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“I’m going too,” Matt said before running after them.
“Matt—” I called after him.
“This isn’t over Becca,” Matt shouted before catching up to the rangers.
“Well, this is a hot mess,” Lindsay said. So much had happened in the last five minutes, I had forgotten she was even there.
“No shit,” I said, slamming the door shut and locking it this time.
Now that my neighbor knew I was the one who’d turned him in, Lin and I wouldn’t be safe here anymore. God, they’d better catch him, and Connor and Matt better come out of this shitshow unharmed—or we’d have bigger problems.
14
Connor
My heart squeezed as if in a vice, and my head throbbed with the weight of the world. Becca had become the center of my universe in such a short time, and now here I was, torn between loyalty to my best friend and the woman who had somehow managed to slip past all my carefully constructed defenses.
“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath, raking a hand through my hair. Shit I didn’t want to lose her, but what if pursuing her led to hurting her? She'd opened up to me about her unrequited feelings in the past, and she was cautious about letting people in. I couldn't fuck this up.
“Connor!" Matt's voice broke through my thoughts. He jogged over, his face set in a determination. “I’m coming with you guys”
“You were supposed to keep Becca safe. I can’t deal with this right now. I’ve got a poacher that could be life-threatening to Becca to catch.” My frustration bubbled to the surface, my voice rising. I kept running toward The Hunter. He was at least 200 yards from me, but my sight focused on him like this time I was the hunter and he was my prey.
“Fine, let me help. At least I have jurisdiction here,” Matt said catching up to me. As a local cop, that would make the bust stick at least. But now I had to worry about Becca and her brother—two of the most important people in my life. Fuck, no pressure.
“Let's go catch this bastard.” Dan took off on foot after the direction of The Hunter while Matt and I jumped into my truck.
We sped off in pursuit, the engine roaring under us as we raced down the crowded streets. Thoughts of Becca, her soft moans filling my ears, her sweet smile flashed in my memory. I shook off the thoughts. Focus asshole.
“The Hunter turned right on 5th and Main, and I lost sight of him.” Dan's voice filled the cab of the truck.
“10-4 in pursuit,” I said and sped off toward the corner Dan described. It was rush hour and using my siren would have just made it easier for him to disappear. We managed to squeeze through. He better not have gotten away.
My heart pounded against my ribcage like a jackhammer. I caught sight of him again. His hair was thick and disheveled, and he ditched his jacket along the way. He ducked down an alley. I parked the vehicle and pursued the poacher on foot.
An eight-foot tall chain link fence blocked his path. The only thing separating us was a large commercial trash can. The metal container smelled of rotting, Chinese food and other food waste. Tension hummed through the air like an electric current. He glared at us and panted heavily from the exertion. "You got nothing on me," he sneered.
Damn, he looked familiar—too familiar—and then it hit me. He was one of Dad's old drinking buddies who’d once been fined for illegal hunting when I was a kid.
“If you don't have anything to hide. . .” I asked. Keep him talking. I stepped forward slowly. “Then why did you run?”
His hand twitched at his side. My gut clenched. I would bet money he was carrying concealed right now.
“You really don't want to do this,” Matt warned him calmly, stepping up beside me, a Glock pointed at the perp. “Put your hands up.” I had almost forgotten Matt was there.
The smirk slipped off The Hunter's face, and he made a move for his waistband revealing a gun. Matt and I jumped into action, tackling him to the ground in a flurry of limbs and adrenaline. We wrestled him into submission before cuffing him tightly, but not without some effort. He was twice our size and living proof that bad decisions could lead to bad outcomes.
Finally, we managed to pin him down. "You won't get away with this," he growled.
“Alright, buddy, you're under arrest for trespassing and poaching on federal lands. . . ” Matt said coolly as if this was any other day at the office. He read The Hunter his Miranda rights as sirens approached. Dan jumped out of one of the police cars and jogged up to us.
“You caught him,” he said with a bright tone. “Great work guys. I'll take him from here.”
Matt handed the guy over to Dan and the cop he’d ridden with. Now that we had a few moments to breathe, unspoken words hung between us like fog on an early morning hike. “Thanks for the assist,” I finally uttered after what felt like hours later.
“Yeah,” Matt said, his soft tone laced with underlying anger. “So you and Becca?”
“Yeah,” I said. I wanted to say more, but I couldn't find the words.
