“I do know that,” Baker said. “All that shooting can mean only one thing: They cornered him and had some fun with him. Probably shot up his legs first, then started moving around the rest of his body. By the time they were through, he was probably begging them to kill him.”

Fearing she might vomit, Alicia turned away. Jack—Just Jack—dead. Add one more to the list of men dead because of her. She’d involved him in this. He’d come willingly, but still, if she’d just let it go, let Thomas have the damn house, they’d all be alive, and she wouldn’t be trapped in the woods with these human monsters.

She heard a loud, celebratory whoop from somewhere outside the cabin.

Baker straightened and crossed the room, grinning.

“That’s Kenny. He’s a noisy son of a bitch.”

Another whoop.

Baker stepped outside and stood with hands on hips, staring toward the tree line.

10.

10.

Jack trained Barlowe’s Tec-9 on the cabin door and let out a whoop, hoping he sounded enough like Kenny to draw Baker out.

He leaned against a tree trunk to take the weight off his left leg. The trees were smaller here and didn’t provide much cover. Hopefully he wouldn’t need it.

Off to his right, Yoshio’s body was a pale blotch among the weeds.

His leg throbbed and burned. He’d cinched the shoulder strap from the Tec above the wound, and that had slowed the bleeding, but it did nothing for the pain.

He whooped again.

Come on, Baker. Show your ugly face.

If he’d had a pistol, he’d have been sneaking up on the cabin now. But with only this Tec, no way he could risk charging inside and shooting. Not with Alicia in there. These damn things were too inaccurate. No telling who he’d hit once he pulled the trigger.

And if he’d taken the time to limp to the car for the 9mm he’d stashed there, Baker would have figured something was wrong and be ready for him.

So it had to be this way. He only wished he was closer. Marksmanship had never been his strong point, and with a Tec-9 at this distance he’d have to rely far more on luck than skill.

Just then Baker stepped out into the open, looking around for Kenny. Jack pulled the Tec’s trigger and emptied the magazine at him.

The corner of the door above and to the right of Baker’s head dissolved into a cloud of splinters, and Baker dove headfirst back into the cabin.

Furious, Jack smashed the empty Tec against the tree and hurled it into the woods.

Now what? He had a feeling things were going to get really ugly now.

11.

11.