Chapter 26
TWENTY-SIX
Annie gripped the wheel, steering the UTV over the rough terrain toward the main lodge. Behind her, Dwayne groaned with every bounce.
Tate is trained. He’s smart. He won’t take unnecessary risks.
The reassurances flowed one after another, but none of them dislodged the pit of fear in her belly. She’d learned the hard way that training didn’t make a man bulletproof. James had been careful too. He’d still ended up dead, giving his life to protect another.
Unapologetically brave. It was a trait her late husband and Tate shared. With a jolt, Annie realized Brooke had been right all along. She hadn’t built the walls to keep Tate out because of their history. She’d done it to protect herself from these terrifying feelings.
It hadn’t worked. Somewhere between his apology and their tender kisses, she’d fallen for him anyway.
Now Tate was alone in the dark with a trained killer, and there was nothing—nothing—she could do about it.
She couldn’t help him. Couldn’t watch his back.
Couldn’t control a single thing beyond the ten feet of frozen ground in her headlights.
Lord, I’m scared. I’m falling in love with Tate and I don’t want to lose him. Her throat tightened. But I also realize there are things beyond my control. I put my trust in You. Guide me. Guide Tate. And whatever happens, good or bad, I know You will walk beside me through it.
Tears pricked her eyes, blurring her vision. She blinked them back. Tate was in God’s hands, and she needed to focus on helping the bleeding man behind her. “We’re almost there. Dwayne, are you still awake?”
“Regrettably.”
She nearly smiled. “Keep it that way.”
The wheels slid on a patch of ice, and Annie’s heart leapt into her throat.
She eased up on the gas until the tires found traction again.
The rain pelted the roof of the UTV and made visibility nearly impossible.
Dwayne’s radio rattled in the cup holder.
She was tempted to call Preston, to warn him of a possible attack, but Marcus—or his accomplice—was likely monitoring their transmissions.
She didn’t want them to know how much they’d pieced together.
Tate had the element of surprise on his side, and he would need it.
She swung around a copse of pine trees, and the dark shape of the main lodge came into view.
The UTV shimmied as it hit a dip, and Dwayne groaned.
Annie winced. “Sorry, sorry.” Her fingers were frozen to the steering wheel.
Finally, she skidded to a stop in front of the rear entrance.
Leaving the UTV running, she hopped out of the driver’s seat and circled the vehicle.
To her surprise, Dwayne was already sitting up and trying to scoot out of the bench seat. He shook off her help. “I can do it.”
He hauled himself to his feet and swayed. Annie hooked his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go.”
Together they navigated to the door. Dwayne limped, clutching his side, but still on his feet. His coat and shirt were hung open, flapping in the frosty wind.
Using her key code, Annie unlocked the door. “Evan! Evan, we need you!”
Pounding footsteps, then Evan was in the kitchen. His dark eyes widened at the blood on the makeshift bandages Annie had used on Dwayne. He lurched forward. “What happened?”
“He’s been shot. Through and through.” Annie helped Dwayne down the hall, easing him into a chair in the infirmary. She turned to Evan, already at the sink washing his hands. “I have to help Tate. Keep the doors locked.”
With those orders, she spun on her heel and raced back outside. It was a risk to go after Tate, but she couldn’t leave him to face a killer without backup. She prayed his fellow rangers would arrive soon. They could use the help.
As she reached the driver’s seat, the radio in the cup holder crackled. Preston’s fearful voice spilled out. “Someone threw something into the cabin. It looks like a bomb—”
Screams erupted. Annie’s hand was on the gear shift when the rear door banged open and Heather burst into the rain. She raced for the UTV, diving into the passenger seat. “Thank goodness you’re here. I need to tell you something important. I know who’s helping the killer.”
“Who?”
Heather’s eyes widened in fear as if someone were approaching. Annie twisted to check her flank and the rear entrance, her hand reaching for her weapon.
Agony tore through her. Every muscle in her body locked, and stars danced across her vision. In her head, Annie was screaming, but no sound could escape past her clenched jaw. As suddenly as the pain started, it stopped. She slumped in the seat. It hurt to breathe.
Heather’s face shimmered in front of her. “Me. I’m the one working with Marcus.”
Then she hit Annie with another bite of the stun gun. The pain was blinding. In seconds, Annie was disarmed, her hands tied. Heather shoved her into the passenger seat and then slid behind the wheel. She shifted the UTV into gear.
“W-w-w-why?” Annie’s muscles twitched. Cold air rushed by as Heather hit the gas, taking them back into the darkness.
“Because I loved Seth.” Heather cast her a derisive look. “I’m doing what should have happened a long time ago. Making you and everyone else responsible for his death pay.”