Chapter 16
16
K ade needed to put as much distance between the three of them and the object of Rinty’s attention as possible. For all he knew, Carr was out there, waiting to take a shot.
“Go back inside, lock the door, and call Travis,” he said to Bree. “Tell him where we are, and that Carr might have found us.”
Rinty’s hackles raised as he maintained his position. His low growl was a constant rumble.
“I’m not leaving you out here alone,” she said.
“Don’t take this the wrong way because it’s not personal. You’ll be a liability to me because I’ll split my attention between watching over you and taking down the threat. I need to know you’re safely tucked inside and that help is on the way. Take Rinty with you.” Kade set the suitcase against the wall. “If Carr’s out there, I’ll find him and neutralize the threat.”
“I can call Travis from right here.” Her voice shook and her chin quivered even though she was trying to put up a brave front.
“Will you trust me? I’ve been in these situations before. I know exactly what to do.” Kade surveyed the area. He couldn’t see anyone in the tree line from his vantage point or the glint of metal. The person who had Rinty’s attention was hiding to the east with the sunrise at his back.
There was a slight breeze. The air was crisp. Judging the distance, Kade would have a difficult time getting off a good shot.
Rinty’s growls intensified.
Bree quietly made the call to Travis. She touched Kade’s shoulder. “The closest person to us is at least half an hour away.”
Kade considered making a break for the truck. A couple of scenarios crossed his mind. It could be rigged with a bomb. Tires could be slashed. The engine could have been tampered with. Rinty hadn’t made any noise earlier. The truck was parked ten feet from the cabin. With the loss of hearing in one of his ears, Carr could’ve slipped past the trained dog’s radar.
Could Carr have been that quiet? He was calculating. The fact that he hadn’t left any DNA behind at crime scenes said he was criminally smart. As sheriff, he would have had access to files others wouldn’t. He could study how others got away with their crimes.
Carr’s job in law enforcement had given him an insider’s view of all the tricks of the trade. The murders had happened months, sometimes years apart, which said he most likely studied his victims, learned their routines, found a blind spot, and took advantage. Point being, the man was calculating.
Rinty spun around to the west and stood at attention. Was Carr on the move?
The crack of a bullet split the air.
“Rinty,” Bree shouted as Kade blanketed her with his heft.
“Come on, boy,” Kade commanded. He ushered Bree to the back door. He had no idea what commands Rinty was used to or in what language. His hearing loss could mean that he didn’t have any idea he was being called. Kade made kissing noises to get the animal’s attention. He had to try something. “Let’s go, Rinty.”
Surprisingly, thankfully, the animal darted back to them.
“Stay low and away from windows,” Kade said to Bree as they breached the back door. She was already on all fours, crawling toward the center point of the house. “Keep going until you get to the bedroom closet.”
“Why would he come for us now? What would make him risk getting caught?” Bree asked quietly.
“He seemed like he was sizing me up the other day at the hospital after he told me to leave, and I refused. I thought he’d put up more of a fight then. I was surprised when he didn’t. Now, I’m guessing he was cutting his losses. He had to realize it was only a matter of time before you’d wake and figure out it was him.”
The closet was located on an interior wall next to the bathroom. Rinty would protect her and provide a distraction if Carr showed. Kade scanned the small room, looking for an edge he could get over the sheriff.
Kade bellycrawled around the side of the bed. If Carr came inside, he’d most likely look for them in the closet. Of course, he could rapid-fire shots through the walls to see if he could get a hit. Spraying bullets would be one way to…
A scream sounded from the west. A female voice. A shock to Kade’s system when she shouted his name.
“I have your sister.” With those four words, Kade’s world came crashing down around him. He’d spent his entire life keeping his baby sister safe. And she was in the hands of a calculating killer. Anger was a rogue storm thrashing around inside Kade.
He moved to the closet.
“No matter what else happens, stay where you are,” Kade said to Bree. “I need to know where you are, and I need to know that you’ll be safe.”
Her front teeth scraped across her bottom lip, which meant she wasn’t on board. He crawled to her, lifted her chin, and kissed her. “I love you, Bree. I think I always have. I need you to do something for me. I know I’m asking a lot. Will you wait for me here? I’ll come back for you.”
“Be safe, Kade. I want the man I love to be around to help raise our daughter.”
“That’s a promise.” He planned to make another one after he took down the sheriff…if Bree still wanted him.
“I’m so sorry this is happening,” Bree said, and there was so much warmth in her voice.
“I know. I have to go get Chloe. I’d hoped we could wait until Travis or one of the deputies arrived. Carr will kill my sister before he lets us go.”
“I know. Go get her and bring both of you back safely.”
“Take this.” He handed the shotgun to Bree. Her eyes widened.
“You need—”
“He’ll use the trees to block my shot. If he comes in here, you’ll be ready for him.” He showed her how to hold the weapon, careful not to accidentally point it at him. He flashed a quick smile. “Look before you shoot in case it’s me.”
“I pray I don’t have to pull the trigger,” she said.
“Think of that little one of ours just waiting for us to pick her up and bring her home. That’ll give you the courage when you need it.”
“I love you, Kade.”
“Hold that thought. Okay?” One more kiss, and then Kade crawled out the window. Carr would be watching the doors, ready. Someone might die today. Kade made up his mind it would be Carr.
The last time his sister had screamed and Carr spoke, the sounds had come from the west. Kade moved to the tree line facing east, in the opposite direction. The house and truck should block him from view as he made his way into the greenery. He had no idea what kind of shot the sheriff was—he was most likely a decent one—and he didn’t intend to find out in the form of a bullet in his back.
Keeping one eye on the house, he moved stealthily through the thicket, stepping lightly so his boots didn’t get snagged on underbrush. He’d been to the cabin enough times to have memorized the land. That worked in his favor. He’d take all the advantages he could get in this situation.
It occurred to him that any hint law enforcement was about to descend on this place could set Carr off. He could take out his rage on Chloe before disappearing forever. Hell, for all Kade knew, his sister had some kind of booby trap set on her. Moving her could set off a bomb.
Kade’s lungs clawed for air as he continued to think of all the things that could happen to Chloe. By sheer force of will, he redirected his thoughts to the sheriff. One thing was certain; Carr was toying with Kade’s emotions. The sheriff knew how tight-knit the two were. He and Chloe had made no secret of being close. Secrets didn’t stay buried forever in a close-knit town like Saddle Junction. Although it had taken far too many years and cost too many lives, Carr’s secret was out.
The man was leaving here in a coffin or handcuffs, Kade didn’t particularly care which one. He stopped cold near a clearing. All hope that Carr had been bluffing exploded in Kade’s chest. Chloe was there. She was tied to a tree, a gag in her mouth.
The fact that she seemed calm—resigned?—shot fireballs through his chest. Hang on, Chloe.
In the past few days, Kade had learned just how much family meant to him. He was starting to realize why he’d had a restless feeling in his chest and what it meant. Between seeing how upset his sister was at the thought of him moving to Alaska and finding out he was about to be a father, Kade had realized that Saddle Junction was home. He would stick around, deal with his new half-brother, and find a way to transform the ranch if that was the unanimous decision.
Kade surveyed the area. He searched for any signs of a bomb on Chloe but didn’t see any obvious ones. Bombs could be small enough to go undetected by the naked eye or placed in a position to make it difficult for Kade to see until it was too late.
Damn, seeing Chloe there was a gut punch. Kade had to fight the urge to run to his sister and cut her away from the tree. That’s exactly what Carr wanted. He wanted Kade to react based on emotions. The bastard had put her out there as bait. Most people would take it. The U.S. government had trained Kade to be a better soldier than that.
Scanning the area one more time, he searched for his target. The notion that Kade had been lured out of the house was a brick on his chest. At this point, he couldn’t double back. He’d kept an eye on the house as he’d moved through the thicket. He’d had to be careful and methodical.
Carr was here somewhere. Dammit. Where?
And then he saw the glint of metal from a jacket. A button, maybe. Bingo. Carr was positioned behind a tree with the business end of a rifle aimed at Chloe’s head.
Kade’s shotgun wouldn’t have done him any good at this angle. Chloe was too close to Carr to risk a shot just as Kade had suspected would be the case.
Taking the sheriff by surprise was Kade’s best bet. Could Kade hook around with a wide enough berth to attack Carr from behind? There weren’t a lot of other options.
Carr split his attention between the cabin and Chloe. Slowly, Kade moved through the trees and underbrush. Ignoring every instinct he had to go straight to his sister, he still made good time.
He was close enough now to see Carr’s finger hover over the trigger mechanism, close enough to know a shot at this range would be deadly for Chloe. Even if Kade managed to get close enough to Carr undetected—and that was a big if —his finger could twitch when Kade ambushed him. A slight movement would be enough to fire a shot. Hell, his reflexes would do the work for him. Carr wouldn’t even have to consciously make the effort.
A noise sounded from the direction of the house. It was the noise the truck alarm made when it was being disarmed, and the doors unlocked. Kade’s chest squeezed as he realized Bree was drawing attention toward the cabin.
“Try it, bastard. You’ll never get away.” Carr’s voice had an almost hysterical quality to it. He looked down the scope of the rifle, which he’d repositioned toward the cabin.
While his attention shifted, Kade seized the window of opportunity he had to make his move. Swiftly, he started closing the gap between him and the sheriff.
A crash sounded at the back of the cabin. The thud was quickly followed by the shrill alarm on the truck.
Kade darted from around a tree, expecting a clear view of Carr. The sheriff had moved from his position. Kade panicked. Had he made the wrong call?
And then he caught a glimpse of Carr, stalking toward the cabin like a hunter locked onto an unsuspecting doe.
Kade closed in on the sheriff from behind. The truck alarm provided cover for the occasional twig snapping. Carr slowed his pace, no doubt searching for a target at the end of his scope.
The gravity of this mission slammed into Kade in full force. Being out in the desert, the possibility of personal harm held no weight for him. After all, it was only his life hanging in the balance. He was a betting man and always went with the odds—and odds heavily favored him in a fight. Even if he’d lost, he’d known the risks when he’d joined the military. They were calculated, considering he had what he knew was the best training in the world. If he lost his own life, so be it. This was so far on the other side of different Kade couldn’t fathom it. Just the thought of anything happening to Chloe, Bree, or the baby, not to mention Rinty, could bring Kade to his knees and reduce him to a puddle.
He let those thoughts simmer inside him, causing a wave of anger so strong it brought everything into crystal-clear focus.
Carr was in view. Kade inched closer, the hunter and the hunted.