Chapter Seventeen

I n Colt’s earpiece the crackle of static shattered the silence of the darkened property. He didn’t so much as blink as Carson’s voice filled his ear.

“Anyone have eyes on him?”

“Negative,” came Gray’s reply. “I drove the lake road twice. There’s no sign of an abandoned vehicle. Clean as a whistle.”

“Nothing has moved on the lake side of the property either.” Colt didn’t like this. It wasn’t likely that Gideon had just given up. Beneath his calm exterior, frustration simmered.

Jaw clenching, he scanned the trees between his position on the dock and the back of the cabin. A good hour before, Aspen and Willow had appeared on the deck. They’d walked up to the railing and stood in the open for long enough that Gideon would be guaranteed to spot them if he were in the area. Carson was just feet away, prepared to take a bullet in his body armor for them.

“Maybe the plan didn’t work—he didn’t get the message or something.” Gray’s suggestion had Colt grinding his molars.

“I don’t think so. He’s been on Aspen’s trail since she came to Wyoming. Maybe before, and we just didn’t know it. He’s waiting for the perfect opportunity.” He lowered his eyes to the rifle scope to get a better view of the cabin. “Where are you, you son of a bitch?” he muttered.

“I’ll do another perimeter search now,” Carson said.

The lake was a smooth mirror under the moonlight. The wind had died down, leaving a shimmering reflection like a sheet of glass. Tall evergreens soared into the sky all around them, casting long shadows on the landscape.

His cabin stood proud on the slope. The warm light glowed through the windows, cutting into the darkness that seemed to beat with evil intention.

He never was one for using his imagination. Colt’s brain didn’t work that way. But he wasn’t often wrong when it came to his instincts. Gideon was here.

As he scanned the bedroom window, his gut clenched. His gaze darted between the cabin and the gentle slope of the land leading to the shore. Small tufts of foliage grew along the edge of the water. Were they big enough for a man to hide behind? Probably.

“What the hell?” Gray’s voice rasped in his ear.

“What’s going on?” Colt demanded in a rough whisper.

“That boat was tied up to the neighbor’s dock earlier.”

“And now it’s not?” His voice pitched louder.

“There’s no way he slipped past us and untied the boat. It must have come untied from the rocking of the water.” Carson always came with logic on his side, but Colt’s instincts roared in disagreement.

“Search the perimeter!” he commanded Carson.

As his brother performed the search, Colt remained on high alert. He could make out the shadow that was his brother, moving in a crouched position from point to point on the property, but nothing else. When he swung his weapon toward the neighboring dock, he spotted the boat bobbing away from the structure with no rope in sight.

They’d prepared for this. Trapped Gideon in the web. But he wasn’t showing his face.

It didn’t make any sense—he didn’t wait to disable the landing gear or break the furnace. Was it possible that their target had gotten cautious? Nothing was adding up.

Clinging to the shadows, Carson moved swiftly from the bushes to the air conditioner unit.

Gray’s gritty tone dragged over Colt’s senses like road rash. “The water’s too still to untie that boat. It’s barely rocking.”

The truth gnawed at him.

Gideon had slipped through their net.

“Get to the house! Now!” Colt scrambled up from his position and was already running to the stairs leading to the bottom of his dock.

“It could be nothing,” Gray said.

“It’s not. I feel it in my gut. He beat us here. He’s already inside!”

Why didn’t he see it before? Why didn’t Colt plant himself inside the cabin with Aspen and Willow?

His insides knotted, creating pressure on his lungs that punched the air out of them. As he trundled down the stairs, his heart thundered. He pitched to a stop at the bottom and swung his rifle up to look through his scope at the cabin.

Through the high-powered lens, he made out the girls. Aspen stood by the bed, her phone held tight in her hand. She glanced at Willow, her brows furrowed in concern.

Did she sense something was off too? He felt so connected to Aspen that it wouldn’t surprise him if she picked up the waves of his frantic worry clear across the property and from inside the cabin.

Through the glass, he could even see the worry etched on her beautiful face. A face he would die to protect.

“Are you sure he’s inside, Colt? How would he breach the doors?” Carson’s voice came with another crackle of the device.

“I don’t know, but he is. I feel it.” His throat was tight with rage. “Fuck!” He ripped his gaze from the window and sprinted down the dock, his boots pounding the weathered wood.

“I’m inside,” came Carson’s voice, sharp and urgent.

“Front door’s secure and clear,” Gray rattled off.

Colt skidded to a halt at the shore, breathing hard as he lifted the rifle to his shoulder. His scope locked on the window. He couldn’t breathe as he saw the closet door open behind Aspen.

“He’s in the bedroom with them! Go, go, go!” he roared.

The world exploded in chaos. Through the comms device, he heard Gray blasting through the front door and Carson’s feet pounding up the stairs. His own heart jolted with desperation.

Through the scope, Colt saw the knife in Gideon’s hand. Aspen was completely oblivious. Why the hell didn’t they give her and Willow earpieces too?

What good would it do? the voice in the back of his head played devil’s advocate. Neither woman was trained to fight off a man wielding a knife.

His finger twitched on the trigger, his instincts screaming at him to take the shot and end this nightmare. But there were too many what-ifs, and he couldn’t take a chance that Willow or Aspen might be hurt.

His universe narrowed to one pinpoint. One goal. Make that fucker pay.

At that moment, Willow turned and saw Gideon. She let out a scream that echoed faintly through Carson’s comms, since he was closest to her.

“Willow!” Gray’s voice shredded on their sister’s name under the thunder of his boots on the stairs.

With a calm honed by years of battle, Colt’s nervous system stilled. His breathing steadied as he set his finger over the trigger, waiting for the perfect shot at the man who was out to kill the woman Colt loved.

* * * * *

The cabin seemed to pulse with the tense silence. But that was silly—it was just four walls. It couldn’t pick up the fear of its inhabitants.

Aspen clutched her phone. She was supposed to be going over details of her client’s stay with Willow, but neither of them seemed able to utter a word. Willow stood with her gaze riveted on the window, and Aspen knew she was watching out for her brothers.

A creak on the floor behind her created ripples up and down Aspen’s spine. What was that sound? It didn’t make any sense—Willow was in front of her.

Willow heard it too and swung toward the noise. She let out a shrill scream that wobbled as a man leaped out and shoved her.

Aspen whirled to Gideon, eyes wide. As she saw the big, lethally sharp blade he held, her eyes bulged.

She threw up her hands. “Gideon. Let’s end this. I’ll give you anything. Money. The jet. My house and car. Just let us walk away unharmed.”

He looked like he’d been living rough since he held her captive in that mountain cabin. Dirt streaked his face and blackened the fingers wrapped around the hilt of the knife. His hair was even oilier than she last saw him, clinging to his head in dark clumps.

But the madness in his eyes wasn’t something she expected to change. It had just gone from crazy to deranged.

She wrenched her gaze from him, stomach lurching with terror.

Meanwhile, Willow regained her balance after being shoved. She staggered and then drew herself upright with all the confidence of a queen about to walk to the gallows.

Aspen wouldn’t let her new friend come to any harm. If it came down to her or Willow, she’d throw herself on that blade to save her.

Gideon’s mouth stretched in a parody of a smile. The state of his teeth made her stomach turn, but that volatile sneer had adrenaline pumping through her veins hard and fast.

Though he didn’t take a step toward her, the threat he posed clawed at her from all sides. Aspen’s mind couldn’t process what was happening.

Willow getting shoved. The glint of the knife.

Gideon, right here in the house. Hiding in the closet the entire time.

Fear was a hot ball in her throat, making it difficult to draw enough air.

“Gideon, let’s talk this through. There has to be a way we can come to an agreement.”

He seemed past the ability to speak. He took a slow step toward her. Light flashed off the keen edge of the blade.

When he kidnapped her before, her nonstop chatter had driven him over the edge. But did she want to do that again? He was even more unhinged now.

From the corner of her eye, she saw his reflection in the large window overlooking the water. The edges of his image were blurred, but that didn’t make him any less terrifying.

She risked a look at Willow, making sure she was okay. The woman was totally still, her stare fixed on the man who wanted Aspen dead.

His image flickered in the glass. Then she saw it—his blade raised high as he lunged at her.

This is it. This is how I die.

Then came the explosion. With a crash that deafened, the glass window shattered. Shards sprayed over her and Willow like tiny daggers. Throwing up her hands to shield herself, Aspen let out a scream. The sting of glass slicing her skin was sharp and yet Aspen didn’t connect to the pain, only the fact that she was still on her feet, still alive to fight.

An absurd thought filled her mind. I loved that window!

She wanted to stand there with Colt again, to watch the sun setting on the water before they turned into each other’s arms.

A big male body blasted into the bedroom, followed by a second. Aspen’s stare locked on the Malone brothers even as her confused mind failed to put the pieces together.

Willow grabbed at her. “Are you okay? Are you all right?”

Her stunned mind finally jerked into action. She clasped Willow, their tremors melting into one big shaking sensation, like the whole cabin was about to crumble.

“I’m all right. What happened?” She swung her head toward Gideon.

He was sprawled on the floor, blood pooling beneath him.

A single bullet hole between his empty, staring eyes made bile rush up her throat along with a cry of relief that they were safe.

“How? What happened?”

Carson strode forward, stepping around Gideon and the blood—god, there was so much blood—and wrapped his arms around both women who were clinging to each other.

Her legs shook, threatening to give out, but another set of arms pulled her gently away from Willow.

“Gray,” she choked out.

“I got you. Colt, I got her.” Gray locked an arm around her middle and towed her to the bedroom door.

“Get them out of here!” Carson barked the order from behind her, but Gray was already moving her to the stairway. She didn’t realize Colt was standing in front of her until he yanked her off her feet into his arms.

“Fuck, princess. Jesus Christ, you’re bleeding all over the place.”

She was?

The homey décor of the cabin blurred past her vision as he carried her into the kitchen. Using his foot, he snagged the leg of a chair and dragged it out. When he carefully set her on it, she blinked for what felt like the first time since she saw Gideon dead on the floor.

Strong, warm hands closed on her shoulders, and dark gray eyes burned into hers with worry. “Aspen, are you okay? Are you hurt from more than these cuts?”

She looked down at her bare arms. Blood streaked her skin where the glass had nicked her.

The scraping sound of another chair being pulled out made her turn her head to see Willow sinking to the seat.

Their gazes met. In that moment, Aspen saw that she had a friend for life. Even before this horrible ordeal, she and Willow had formed a bond. Tonight’s events cemented it.

Her friend nodded as if she understood the unspoken emotions. Carson grabbed a towel and pressed it against a cut on Willow’s forearm.

“Gray.” Colt didn’t look away from Aspen’s face. “Get the first-aid kit under the kitchen sink.”

“On it.”

When Colt lifted his hand to cradle her face, she felt her tremors morph into shivers. “Aspen. Talk to me. Are you all right? I didn’t see him hit you, but—”

“I’m all right.” Her voice was a low rasp.

Again, she looked down at the thin streaks of blood. “The window exploded.”

He gave her the faintest of nods.

“Gideon’s dead. Shot.”

His face tense, he searched her eyes.

“You did that.”

“I wasn’t trained to injure. I was trained to kill.”

Gray set the box on the floor between her and Willow’s seats. Colt ripped open the lid and started tearing open gauze pads.

She watched him dab at the minor cuts. They stung, but it could have been so much worse. It could have been the knife.

“Christ, Aspen. I’m so damn sorry. For the glass, for the cuts—”

“Stop.” She rested a hand on his chest, feeling the solid thump of his heart. “You saved me, Colt. I could have been stabbed. I was seconds away from it.”

“I should have been here.” His hand hovered over one of the longer scrapes on her forearm, lightly shaking.

“You were here. You saved me and Willow.”

Willow let out a scraping laugh. “You scared the hell out of us when you shot through the window, but you saved us, Colt.”

He dropped his head. “You don’t know how scared I was. Seeing him raise that knife… I thought I’d lose you.” He looked up at Aspen, his jaw clenched as he struggled with the emotions he rarely let himself feel. “I can’t lose you, Aspen. Not ever.”

Her heart clenched. Tears, which had seemed so far away this entire day as she operated in survival mode, spilled down her cheeks, hot and soothing. She curled her fingers into his shirt front.

“You won’t lose me, Colt. I’m here.”

“You’re stuck with her now. She’s in all those wedding photos.” Willow’s matter-of-fact statement brought a laugh bubbling up Aspen’s throat.

Colt’s eyes burned as he studied her. “Thank god you’re all right.”

She leaned forward, and he carefully wrapped his arm around her back, drawing her against his chest. The scent of gunpowder mingled with man didn’t even frighten her.

“I’m so sorry for giving you these cuts, Aspen,” he muttered into her hair.

“You protected me. You did what you had to do.”

“But you’re bleeding.”

“Hello? I’m bleeding too. Guess I’ll just go rub some dirt in it like the old days.” Willow’s comment brought a snort of laughter from Carson, who was cleaning her cuts, and from Gray, crouched in front of the first-aid box, passing him supplies.

Colt’s chest shook on a rumble of a laugh. Then he withdrew from Aspen to study her face.

“Colt.” His name sounded thick on her tongue. It was now or never. She had nothing and everything to lose.

“Yes, princess?” he whispered.

“I have a confession to make. I’m in love with you too.”

The silence in the cabin seemed to swell as seconds ticked on.

“Jesus, princess. I love you too. So damn much.” He drew her into his arms again, his hold tender as he minded her wounds.

When she melted into him, careless of the sting of the minor cuts, her tears started to flow with the strong love pouring out of her.

He swooped in and brushed his lips across hers in the sweetest, most meaningful kiss a woman could ever want—and she never thought she’d experience.

When he lifted his head, she plunged into the gray depths of his eyes. A small laugh of joy burst past her lips.

“What do we do now?” she asked.

“Anything we want.” He started to dab at the blood on her arm again.

“How about a real vacation?”

His stare met hers.

“Not in a cabin,” she rushed to say.

His lips twisted to a quirk of amusement. “Where do you want to go? Abroad? How about skiing?”

She lifted a brow at him. Love swelled out of her for her handsome protector. The love of her life. “Do you really want me all bundled up in all those layers?”

“Um, guys? We’re all really thrilled for you, but can you share those thoughts when you’re alone?” Willow gave an eye roll that had all of them laughing again.

Aspen reached out a hand to squeeze her friend’s. Then she looked from Carson to Gray, letting them see the gratitude for their support on her face. They gave her nods of acknowledgement.

When she slid her attention to Colt once more, his eyes were glowing.

With love.

For her.

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