere near the other shootings. Not that it mattered now.
Help! She needed help! Her phone was in her bag on the front porch, so she ran for the landline. Too freaked out to remember Troy’s number, she pounded 9-1-1 before realizing the phone was dead. A bullet whizzed through the front window, followed by two more that shattered it to pieces. She ran toward the back bedroom. Another gunshot sounded and the front door splintered open. Julie looked around the room. She had two options: the closet or the window? Sweat made her palms slick. The cabin sounded eerily quiet.
“Come out, Julie,” Cal said, her voice razor sharp. “I’d really like to get this over with. I’ve got a long drive back to L.A.”
Telltale creaking marked Cal’s whereabouts down the hall. Getting caught hiding in the closet held zero appeal. Julie lifted the window and popped out the screen. She cringed at the scrape and eased outside. Crouching near the house, she kept to the flowerbed. Maybe if she could get to the front porch and get her bag, her phone, she could still call for help.
The sun was nearly down. Cool summer air hit her heated skin and made it prickle. She went right, toward the side of the house away from the bedrooms, creeping steadily, listening for signs of Cal behind her as she turned the corner.
The back door slammed against the outside wall and Julie moved quickly toward the front stairs, her breathing choppy. Sweat soaked her red cotton top. Red. Stupid color. She was a life-size target.
“Julie?” Cal’s footsteps crunched along the path next to the flowerbed. “C’mon now. Be a pal. We’ll make this real fast and I bet it will hardly even hurt.”
A fresh wave of panic skittered through Julie’s middle. What the hell had happened to Cal? What made her snap? Did Cal really think she’d ruined Drew’s life? The words stuck in Julie’s head. You threw me to the curb. Another sentence that didn’t make sense.
Julie didn’t have time to reach her bag on the porch. She got on her belly and scrambled under the crawl space of the raised cabin, not happy to be communing with the spiders or vermin or any other of Mother Nature’s creatures that lived in this dark, dank space.
Maybe if Cal took a pass in the woods or another walk through the house, Julie could sneak out and grab her phone.
Julie belly-crawled to the other side of the stairs. She could use them for cover if she got a chance to come out. She caught sight of Allen and the pool of blood that surrounded his right side. Cal had shot and killed him. Without remorse. Without hesitation.
Tires squealed on the road a few seconds before Troy’s BMW roared into sight. Oh, God, he had no idea what he was walking into. Or maybe he did, considering his entrance.
Julie slowly emerged, keeping low. If she lost her cool and ran out screaming, Cal would kill her in the blink of an eye. She had to wait a few more seconds, while her heart stuttered out of control and sweat trickled down her back.
Troy got out of the car and ran to Allen, his gun drawn as he felt for a pulse with his left hand. Julie had never seen him with a gun. He scanned the area, searching for trouble. He’d sure as hell found it.
“Mills!” Cal yelled as she rounded the corner. Julie crouched into a ball, using the stairs to hide. Cal stopped a few feet in front of her to the left. With her gun tucked in the back of her waistband, she motioned to Troy. “He’s dead. But hurry! I need you back here. It’s Julie!”
No! Oh God, she had to do something!
Troy rose, his gun steady and aimed at Cal, but she moved backward, motioning him to follow. “Put your fucking gun down and come help me.” Cal wouldn’t wait. She was going to shoot