The Grace Series (Book 3): Dark Grace by M. Lauryl Lewis Page A

Sadie, also had a large gash on her left cheek.  Her eyes were a dull brown, and she looked scared.  Her friend Ron was small and skinny.  Two of him could have fit into her pants.  They were an odd pair, to put it mildly.  I could smell leftover grease from the roast eagle burning and the scent of seawater in the air.
    “How’d you get here?” asked Nathan.
    “We have a small boat,” answered Sadie.
    “Don’t fucking tell them shit, you cunt !”
    “Fuck off, Ron.”  The girl looked from Ron to Nathan and began to explain.  “We saw the smoke from your fire a few days ago and decided to try to find you.  We just need shelter, and food.”
    I was watching Ron, focused on him.  He seemed twitchy and anxious.  He was obviously irritated with Sadie. 
    “What happened to your arms and cheek?” I asked the girl.
    “It’s none of your fucking business, bitch,” Ron snapped at me.
    “Hold your tone there, boy,” I heard Gus say from beside me.  “You don’t talk to a woman like that.  And if you do it again I’ll rearrange your goddamn face.”
    I looked back over at Sadie, and noticed she had inched back toward the fire where her gun still sat on the ground.  “Don’t move any farther,” I warned her.  I had my pistol aimed at her face.  These two were up to no good.  Of that I was sure.
    “Fuck you,” said the girl.  She almost looked feral. 
    “Both of you shut the fuck up,” said Boggs with great irritation.  “You best answer any questions asked of you.  Now tell her what the fuck happened to your cheek.”
    I could hear Jane whimpering from inside the shelter.  Emilie was closest to the shelter, so I asked her if she’d go into the shelter with the girls.  I kept my eyes and my aim on Sadie.  She looked vaguely familiar, and I focused on placing her.  “Susan, can you please grab their weapons?” I asked.
    Sadie was glaring at me.  In my peripheral vision I watched Susan pick up the two weapons that were only feet from Sadie.  Ron had his hands on the back of his head. 
    Gus stepped forward.  “Answer the question.”
    “I fell.”  I knew the girl was lying.  I could just sense it from good old fashioned intuition.
    “Right,” said Gus, his tone disbelieving.  “You fell.”
    “Can we stand up, please?”
    “No,” I said.  “You may not.”  The movement behind the strangers was so subtle, I at first assumed it was just the wind.  I allowed my gaze to find it.  Just barely perceptible in the shrubs, I saw eye-shine.  I reached my hand out and found Boggs, and took his hand in mine to get his attention.  Gus was aware of our interaction, likely due to his years of training in the military.  I looked over and saw that his gun was raised to where we were looking.
    The next moments were a blur.  Movement from farther to our right caught my attention, but it was too late.  The first gunshot rang loud.  Whoever fired never got a chance for a second shot, thanks to Nathan.  Gus fired next, the shot deafening my left ear.  The smell of gunpowder was thick.  Gus shot the figure I first saw in the brush, while Boggs lunged forward to keep Ron and Sadie under guard.
    Abbey was screaming and crying hysterically from inside the shelter.  My heart was racing as I held my pistol in front of me and turned in a full circle looking for more danger.
    “How many of you are there?” Boggs was screaming at Ron in particular.  When he didn’t answer, Boggs raised his pistol above his head and brought it down, pistol whipping him.  Blood promptly began running down Ron’s forehead.
    “Don’t hurt him!” Sadie began screaming, adding to the confusion. Abbey and Jane were both crying loudly by now.  Something was horribly wrong. The sobs and screams from the shelter were escalating.
    “Emilie!  Em!” I shouted as I ducked under the tarp , realizing I hadn’t heard her consoling the girls.
    “Zoe!  It’s Emilie,” said Abbey in a combination of sobs