Jane ducked, but she realized that the last series of gunshots had come from MacDuff’s people, who had taken positions with their weapons and were firing upward at the still-shooting gun drones.

Rodland joined in the assault, leaning forward in his saddle and firing his handgun alongside them.

Jane heard a child’s scream. She turned. God, no…

A housekeeper was running across the circular driveway, clutching a little girl against her chest. The girl was wailing, terrified of a low-flying gun drone pursuing them just a few feet behind.

Jane snapped her horse’s reins and galloped toward them. As she passed a tall hedge, she grabbed a gardener’s rake leaning against it. She turned back toward the drone.

RAT-AT-AT-AT-AT!

A trail of bullets followed the woman and her crying daughter.

Jane swung the rake upward and struck the drone. It wobbled, and she turned back for another swing.

WHAP!

This blow took it down, and it smashed onto the driveway.

“Get away from here,” Jane called out to the woman. “Take cover!”

Jane rode back to join Rodland and the line of gunmen. “Where’s MacDuff?”

“Pinned down at the castle,” one of the marines replied. “We have a squad rendezvousing with him there right now.”

Rodland exchanged gunshots with a drone that had descended just a few feet in front of them. It splinted apart and crashed. He turned back to Jane. “I have to get you out of here. Right now.”

She shook her head. “Not until everyone else gets away.”

“Look around you. MacDuff’s people are on it.”

Jane looked at one of the other residences, which she knew housed the head groundskeeper and his large family. The roof was on fire, and the blaze was descending to the rest of the house. She turned back to Rodland. “Come on. We have to make sure everyone made it out of there.”

“Then we get you out of here,” he said grimly.

“We’ll see.”

They rode around to the burning house, where the groundskeeper and his family huddled outside.

“Is everyone okay?” Jane called out.

The groundskeeper nodded and spoke in his thick brogue. “Fine. But if you have an extra gun, I’d like to take a few shots at those things.”

“Just stay here and take care of your family,” Rodland said.

BLAM! BLAM! POW! More gunshots rang out, and the family ducked behind a tractor.

Rodland turned. “Those didn’t come from the air.”

BLAM!

Blood spurted from Rodland’s shoulder, and he slumped forward.

“Shit,” Rodland grunted.

Blood on the front of his shirt. He pitched forward over Maisie’s head and hit the ground!

“No!” Jane reined in her horse and jumped off him. She held the reins as she ran back to where Rodland lay crumpled on the ground.

Another bullet plowed into the tree next to her as she fell to her knees beside Rodland. His eyes were closed and his forehead bloody. Dead?