Bree stood at the end of a very large rifle held by a hulking stranger. His eyes, black as the night, stared down the barrel at her and his index finger rested on the trigger. She held her breath and resisted closing her eyes, knowing the gesture would only reveal her fear.
“You wouldn’t let it go, would you?” His deep voice rumbled through the barn lit only by a security light from outside.
She didn’t respond as she feared she’d make him angrier.
“You don’t know how much I want to pull this trigger. Here, now. Boom. You’re toast. But it’d only bring the deputy inside running. Can’t have that, so we’re going for a little walk and you get to live a few minutes more.” His finger drifted away from the trigger.
She released her breath and pulled in another.
He jerked his head toward the back door. “Grab the kid. We’re leaving.”
She gladly rushed to Ella who was wrapped in her blanket and sleeping in a makeshift crib made of straw bales. The guy had taken care to ensure Ella’s safety, and Bree hoped it meant he didn’t plan to harm the baby. Bree scooped her into her arms and inhaled her sweet baby scent for comfort.
“Out the back door, now,” the guy demanded.
Bree stepped into the night, and he shoved the rifle into her back, pushing her forward. She glanced around, searching for a way out of this mess. She saw Frosty saddled by the door, which struck her as strange. Clint wasn’t even home to ride him, so why would the horse be saddled?
For a moment, she imagined jumping on Frosty’s back and galloping away, but she couldn’t possibly mount the horse and escape with Ella in her arms before the creep shot her and Ella fell to the ground.
Bree continued searching, but the moon slipped under heavy clouds, making it harder for her to see. And sadly, harder for anyone to spot them.
“Take the horse’s reins,” he demanded.
“Who are you anyway?” She moved closer to Frosty.
“The man who’s going to stop you from exposing me,” he snapped. “I’m not going away for taking care of a lying, money-grubbing man and his wife.”
“You can’t be talking about Jason. He was as honest as the day is long.”
“Hah! Fat lot you know. He denied my wife’s medical treatment just so his crooked insurance company could make more money.”
“Jason wouldn’t do that. He’d only deny a claim if it was a legitimate denial.”
“Tell that to my wife, buried six feet under.” He shoved the rifle harder, and Bree nearly stumbled. “Now shut up and keep walking.”
She obeyed numbly, knowing that when they got to wherever he was taking her, he’d surely end her life. And then what would happen to Ella? Or Clint? He’d been investigating right alongside her. Once she was out of the way, would he be this man’s next target?
* * *
Back in his truck, Clint’s phone rang. He glanced at caller ID to see Bree’s name. Perfect. He could warn her and the deputy to keep an eye out for Geary.
“It’s Bree and Ella.” Marie’s frantic tone shot through the phone. “I went to check on them. The bedroom window was jimmied and they’re missing.”
Geary. At the thought of the tough soldier abducting Bree and baby Ella, Clint’s heart constricted. “I’m on my way. Don’t go outside for any reason.”
Clint disconnected and updated Shawn. “Use the drive time to find anything you can about Geary. Maybe it’ll help us figure out where he’s taken them.”
“I’m sorry, man. I hate that Bree and the baby are missing.” Shawn dug out his phone. “But we’ll find them.”
“I know that, but will we be in time?” Just saying the words sent acid rising up Clint’s throat. He swallowed hard and got them on the highway where he pushed the pedal harder. His ancient truck shuddered from exertion, but he didn’t let up, not even when Shawn finished his call.
“Geary’s got priors for aggravated assault and deadly conduct.”
Clint glanced at Shawn. “I’m not familiar with deadly conduct.”
“In Texas, if you engage in any type of conduct that you know, or should know, will place someone else at risk of suffering serious bodily injury, you can be charged with deadly conduct. Geary pulled a weapon on a guy after he sideswiped Geary’s truck.” Shawn paused for a minute. “And he used a Kivaari semi-auto takedown rifle.”
Clint had read about the pricey new rifle that broke down into a backpack-sized package. “Chambered for a .338 Lapua Magnum and a perfect way to bring power to the game and not be seen with a rifle.”
“Exactly. It means we’re dealing with a guy who knows how to kill. I should request backup at the ranch.”
“Not yet,” Clint warned. “I want to assess the situation in stealth mode before sending some rookie in to botch the job and make things worse for Bree.”
“Good point.”
Searching for any lead, Clint ran through everything they’d learned that day. “Pete! I got a call from him when I was going into Isaac’s house. I thought it was ranch business but might be something else. Grab my phone and see if he left a message.”
Shawn took the phone from the console. “He did.”
“Pete hates to leave messages so it’s gotta be important.” Clint gave Shawn the voice mail password, and he started playing the recording.
“This here’s Pete Allgood,” Pete said. “Some fool cut the fence on the north side of the property. I fixed it, but on the way back, I found me some ATV tracks that led to a fresh campsite by the ridge. Looks like we might have a squatter.”
“Or a killer,” Clint mumbled.
“You think Geary’s the camper?” Shane stowed Clint’s phone.
“Yes,” Clint replied, and as a vision of the location flashed before his eyes, his gut cramped hard. “And he might be planning to use the ridge’s steep drop off to end Bree’s life.”
* * *
The gunman shoved Bree forward, and she stumbled into a small camp consisting of a tiny tent and fire ring. Maybe this guy wasn’t going to kill her after all. Maybe he was going to hold her here for some reason.
“Loop the reins over the branch and put the baby in the tent,” he commanded.
Bree hated to leave Ella, but with a rifle to her back she had no choice. She secured Frosty before going to the tent. She kissed Ella’s cheek and cuddled her close. “Don’t worry, precious. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
She settled Ella on a sleeping bag then backed out and faced the man. “Don’t you think I should know your name?”
“Why not. Abe Geary, husband of Alicia, who died because your friend denied her claim.”
Bree’s gut said something was wrong with his story, but arguing would only increase his burning anger. “I get that you blame Jason, but why kill Laura, too?”
“Was the only way I could take him out and make it look like an accident. Now enough with the questions. Get on the horse.”
“The horse? Why?”
“Simple, really. I’ll spook him, and he’ll take off with you in the saddle. Just to the east is a ridge with a nice drop-off. You’ll go over the edge, and unlike a gunshot, even if you scream, you won’t alert the deputy back at the ranch house.”
He gestured at Frosty. “Mount up.”
Bree took slow steps toward the horse. Fear climbed up and threatened to swamp her as she searched for a way out. Her brain was a jumbled mess of thoughts, but a sudden vision of Clint riding in to the save her and Ella overpowered them.
Father, please, if Mom’s right and You sent Clint to protect me, get him here before it’s too late.
* * *
Clint galloped through the dark, trusting Trident to safely take him to the squatter’s camp. Clint had hoped to bring Shawn along to apprehend Geary, but with Frosty missing Clint had no other horse for Shawn to ride, and they couldn’t risk Geary hearing the ATV engine.
As it was, Clint now approached the camp and had to slow to a trot and hope Trident didn’t give him away.
Clint raised night vision binoculars and caught sight of Bree climbing up on Frosty. Clint sighed out his relief over seeing Bree still alive. Her arms were empty, though. Where was Ella? Was she safe?
A man—Geary, Clint assumed—pointed his rifle at her. Was Geary planning to scare Frosty into bolting?
Frosty didn’t startle easily, but a gunshot would send him running. Clint quickly calculated the ridge was about one hundred yards to the east. Frosty could easily get up steam in that distance and go barreling over the edge.
Clint couldn’t let that happen, but how could he stop the guy from firing?
Clint had grabbed a rifle from the house, but he couldn’t use it to take out Geary without sending Frosty bolting. Past outings proved Bree was a good rider, but could she handle a spooked horse in the dark? Clint couldn’t risk it.
Hoping a solution would present itself, he dismounted and eased forward, leading Trident by the reins.
“What about Ella?” Bree asked the man. “What will happen to her?”
“I’d never hurt a kid,” he said. “I’ll make sure someone knows she’s in the tent and will come for her.”
Even at a distance, Clint could hear Bree’s heavy sigh in response, and Clint felt the same relief.
“I just don’t get it,” Bree said. “If you needed money for your wife’s medical treatment, why not sell the boat?”
And the pricey gun, Clint thought as he dismounted and moved closer.
“Bought it and this baby with Alicia’s life insurance money.” He patted his gun. “The boat gave me the perfect way to kill that money-grubber. Now that that’s done, I’ll sell it.”
So he did kill Jason and Laura. Now he wanted to kill Bree.
Not happening.
Clint signaled Trident to stay put, but left him free in the event that Clint had to call for his assistance.
“How exactly did you kill them?” Bree asked.
“No big deal. Tied my boat up alongside them and let my engine fill their cabin with carbon monoxide.”
“But they had a detector.”
“Earlier that week, I rewired it so the lights worked but the thing wouldn’t go off. Once they were goners, I changed it back and messed with the generator to make it look like an accident.”
“But what about gouging Jason’s boat? That didn’t help make it look like an accident.”
“Didn’t plan on some dude motoring up in the middle of the night. I had to take off in a hurry, scraping their boat in the process. Figured no one would think anything of it. Then you did.”
Clint appreciated getting details of what went down with Jason and Laura, but he appreciated more the time Bree bought, allowing him to move into position behind a tree a few feet from Geary.
Frosty lifted his head, telling Clint he’d picked up his scent. Clint held his breath and hoped Geary didn’t notice.
“The police will finally figure this out, you know,” Bree said. “And they’ll find the damage on your boat as proof.”
“Already got it fixed, and as soon as I take care of you, I’m selling the thing.”
Clint couldn’t believe that with a gun fixed on her, Bree had the presence of mind to keep asking questions.
“So tell me,” she said. “Did killing Jason make you feel better? Lessen your grief?”
Geary went still for a long moment. “Not rightly sure, yet.” He dropped Frosty’s reins. “But I do know that I’m not going to prison.”
“So you’re going to kill another innocent person?”
“Looks like it.” He took Frosty’s bridle and pointed him at the ridge.
Clint needed to act.
He shot out from behind the tree and grabbed for Geary’s rifle. Geary jerked to the side. Clint tried to get a grip on the gun to wrench it from Geary’s hands. The rifle exploded with a deafening report then hit the ground.
Frosty bolted.
“No!” Clint shouted and spun to go back for Trident.
Clint made it only a few feet before Geary tackled him from behind, leaving Bree racing toward what seemed like certain death.
* * *
Frosty tore through the black of night and panic assailed Bree. She flattened her body over Frosty’s head and reached for the reins.
The leather slapped her fingers but she couldn’t catch hold. Clint. She needed Clint. He’d likely arrived on Trident. Could he get free of Geary and catch up to Frosty?
Another shot rang through the night.
No. No. Had Geary killed Clint?
Her heart creased, but Frosty suddenly veered left and thoughts of Clint evaporated as she tried to hang on. She’d learned how to handle a bolting horse, but fear twisted her thoughts into a tangled web.
Think. Think. Think.
Sit back up. Yes. Sitting up would keep her from flying over Frosty’s shoulders if he made a sharper turn, or over his neck if he dropped his head. She slowly rose up, the wind hitting her full on and unsettling her more.
She had to let go of her fear. Her worry. Trust God to keep her safe and relax so she could get back into Frosty’s rhythm and not add to his anxiety.
Oh, God, please. Help me. Help Clint.
She heard hooves pounding behind her. Geary didn’t have a horse. It had to be Clint on Trident, as the horse only let Clint ride him. The hooves sounded closer. Gaining on them.
A loud whistle came from behind. Clint was trying to call Frosty, but her horse didn’t lose a beat and they continued racing toward the ridge. If Clint didn’t succeed in turning Frosty soon, she’d have to take her chances at bailing. But poor Frosty would still go over the edge.
Clint whistled again. She felt Frosty falter for a moment. Just a second really, but it was a good sign.
Clint whistled a third time. Frosty slowed a touch, allowing the more powerful Trident to catch up and come alongside them.
“I’m going to grab Frosty’s reins,” Clint shouted.
He leaned to the side. A dangerous and risky move. She hoped Clint’s high school rodeo experience kept him safe.
Trident surged, and Clint snagged a rein.
He swung back up in the saddle and changed Trident’s direction. Frosty followed.
Thank You, God!
They continued to gallop, and she kept her attention on not falling off as Clint directed both horses to turn and gradually brought them to a stop.
Clint dropped from his horse, grabbed Bree from the saddle and wrapped his powerful arms around her. “If I… If you… I couldn’t lose you. I just couldn’t.”
She clung to him, but he suddenly pushed her away and moved them into a copse of trees.
“I managed to knock Geary senseless long enough to get on Trident and come after you without taking a bullet in the back,” he said.
“But he still has the rifle.”
“I had no time to go after the gun. I had to stop Frosty before he reached the ridge. Now I need you to stay behind a tree while I take care of Geary.” Clint grabbed his rifle from Trident’s saddle and headed toward camp on foot.
Bree knew she should obey his instructions, but she couldn’t sit back and do nothing. Especially when Ella was still alone in the tent. Bree moved silently toward the campsite. She stopped behind a tree and peeked around. Geary stood with Ella in his arms, and Clint held his rifle on them. Geary’s gun was nowhere in sight.
Bree had to hold on to the tree to keep herself from racing to save Ella.
“You hear the ATVs closing in on us?” Clint asked. “That’ll be the deputies I called on my way back here. You have no way out.”
Geary looked at Ella then back at Clint. “Fine. You win.”
“Lay the baby on the ground and step back.”
Geary’s shoulders slumped, and he followed Clint’s directions. Ella started whimpering. Clint moved to Ella and scooped her up with his free hand.
“I’m here, honey. It’s okay,” he said, but his focus never left Geary,
Bree wanted to run to Ella, but she couldn’t risk distracting Clint and give Geary the upper hand again. So she hung back, her heart filled with love for Clint.
Shawn arrived and soon had Geary in handcuffs. Clint set down his rifle and lifted Ella to his chest, his face filled with emotions.
Bree stood in amazement. He’d come to care for Ella. Really care for her. Dare she hope they could find a way to be together as a family?
“Feels good to exchange my rifle for you,” he whispered. “A perfect trade. Too bad it can’t be permanent.”
Bree’s heart shattered.
Nothing had changed.
Clint was going back to the SEALs, and she could do nothing to stop him.