Gage (THE GOLDEN TEAM #3)

11. Gage

11

Gage

The best lead we’d gotten so far came from a woman at the grocery store. She said Lori had been there recently, buying groceries, and mentioned seeing a strange man watching her. He hadn’t bought anything—just left his groceries on the counter and followed Lori out the door. The woman suspected he’d followed Lori all the way to Mendocino.

Acting on the tip, we decided to check him out. The blood test results from Lori’s van had come back earlier, and none of it was hers. Relief flooded me so hard I could have cried, but there was still no time to waste.

We followed the police to the man’s remote property. The moment we pulled into the yard, a gunshot rang out.

“She’s not here anymore!” a gruff voice shouted. “Neil shot her in the back after she escaped, so we left her where she died. Neil’s dead too, right where we left her. Now, get off my property, or I’ll kill every one of you!”

“Show us where she is,” I demanded, stepping forward.

“Get off my land!” he yelled.

A bullet whizzed past my head, and instinct took over. I fired back, aiming to disarm him. My shot hit true, and his gun flew from his hand.

I didn’t waste a second. I sprinted toward him, kicking the weapon away before grabbing the front of his shirt and hauling him upright.

“If you don’t tell me where Lori is,” I growled, “I’ll start shooting parts of your body off.”

Behind me, I heard the police protest, but my team formed a wall, keeping them at bay.

“Who the hell are you?” the man spat, trying to pull away.

“I’m someone you’ll wish you’d never met,” I snarled, pressing my gun against his groin.

“I don’t know where she is! She escaped!” he stammered.

“Wrong answer,” I said and fired at his foot.

He screamed, collapsing onto one knee.

“You must think I’m playing,” I said coldly. “Where. Is. Lori?”

“I don’t know!”

I fired at his other foot, and he howled in pain.

Before I could press further, a dog burst into the yard, barking frantically. It ran circles around us, refusing to stop.

“He wants us to follow him,” Raven said, his voice sharp.

Without hesitation, we jumped into our vehicles, leaving the injured man in the hands of the police. The dog sprinted ahead, leading the way.

When we reached a clearing, we saw her.

“Is that her?” Eddie, Lori’s dad, asked, his voice trembling.

We both bolted out of the truck. Eddie fell to his knees, sobbing. My chest tightened, but then I saw her hand move.

“Lori, sweetheart, can you hear me?” I asked, crouching beside her.

“Yes,” she whispered weakly.

“Thank you, dear Lord,” Brian murmured behind me.

Everyone started shouting at once.

“Call an ambulance!” I ordered. “Let’s get her off these rocks!”

Jasper, the dog, licked her face.

“You’re a good boy, Jasper,” she murmured. “If I don’t make it, can someone take care of him?”

“You’re going to make it,” Eddie said firmly, his voice breaking. “You hear me? You’re going to be just fine.”

“Dad,” she whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

“Let me check her,” I said, kneeling beside her. My hands trembled as I touched her skin—too hot. Fever was setting in.

“Hey, Sugar,” I said softly, “I’m going to cut your shirt up the back. Do you know if the bullet went through?”

“We didn’t get our date,” she murmured faintly. “And no, it didn’t. It’s still in there. I hurt... everywhere.”

She paused, taking shallow breaths. “There’s another man—shot, down the hill. That bastard leader shot him. He killed his wife, too. She had red hair. He said he pulled it all out before killing her. I think he’s a serial killer. You should dig up his yard.”

Her words hit me like a gut punch, but I kept my voice calm. “We’re going to move you off these rocks now, okay?”

“Thank you,” she whispered. “They’re sticking me everywhere. I dragged myself here so someone would see me.”

She screamed in pain as we lifted her gently.

“I’ll put my jacket under her,” I said.

“Take mine,” Eddie insisted.

“Take mine too,” Brian added, handing it over.

We carefully slid the jackets beneath her until she was no longer lying on the jagged rocks. I checked her wound, praying it hadn’t hit anything vital.

Jasper licked her face again.

“Where did this dog come from?” I asked, smiling slightly despite the tension. “He seems to have fallen for you—so I’m not the only one.”

She let out the faintest chuckle. “He’s mine. He found me under the house and showed me the way out.”

“He also found us and led us to you,” I said, brushing her hair back gently. “I’m glad he did.”

“Me too,” she began, her voice hesitant. “Gage, I need to tell you something. I’ve been following you around for a few months.”

I raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet, letting her continue.

“I... I put a tracker and microphone in your bag,” she admitted, her face flushing with embarrassment. “I picked you because, well, I kind of like you. At first, I just wanted to see how all the teams worked for a story I was doing. But then, when you let me fly with you to Greece, I realized I could ask everyone questions. I got caught up in it, and I never stopped.”

“So it was you,” I said, shaking my head, a smirk tugging at my lips. “I knew someone was following me. I could feel it.” I leaned closer, my voice softening. “But I’m glad it was you. Lori, I’ve had a crush on you for years.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, but before she could respond, the sound of an approaching ambulance broke the moment.

“I hear the ambulance coming,” I said, glancing toward the distant sirens.

“Gage,” she said, her voice trembling, “how are they going to get me into the ambulance? Please come with me. I want to hear more about this crush of yours.”

I chuckled softly, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. “There’s no way I’d let you go without me.”

“Did you two forget I’m standing right here?” Eddie, Lori’s dad, interjected with a raised eyebrow.

I laughed, and Lori joined in, the sound lightening the tension in the air.

The EMT workers arrived, heading first to the sheriff’s vehicle. I frowned as they approached the kidnapper instead of Lori.

“What the hell are you doing?” I called out, my voice sharp. “This is who I called about!”

“What’s happening?” Lori asked weakly.

“They’re looking at the guy who kidnapped you,” I said, my eyes narrowing on the scene.

“Be careful,” she said urgently. “He’s crazy. I hope his hands and feet are cuffed.”

As I glanced back at the kidnapper, my stomach dropped. His hands were cuffed—but in front of him.

Everything happened in a blur. He lunged, grabbing the sheriff’s gun. A single shot rang out, striking the sheriff in the shoulder.

“Damn it!” I shouted, reaching for my own weapon. But before I could react, the second officer fired, dropping the kidnapper instantly.

“What just happened?” Lori asked, her voice trembling.

“The bastard grabbed the cop’s gun and shot him,” I explained. “The other officer shot the kidnapper before he could do more damage.”

“How’s the cop?” she asked anxiously.

“He’s standing,” I reassured her.

I strode over to the EMTs, one of whom looked visibly shaken. “Let’s focus on getting Lori into the ambulance and to the hospital before something else happens,” I said firmly.