She tried to laugh, her coughing getting worse. She needed oxygen.
“We’ll take her from here, sir. Don’t worry. She’ll be in good hands,” an EMT said.
“The horses,” she muttered.
“They’re safe. They’re safe.” I rose to my feet, giving the EMT a dirty look before heading toward the ambulance. “You’re going to be okay.”
I eased her down onto the gurney and as soon as I did, I noticed a flash from a distance.
“I’ll be right back, Grace. Promise.” I moved toward the area where I’d seen a flash. My instinct kicked in once again and I knew what I’d just seen. In three long strides, I picked up my hatchet from the ground, taking off running.
“Where the hell are you going?” Axe yelled.
“To catch a monster.” I rushed through the woods, realizing quickly after that I was being followed. I didn’t care. No one was going to stop me from ending this right now.
I burst through the trees, concentrating on what I was doing.
The fucker wasn’t fast enough, his obvious voyeurism a problem.
I zigged and zagged, anticipating his moves. Cutting him off.
While he managed to make it to the access road, I was right behind.
The chase continued, people screaming from behind me. Sirens everywhere. The stench of smoke keeping the air musty.
Dogs were barking. Chickens cackling.
But in my mind, there was utter silence.
Except for the hard thudding of my heart, the one I’d given to Grace.
With a primal yell, I lunged forward, knocking the bastard to the ground. Given the slight slope of the terrain, we rolled, but I never lost my hold on his neck. As soon as we stopped moving, the last light coming in through the trees allowed me to see that he was fucking laughing.
He’d almost killed the woman I loved and had murdered several people and the bastard was laughing.
“You motherfucker.”
I raised the hatchet, prepared to send the monster to his maker.
“Don’t do it, Viper. Don’t. Think of Grace.”
The voice and the man were too close, a beam of light now shining across the scene. I snapped my head in Axe’s direction, snarling as I did.
“He deserves to die,” I snarled.
“Yeah, he does, but you’re not that man. Not any longer. You have Grace. If you do this, you could never see her again. Not as a free man.” He inched closer while Rock and Raptor, Denver and three others flanked his sides.
“Iamthat man.”
“No,” Raptor snapped. “You are a hero and my friend.”
“Mine too,” Firestarter threw in.
Other mimicked him as the smokejumpers surrounded me.
I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.
But Grace’s face was right there, her sweet smile everything I needed.
