Targeted Risk (R.I.S.C. #7) - Anna Blakely Page 0,72

had filled the warm, humid air. Time stood still while men continued to yell. Screams echoed all around her, and still, she felt no fear. Olivia felt...nothing.

Her gaze slid back up to Cody’s face. His always hilarious—and often inappropriate—jokes had kept their spirits raised in the midst of such devastation. Looking at him now, though, Olivia didn’t see his contagious smile. Instead, she found a face twisted with pain. Eyes that were filled with confusion and fear. Then, like a puppet losing its strings, Cody's body went slack, his muscles rendered useless.

She watched numbly as his head slumped forward, and he slid from the log upon which he’d been sitting. Cody landed with a sickening thud in the dry dirt. Olivia was still trying to comprehend what was happening when another terrified scream pierced the air.

Turning slowly, she saw that, much like Cody, the rest of her new friends had begun to fall. Movement to her left caught her attention, and she looked back just in time to see Malani, the young woman who’d lost so much in the storm, drop to the ground by her feet.

Wide eyes stared into Olivia’s, their rapidly expanding pupils conveying the fallen woman’s desperate plea for help. Seconds later, Malani’s head tilted to one side; her beseeching gaze no longer there. Olivia realized that nothing was there anymore.

No light. No laughter. No life. If Olivia didn’t know any better, she’d almost think that Malani was—

Dead.

The word slammed into her with brute force, bringing Olivia back from wherever her shocked mind had escaped. The scene sped into focus, and she finally, finally understood. Her group was under attack, and with an indescribable horror, Olivia realized she was the only one still alive.

Dear God.

Adrenaline surged through her body as her belated fight or flight response kicked into gear. She shot up from her log and spun around in a dizzying attempt to assess her situation.

Several men—at least ten—were quickly approaching. They appeared local and, with one exception, were all dressed in head-to-toe in camouflage, each carrying an automatic rifle at their side.

Olivia’s initial thought was to fight but going up against these men would be suicide. She was far too outnumbered, not to mention unarmed.

The well-dressed man headed straight for her. He wore all black, from his dress shirt down to his shiny, black shoes. He would have reminded her of a Wall Street businessman if not for the long, jagged scar running down the right side of his face. The puckered mark, paired with the set of deadly eyes now focused solely on her, sent waves of terror pulsing through her veins.

Instinct told her this was the man in charge, and given the way he was looking at her now, Olivia knew she was as good as dead. Despite her odds, she refused to just stand there, waiting to be slaughtered. She had a snowball’s chance in hell of escaping, but she still had to try.

With one final look at Malani and her other fallen comrades, Olivia bolted toward the road leading away from their camp. She thought she heard laughter coming from behind her, but the sound of her own blood rushing through her ears made it impossible to tell.

Leg muscles burned as she forced them to work harder than ever before. Tears fell from her eyes as she thought of her dad and brother. Of the mother she never really knew.

Her entire family was already gone—taken from her far too soon—and Olivia found herself praying that when the bullets hit, she wouldn’t have to wait long before seeing them again.

Another image flashed before her eyes. One that nearly brought her to her knees.

Jake.

More tears came as Olivia realized she’d never see her best friend again. Never be on the receiving end of his sexy-as-sin smile or hear his deep-chested laugh.

Even more heartbreaking was the knowledge that she’d never get the chance to say everything she’d always wanted, but, even at thirty-one, she’d been too afraid to. Why didn’t I tell him?

She should have shared her feelings with him years ago, rejection be damned. At least he would’ve understood how deeply she cared for him. That just thinking about him could make her smile, even at the worst of times.

A person should know that, right? Everyone needed to know they were loved. Especially, someone as good and kind as Jake. And now, it was too late.

Oh, God! A loud sob escaped her throat as she forced her tiring legs to keep moving. She was