And honestly?
It was the scariest thing I’d ever seen.
Because it wasn’t rage anymore.
It was certainty.
“You know what your problem is, Vaughn?”
The corrupt marshal swallowed hard.
“You still think Eagle River is isolated.”
Trigger’s grin turned sharp beside the bar.
Wolf cracked his knuckles once.
Tate casually locked the front tavern door.
Even Ava stepped closer now.
Choosing a side.
Hersh’s voice dropped lower.
“But what you still haven’t figured out…”
Thunder shook the windows hard enough to rattle the bottles behind the bar.
And Hersh leaned closer.
“…is that Rangers never come alone.”
31
BLAZE
Vaughn started laughing again.
Low.
Broken.
Blood dripping from the corner of his mouth onto the tavern floor.
But this laugh sounded different.
Not cocky anymore.
Desperate.
Like a man watching the clock run out.
Thunder cracked outside hard enough to shake the windows.
Nobody moved.
Not me.
