In retrospect, Beth probably should have anticipated the danger a little better. But who would have expected dealings with one of the biggest companies in the game to go so very badly wrong? There were rules that they should have played by. All she'd seen was some jumped up country-wannabes, who tried so hard to play with the big kids and in reality were nothing more than posers, little fish in a very big pond who had no idea that they weren't the sharks.

So she hadn't seen it.

It had been a normal day, or at least a day as normal as hers ever were. She played with Market Equity's stocks, bought some more land, pissed someone off in less than a five-minute phone call. And when her day ended, the sun was beginning to dip in the sky and she was in need of a drink- unless something had gone badly during the day, Rip might even be done with work for now, and the thought had her accelerating even past her usual speeds as she practically raced back towards the ranch.

She wasn't expecting a jeep to be parked across the road.

Dust clouds rose into the air as she slammed the breaks and wrenched the wheel at the same time, her car skidding wildly and she was barely aware that she'd left the road before she felt the jolt that came with hitting the fence. She was pretty sure this field was her father's, she thought dazedly, and absently hoped there were no cattle in it at the moment.

She sucked in a breath, heart pounding. She might be a bit sore from tensing so quickly, adrenaline coursing through her limbs, but it could have been a lot worse. With a little luck, her car would barely be damaged… unlike that jeep when she got her hands on it. She shoved her door open, felt the anger well up within her. Only to come to an abrupt stop.

The two men advancing towards her were dressed all in black like something out of a damn movie, their faces covered in a material that must have been stifling. They stalked forwards in a way that suggested they were used to being the biggest danger in the room, the guns in their hands a screaming sign that they weren't just coming to check on her.

Beth ran. Didn't hesitate, didn't think it through. Kicking off her heels in the first three steps, feet pounding against the grass as she just sprinted. She was too far from the ranch, surrounded by the land her family owned but still miles from the buildings and the people that could have helped. Not that it mattered. She felt the impact of a bullet near her feet at the same time as she heard the shot, ducking on instinct as she shrieked, stumbling in her surprise. Another shot, and this time, she crashed to her knees with a gasp. The burning pain in her shoulder had her doubled over, clamping her hand down on the bullet wound before she staggered to her feet again, risking a glance behind her.

They were too close. She didn't notice the prick of grass against her feet, nor the way hot blood was trickling between her fingers. If she could circle back to the road, there was a vain, desperate hope that someone might come, might be able to help.

Another bullet hit the ground, and she practically leapt to the side, instinctive yelp stuck in her throat. But they'd been anticipating it, and a second bullet came so close she felt the vibration of the impact as it hit, and she stumbled.

It cost her precious time. She ran again, but she'd already lost. She wasn't even surprised at the weight that crashed into her and sent her sprawling to the floor, the impact knocking the breath out of her. She was being pressed into the dirt, hands grabbing at her wrists and she snarled at the man above her as she lashed out blindly, clawing and kicking.

She landed a hit, her knee between his legs paralysing him. She barely heard his groan, instead pushing him off of her as she shoved to her feet and picked a random direction to run in.

She'd barely made it a few dozen steps before it happened again. The full weight of a grown man barrelling into her robbed her of her breath, sent her to the ground so hard they both skidded. This time, two sets of hands grabbed at her, pinning not only her wrists but her ankles too and she screamed, twisting and writhing and she bit one, teeth sinking into flesh and causing him to let out a loud curse, before he backhanded her across the face.

Her head rang, vision blurred for a second. But it was long enough. There were two of them and only one of her, and within moments they had her arms pinned behind her back. It caused a fresh wave of pain to lance through her shoulder, whiting her vision further as the sound faded from around her.

When she came back to, she was being dragged roughly back towards the road, her wrists tied behind her. For a split second, she was too stunned to do anything, the pain short circuiting her brain. And then she screamed.

She kicked and twisted, tried to bite, tried to do anything to make their lives harder. She heard one of them cuss under his breath, the same one as before, his grip on her legs slipping and she used the advantage to kick as hard as she could, her foot meeting his nose with a satisfying crunch.

"Bitch!"

The breath was forced from her lungs as his fist dove into her stomach. Time froze, lungs screaming as she tried to inhale but couldn't, only for the pain to be doubled by another blow, this one to her ribs and it was quickly followed by another, and another. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, let alone fight back as they dragged her across the grass, her scraping feet barely registering in her mind. By the time she managed to suck in a precious lungful of air, they were back at the road, her toes scraping lines in the dust.

"Fuckers!" She did her best to kick, to land a blow but they were ready this time and dodged easily. She had one knee on the ground before she was being hauled forward again, legs dragged from underneath her and she screamed, a vague, desperate hope that someone would be riding nearby close enough to hear her.

"BETH!"

She barely registered the shout at first. Too busy trying to kick, to fight, until she heard it again and fought to look around. She prayed it was Rip, or even Ryan. Kayce or her father would pull the trigger without a thought. Even Jimmy or Lloyd would be appreciated at this point.

But it wasn't any of them. Instead, it was Jamie. Jamie, who had apparently bolted from his car, engine still running as he raced towards them. Jamie, in his suit and tie, without so much as a weapon and she already knew what would happen before the gunshot rang out.

She thought her heart actually skipped a beat. But he didn't stop running, a bloom of crimson didn't appear. For one, brief second, she had a spark of hope even as she felt a cloth being pushed against her face. A sweet smell stung her throat, irritated her eyes and too late did she think to try to hold her breath. The fumes had already filled her lungs, her body going slack as her vision blurred. Jamie's face was, oddly, the last thing she saw, his expression twisted and horrified as the world faded black.