meet with Maximil, but she didn?t know him well. Part of her was begging to find another way, not to kill a man who may be innocent. It was possible that he and any of the others in that barn may have been misled and lied to just as she had been. She didn?t want to kill him. But, there was a difference. She had found the truth behind the lies and she would never allow herself to fall victim to someone?s lies again. These men were blinded by the deceit and she had no doubt that they?d kill her, Dirk and all of those with her without question.
She turned and quietly addressed the group, informing them of what she?d planned. Once everyone understood what she?d explained and what they were supposed to do, Jane handed her pistol to Ica. Fritz had made it clear that Ica was to remain where she was and stay hidden. Jane only hoped that she knew how to use the gun if need be because she was human and Maximil?s men would be able to smell her from a mile away.
Jane again, pulled up the rifle and moved the crosshairs over the man on the roof. She felt another pang of guilt but the ache she was feeling for Dirk squashed it and she pulled the trigger.
The gunshot rang through the air and within moments, three more men exited the front of the barn. In seconds, they lie on the ground in a heap.
Jane moved her rifle to her back and pulled out two knives she?d taken from Fritz. She began crawling on her belly through the brush in the direction of the barn with Fritz following behind her.
The others spread out as Jane had instructed and once she and Fritz reached the side of the barn, she signaled to the man at the front of the building. The man fired round after round into the air and she and Fritz moved up two of the ladders leaning against the barn. They moved across the barn roof as the sound of the gun disguised the noise they made on the tin.
They reached a small door that opened to the loft of the barn and they slowly climbed inside. Once inside, she looked down at the men inside the barn. They were all in position, weapons aimed at the doors. She spotted Dirk, tied to a chair in the center of the space. She watched him curiously. He appeared confused over what to do as he frantically scanned the barn. She saw his nostrils flare and his eyes snapped up to her. Their eyes met and she raised her finger to her lips asking him to remain quiet. He gave a slight nod and she turned her attention back to the other men. Two guarded the front door of the barn, two more guarded the back door and one stood near Dirk.
Fritz moved across the loft in the direction of the front door and Jane moved toward the back. She was about to reach around for her gun as she stared down at the two men, but her hand skimmed over the old railing, disturbing the dust that had gathered over the years. It floated down toward the men she stood over and both of their heads snapped up to see her. Not giving them the chance to aim their guns, she leapt from the loft, reaching for her knives. She stuck one of the men in the neck before her feet hit the barn floor and turned to the other, just as he swung his gun in her direction. She kicked the gun and jumped at him, plunging the knife into his chest.
She spun and saw Fritz standing over two bodies and then glanced over to the other man. It all seemed to move in slow motion, yet happened too quickly for her to react. The man pulled his gun in her direction and her eyes moved to Dirk. Dirk turned to see the gun moving toward her, and while still tied to the chair, he rose to his feet and put himself between the man and her. The man pulled the trigger and Dirk?s body jerked as the bullet struck him. A moment later, Fritz ran up behind the man, gripping his head between his large hands. In a quick motion, Fritz jerked and the man?s neck snapped. He fell to the ground, landing next to Dirk.
Jane ran to him and dropped to