Chapter 24
Reese
“W ould you care to explain to me exactly why that lunatic hates you?” the man next to me asked in a dry voice.
My entire body was shaking with fear.
The two of us were tied by the ankles and wrists, and then we’d been roped together so it was impossible for us to get to our feet.
Somehow, Burke Kline had found me, and he was even crazier than he’d been when he’d shot Kyle and I in Spokane.
The only thing that had stopped him from killing me almost immediately after he’d snuck up on me at the pine tree had been Cole Remington.
Cole had been in his barns, and he’d heard Burke ranting and probably saw him punching me in the face as he’d stepped back outside again.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t seen the gun that Burke had been holding until he’d sprinted over to us, and it was too late.
Burke had been ready to put a bullet in my head when Cole had distracted him enough to make Burke hesitate.
Cole had told him that he was filthy rich and could give him the funds and the tools to make an escape, but that he wasn’t going to shoot me out in the open where anyone could hear and see it happen.
Technically, we hadn’t been on his property, but Burke hadn’t known that.
In the end, both Cole and I had been taken prisoner by Burke and were tied together in the downstairs level of Cole’s new home.
Cole had told Burke to go help himself to some food that was in the refrigerator, and we’d been tied up and left here while Burke was stuffing his face upstairs.
At this point, I wasn’t sure if Cole was just as evil as Burke, or if he was trying to save my life.
Maybe I was an idiot, but it was hard for me to believe that someone who had so many of Devon’s facial features was that evil. Cole looked like a Remington. The resemblance wasn’t as pronounced as it was between the three Remington brothers, but he definitely looked like family.
Since I wasn’t dead yet, I quickly and briefly explained what had happened in Spokane.
I also told him that I was being hidden in Crystal Fork until Burke was apprehended.
“He’s going to kill you, too,” I said in a tremulous voice. “He’s insane, and he won’t leave any witnesses, even if you do give him what he wants.”
“I have no intention of giving him what he wants,” Cole informed me. “If he would have taken that gun off you for even a single second, this would already be over, and that bastard would be dead. So, you’re Devon’s woman?”
I’d briefly mentioned that Devon and I were together in my explanation, so I simply said, “Yes. My name is Reese.”
He’d already told Burke that his name was Cole but hadn’t mentioned that he was a Remington.
But that was something I already knew.
“I guarantee that my cousin is already looking for you. He’s a hardheaded Remington,” Cole said calmly. “But I’m not counting on him finding us before this idiot puts a bullet in our heads.”
“You’re probably right,” I said shakily. “I should have been back to Millie’s place by now, but I don’t think he’s going to be looking for me in your house. Does he know you’re here?”
“No,” Cole said abruptly. “I don’t make it a habit to explain my whereabouts to anyone. I only planned on being here for a few days. I wanted to check the construction work that was done here. Luckily, I stocked a few days of food in the refrigerator. He’ll be eating for a while. He looks like he hasn’t had food in a long time. But you’re going to be ready to run when I tell you to run. Don’t look back. Just haul ass and get out the door.”
“I can’t exactly run like this,” I answered nervously.
“I’m good with ropes and knots,” he said simply. “Neither one of us are going to die here at the hands of this asshole.”
“You weren’t going to let him shoot me and try to save yourself with money and supplies, were you?” I wasn’t sure how I knew that, but I knew it was true.
“I like my new home, and I don’t want blood on the carpet before I can even move in,” he said stoically. “This area is probably going to be a man cave. It would be damn hard to enjoy a football game on a big screen knowing a woman had been murdered in the room.”
I probably would have laughed at his black sense of humor if I wasn’t completely terrified.
This man might be gruff and a little humorless, but he was no murderer like some people thought.
He was trying to save my life.
Devon hadn’t talked much about his cousins, but he had told me that they’d never been close and that they were moving back to Crystal Fork.
Millie had told me more about Cole and Asher’s background and what had happened to force them away from Crystal Fork.
“Why didn’t you just ignore what Burke was doing to me?” I asked him, trying to distract myself from the thought of Burke shooting me…again.
“I don’t get into people’s business,” Cole said roughly. “But no man should ever lay a hand on a woman or a child.”
I could feel the ropes binding us together start to loosen.
Obviously, he hadn’t been lying when he’d said he was good with rope and knots. “What’s the plan?”
Burke had taken our cell phones, including Millie’s that I’d just retrieved before he’d found me. So there was no way we could call for help even if Cole could get us free.
I was still trembling, but I was trained to keep my head together in stressful situations.
I needed to think and keep my wits about me.
I felt the same way as Cole did.
I didn’t want to give Burke the satisfaction of dying here today.
“I figure we have at least another fifteen minutes before he comes back down to kill us both. I stocked plenty of beer in the fridge along with the food, so he’ll knock down at least a few of them before he comes back. We need to get the fuck out of here. It’s going to be risky because we’ll have to pass the kitchen to get out the door. You’re a small woman and I’m a big guy. Stay close to me and out of his line of fire. You got that?”
Maybe some people would cringe and not ask questions when this man gave an order, but I wasn’t most people.
“But that would put you in his line of fire,” I argued.
“Better me than you,” he quipped. “My cousin would kill me anyway if I let anything happen to you.”
The ropes around us gave way, and Cole quickly used his bound hands to untie my feet and hands so I could untie his.
He shoved all the ropes aside impatiently and grabbed my hand to pull me to my feet.
I stumbled a little as the circulation started to return to my extremities.
“You okay?” he asked in a no-nonsense baritone.
“Yeah,” I lied as I rubbed my hands together to hurry the process.
My circulation would come back, and I had no desire to complain. I didn’t want to stay here any longer than Cole did.
I desperately hoped that Burke’s back was turned so he couldn’t see us escaping.
If something happened to Cole while he was trying to save my life, I wasn’t sure I could live with myself.
He was an innocent bystander.
I was the woman that Burke desperately wanted to kill.
I didn’t like the fact that he planned to shield my body with his, but he’d made it clear that this wasn’t happening any other way.
It was a risk, but if we didn’t do something, we’d both end up dead for certain.
“Remember what I said,” he said in a warning voice.
“Please don’t get shot,” I said in a tearful voice.
A small, cocky smirk formed on his lips. “That’s not part of the plan.”
He put me behind him as he climbed the stairs and placed my hand on his belt so that he knew that I was right behind him.
For a man as large as Cole, he managed to move stealthily up the steps.
My heart was beating so hard and fast that I was almost afraid that Burke would actually hear it.
I took a deep breath and silently let it out.
Don’t panic, Reese. Not now. You know what you have to do. Run fast if Burke spots you, and make sure that Cole is right there close to you.
When we reached the top of the stairs, Cole switched positions, put his arm around me and kept me shielded from the kitchen.
We moved soundlessly.
The very brief glimpse I got of the kitchen before Cole blocked my view told me that Burke didn’t have his back to us, but his attention was on his food and beer.
We’d almost passed the kitchen when Cole shouted, “Run Reese! Now.”
I instantly knew that Burke had seen us when he called out, “Stop! You aren’t getting away from me this time, bitch!”
I ran, with Cole right behind me, still shielding me from Burke.
I almost froze in place as we ran out the door and a gunshot exploded behind us, but Cole kept pushing me onward until we were down the steps.
Everything happened so quickly after that gunshot that I was confused.
Another gunshot exploded.
I was suddenly tackled and taken to the ground with an exceptionally large, heavy body on top of me.
I’d started to scream before Devon rasped into my ear, “It’s me, Reese. It’s me. Are you hurt?”
I stopped screaming the moment I heard his voice.
Devon was on top of me, trying to protect me.
“No,” I said in a panicked voice that didn’t sound like my own.
“He’s dead,” I heard Ralph say from a short distance away.
“Cole!” I gasped, terrified.
“I’m still alive,” Cole said in a deep voice from right beside me.
I struggled to get free, and Devon finally rose from his protective position on top of me.
“W-what just happened,” I said, my brain still not comprehending what had just taken place.
“Kline is dead,” Devon said as he wrapped his arms around me. “Ralph shot him.”
“Cole?” I asked as I turned in Devon’s arms to see Cole laying on the ground beside me.
I scrambled over to Cole when I saw a pool of blood that was seeping from a wound on his side. “He’s hurt,” I said as tears filled my eyes.
“Getting shot wasn’t part of the plan, but I don’t think I’m going to die from it,” Cole said weakly.
I lifted his shirt. “Somebody get me some towels or something to put pressure on the wound. Talk to me, Cole.”
Devon immediately removed his shirt and handed it to me to use to stop the bleeding.
“The helicopter is coming,” Kaleb said. “We can get him to Billings faster that way. You can ride with him, Reese.”
“I’m going to live, Reese,” Cole assured me. “But I’m pretty pissed that I’m going to end up with blood on my new porch.”
Those were the last words I heard from Cole before he promptly passed out.