A Good Day for Chardonnay (Sunshine Vicram #2) by Darynda Jones

“Stop!” Auri shouted.

The man turned, his face the picture of rage.

Auri blinked. “You’re …Are you Billy? Billy Press?”

“Aurora?” he asked, his face twisted in confusion.

“What are you doing?” Before he could answer, she rushed forward, pushed him out of the way, and knelt in front of Mrs. Fairborn. “Are you okay?” she asked, searching for a way to untie her.

The voice that traveled to her was tightly controlled, each word enunciated to precise calculations. “Where’s the necklace?”

She turned and gaped up at him. “The necklace?” She started to point to the downstairs guest room, but something told her if she did, if she told him where to find the necklace, none of them would make it out of Mrs. Fairborn’s house alive.

His fingers curled into two beefy fists in her periphery as he stared down at her, his face twisting in barely controlled rage.

“I—I gave it to my mother. I told you I would. She’s the sheriff,” she added, glancing at Cruz.

He stood a few feet away, his gaze locked onto an oblivious Billy.

She was about to signal for him to run when she found herself airborne. She crashed into Mrs. Fairborn’s glass hutch just as Cruz rushed the man. He delivered a powerful right hook. Then a left.

Billy didn’t know what hit him. He stumbled back, stunned.

Cruz was an amazing fighter from what she’d been told, but Billy was twice his size. And angry. Cruz still knocked him to the ground. The guy didn’t stand a chance until she saw him reach across the floor, his meaty fingers clawing for something.

Auri tried to get to her feet to help Cruz, but she couldn’t move. Her feet wouldn’t listen. Her arms lay motionless as blood leaked into her right eye. She could only watch as Billy sank a knife into Cruz’s abdomen.

It went in so smoothly, it took Cruz a moment to realize what had happened. He looked down as Billy pulled out the knife and pushed it in again.

The surreal turn of events surprised Cruz just as much as it had Auri. He grabbed the blade when Billy pulled it out a second time, but it was slick with his blood. It sliced into his palm and slid free of his grasp before Billy sank it in a third time.

His movements were automatic. Like he was on autopilot as he plunged the knife in. Then his hand slipped off the slick handle. Just as the darkened edges of Auri’s vision closed in on her, Cruz pulled out the knife himself and pressed a palm to his wounds as though trying to stop the bleeding.

Then she watched as Billy, almost in slow motion, reached up and took the knife away from him again. The world went black but she could hear Mrs. Fairborn’s sobs.

Auri fought to get back to her, back to Cruz, but her lids were like anvils. She struggled to open them because she was floating then. She could feel it. Cool air rushed over her hot skin and consciousness danced just beyond her reach. She tried to grab it, but it inched away, taunting her like a schoolyard bully.

She heard labored breathing. Felt arms beneath her. Tasted the metallic tang of blood. The moon shifted into focus then disappeared, drowned out by red and blue lights so bright they blinded her. Then she heard footsteps and a young woman say her name before everything went black once again.

The state police brought the Kents up in an ATV that looked like a small truck. They had the coolest toys. She elbowed Quincy, then pointed. “I want one of those.”

“I thought you said our budget was the size of your pinky.”

“It is. Doesn’t mean I can’t want things.”

“Oh. In that case, I want a service horse and a drone with a camera and a new radio because these things are older than my left ass cheek.”

Sun watched as Addison, who proved surprisingly agile, jumped out of the ATV and ran to the boys across the rough terrain. She couldn’t help but notice that Matthew seemed a little less enthusiastic. Addison hugged both of her boys and sobbed for several minutes.

Sun strolled closer. She hated to interrupt, but she needed a few answers so she could file her initial report. She looked across the mountain to a gorgeous orange moon rising over the horizon, then said, “I know it’s getting late, but can I ask the boys some questions?”

Addison started to protest but changed her mind when she looked at Sun. “Of course. Thank you, Sunshine.” She stood and hugged her, too.

Sun hugged back. It had been a long time coming. “Not at all,” she said, stepping back. “It’s your genius kid who sent us in the right direction.” She grinned at him. “Sorry?”

He beamed at her. “I was hoping someone would catch onto that. It was my backup plan. When those men showed up at the convenience store, I knew I had to have a backup plan.”

“Well, it worked. Levi and I figured it out.” She looked across the clearing to where Levi stood talking to the DEA agent. They were loading the agent onto a stretcher to wait for the helicopter to airlift him to Albuquerque. It wasn’t easy getting him out of the pit, especially since he’d fractured his tibia and dislocated a shoulder, but Elliot had a rope ladder and Sun had a lot of strong, young deputies.

And Levi. She had Levi.

The place was now crawling with representatives from practically every law enforcement agency in the western hemisphere. From the state police to the local PD, DEA, to the FBI. She half expected the CIA to show up. It was a lot of money. Enough to warrant bringing agents in by helicopter.