Read DeadEarth: Mr. 44 Magnum for Free Online Page A

painless than slow and painful. Just
remember, two of my guys would still be alive right now if all you
did was knock on the front door.”
    “Are you going to kill us?” Rikka asked
bluntly.
    Mr. .44 Magnum took the picture out of the
frame and handed it to her. She accepted it without taking her eyes
off him.
    “No,” he said. “But I ain’t saving you
either. Jen and Daniel are going to escort you off the property.
We’ll give you your guns back, a bit of food and water, and send
you on your merry way. We’ll do the same if your mom, dad and
sister come looking for you, so I suggest you stay close. That
being said, if we ever see you on this property again, we will not
hesitate to kill you. For our safety. Understood?”
    Rikka and Shade nodded.
    “Jen,” Mr. .44 Magnum said, glancing at the
woman standing next to Daniel. From their similar features, it was
clear to Shade that they were mother and son. “Make these ladies a
pack so they can be on their way.”
    She nodded and left.
    Shade watched her go, then glanced at Rikka.
She searched the side of her face, wondering if she had a plan for
how they were going to get Lou out without revealing the stash of
food, medicine, and weapons just under their feet. They may have
secured their lives, but they weren’t out of trouble yet. They were
outgunned and outmanned. If they left the property without their
sister, it would take a hell of a whole lot of luck—and quite a few
dead bodies—to make it back. They had to act, and it was better to
do so while they had one less weapon trained on them.
    Shifting her weight, Shade eased back so that
her hand was closer to the knife tucked inside her boot. If Rikka
made a move, she wanted to be ready.
    But Rikka never moved, not even an inch. Mr.
.44 Magnum paced back and forth in front of her, his boots knocking
a steady tempo on the hardwood floor. Shade knew Rikka had a blade
tucked away somewhere. If she wanted to kill him, it would have
taken no more than a split second to do so.
    Minutes passed. Shade found herself glancing
at her sister more and more as their window of opportunity shrank.
Did Rikka not know how difficult it would be to get Lou out once
they were out of the house? They had two guns and three magazines
between the both of them—and that was only if their captors didn’t
keep anything for themselves. The time to act was three minutes
ago.
    Shade’s hand twitched as she readied herself
to draw her knife. If Rikka wasn’t going to make a move, she had
to, for Lou’s sake. She had the plan mapped out. She would go for
Daniel—the guy directly behind her—first. If she could take his
pistol and get behind him, it would be easy to eliminate the others
in four quick shots… assuming he had enough ammo. If he didn’t,
Rikka and Shade were as good as dead.
    Shade was also assuming the five people who
revealed themselves were the entirety of the group. She cast a
cautious gaze at the man in charge. He was kind, dutiful, and not
afraid to get his hands dirty. But was he smart? Did he know not to
reveal all his cards even when he thought he had the upper
hand?
    Jen strode out of the kitchen with her rifle
slung over her shoulder, successfully killing Shade’s plan. She
carried two book bags half filled with whatever the group could
spare. She tossed one to each of the sisters before unshouldering
her rifle.
    “Your weapons are in the packs,” she said.
“Guns are dismantled, bullets are free, and your mags are in a
separate pocket. You even think about going for your weapons,
Daniel and I will have time to kill you twenty times over before
you can reassemble them. Don’t take our kindness for weakness. You
just go on about your business, and leave us to ours.”
    They were smart, Shade thought.
    “Yes ma’am,” Rikka said as she slowly climbed
to her feet. Shade followed her lead, making sure to keep her hands
visible so no movement was misinterpreted. It was too late for them
to fight back, and