“Stay here,” I say, heading toward the cabin.
“Cora, wait.” Kady starts to stand but I give her a hard look.
“Don’t fucking move.”
She sinks back down, pale white.
I trot down the dock. When I reach the woods, I move from tree to tree, doing my best to be as quiet as I can. I climb the short hill and when I reach the top, I crouch down behind some bushes and halfway crawl forward, inch by inch, until I’m on my belly and staring at the front of the cabin.
Three bikes are parked out front, boxing in Jaxson’s ride and blocking the Rover. Two guys sit back, men I don’t recognize, but they’re both holding guns in their hands.
Craig stands ahead of them, facing the house. Jaxson’s on the porch, staring down his cousin.
They’re talking quietly. I can’t hear what they’re saying, so I start inching forward again. Jaxson comes down off the porch and moves toward Craig, who’s got a gun held behind his back. I’m not sure Jaxson can see it. I want to scream out to him, tell him to be careful, but Jaxson walks forward toward his cousin with his hands spread out like he’s explaining something.
Craig’s voice raises. “—fucked up, cousin, you really fucked up bad this time.”
Jaxson’s shaking his head and saying something.
“Enough.” Craig’s shout is loud enough to scare some nearby birds. I go completely still and stare, transfixed, as Craig raises the gun and points it at Jaxson’s face. He says something. Jaxson answers, shaking his head, looking confused. Craig says something and steps forward, pressing the gun to Jaxson’s head.
Jaxson goes deathly pale. “You wouldn’t do it,” he says loudly. “You wouldn’t kill your own goddamn cousin. We’re kin, boy.”
Craig’s answer is too quiet to hear.
Jaxson reaches out. I don’t know what he plans on doing. He reaches out like he wants to hug his cousin, but Craig pulls the trigger and the bullet rips through Jaxson’s skull, scattering blood and bone across the leaf-strewn gravel. He drops to the ground, dead, and whatever he was trying to do will never happen now.
I shove my hands over my mouth to keep from screaming.
The two guys on the bikes get up and walk over to Jaxson’s corpse. They drag him off to the side and leave him there in a slumped heap. Craig stares at the body and I can’t tell what he’s thinking, but it looks like he’s crying. His shoulders shake and his head hangs, and one of the other guys says something to him. “Fuck you, Angel, that was my fucking cousin, you prick.” He raises the gun and the Angel guy steps back, hands in the air.
Craig slumps forward again, staring at the body.
I shimmy backward. Slowly, so fucking slowly, quiet as a mouse. I slip through the underbrush, dragging my belly against sticks and twigs and crying but trying to do it as quietly as I can. The two bikers, Angel and the other guy, they go inside and disappear. I manage to get onto all fours and crawl a little bit further, until I’m down the slope, then I get to my feet and I run.
Kady’s standing at the end of the dock. She’s staring at me, pale and afraid, her arms wrapped around herself. “Cora?” she calls out and I want to moan in pain and terror as I wave my hands and cover my mouth.
She gets the hint and backs up, hands on either cheek.
I run to her. There’s no reason to be quiet now. They either heard Kady or they didn’t, but either way, there’s only one escape for us now.
“The boat,” I say, grabbing her arm. “We’ve gotta get in the boat.”
“What? Why? What’s happening? Who’s up there?”
“Craig,” I say as I start to untie the mooring ropes. The boat is small with a tiny engine. There are four seats, all of them pale white with age, the leather seats cracked. But the thing works, I know it works. “Two other guys I don’t know. One’s named Angel. Jaxson’s dead.”
“What?” Kady stands there staring at me, but she needs to get inside, she needs to run. We have to protect her unborn baby even if she did something horrible and unforgiveable a long time ago, she’s still got this baby, this little piece of her and Jaxson and even Momma. I won’t let them hurt her, those fuckers, I won’t fucking do it.
“Kady,” I say and grab her shoulders. “Listen to me. We have to get in this boat and get the fuck out of here before Craig comes down and kills us. Do you understand me? He shot Jaxson and we’re next, so please, get in.”
She finally climbs into the back. She sits there trembling, looking around as I finish untying it from the posts.