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"Now, damn it!" Ainsley pulled Will's limp arm up, steadying it till the pistol was aimed at Thorn. "Shoot him!" |
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Will shook his head beneath its tricornered hat. "I can't until I understand . . . " |
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"Well, I can." Ainsley grabbed the gun from Will and aimed it at Mariah. "All right, my dear friend," he sneered at Thorn. "Will you duel with me this day, or will I spill this one's blood?" He paused. "Perhaps I will anyway, once I have disposed of you. She made my plans change, and I am angered.'' |
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"Do not do this!" Will lunged toward Ainsley, but before the young man could wrest the pistol from him, Ainsley used its butt to strike him on the temple just below the brim of his hat. The young man crumpled. |
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Mariah tried to use the opportunity to run away, but Ainsley rushed forward and grabbed her. He pressed the end of the dueling pistol's barrel so tightly against her forehead that pain shot through her head. "Not so fast," he said. "In fact, I believe I shall kill you right now. Then Thorn will have reason to duel with me, will you not, Thorn?" |
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They were near the edge of the point. Thorn was not far inland, but too distant to reach her in time if Ainsley chose to pull the trigger. "Please, Thorn," she whispered. She was about to tell him to go away so at least one of them would survive, but she felt a frisson of dismay catapult through her as he shrugged indifferently. |
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"Don't bother begging me for help, Mariah." His voice was as icy as she'd ever heard it. "She means nothing to me, Ainsley. And I have told her more than once that she shouldn't rely upon me. I find myself bored with all of this drama." He turned on his heel and began walking away. |
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Mariah cringed, waiting for the shot that would end her life. She'd thought, after all this time, that Thorn had learned that he was dependable. But now, when it mattered most, he wasn't. |
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Ainsley thrust her aside, and she fell to her knees in the mud. She looked up to find Ainsley pointing the pistol of Thorn's retreating back. "Thorn!" she cried outjust as the pistol fired. |
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