Page 25 of Ranger Devotion

Tate placed a hand on her arm, stilling her movements. When her eyes lifted to his, he said gently, “This is about Seth, Annie. The killer wants revenge for what happened to him.”

Her complexion paled under the soot, and she sank into the chair next to him. Tate didn’t release his hold on her arm. A tremor ran through her under his palm. She swallowed hard. “What…how…?”

“I received a fake text, just like Caleb did, except the sender was Seth. It said that I should’ve protected him, but didn’t. That I deserve to pay for what happened.” His voice came out flat, a contradiction to the emotions churning through him. Memories crowded in, unbidden. Seth arriving with Kayla on his arm. Preston’s sneer of jealousy. Shocked gasps as Preston announced that Seth’s father was a criminal.

The devastation on Seth’s face, followed by embarrassment-fueled rage.

Tate wasn’t sure who threw the first punch, but the fight turned vicious fast. Seth had taken several blows to the head, including one with a thick branch Preston had grabbed during the scuffle. It’d taken four of them to break it up.

Seth, humiliated and bleeding, ran into the woods. Annie went after him.

Tate followed.

That decision had caused their own argument, Annie’s anger over his behavior at the prom raw and justifiable. Her look of disgust had never left him, nor had her harsh words. Don’t pretend you care. You’re just like them.

He’d never felt so small. So…exposed.

Because she was right. He was just like them.

Annie had taken off again, searching for Seth. Tate kept his distance behind her, but it was too late.

Their friend was gone.

Guilt and anguish tore at him. Tate forced the memory away. Focusing on his past mistakes wouldn’t help. Right now, his job was protecting Annie and the others from a killer. For that, he needed to think like an investigator. “Who in our group was close enough to Seth to avenge his death?”

Annie blinked. “No one. At least…not enough to commit murder.” She frowned. “Wait. How can we be sure this is connected to Seth? Caleb also received a spoofed message, and we have no idea if Kayla received anything before she was murdered. What if the killer sent the text to distract you?”

Tate considered her argument. “It’s possible. We should ask everyone here about the

spoofed messages. Others may have gotten them, but not followed the instructions.”

“You’re right.”

Worry pulled at her mouth, and Tate gently squeezed her arm. “We’re going to figure this out, Annie. I promise.”

Evan entered at a jog, slightly out of breath, his hair tousled, the legs of his pants damp from the rain. Brooke followed her husband. She carried a tray laden with mugs and a plate of biscuits. Both stopped at the same moment, and two looks crossed their faces. Irritation on Evan’s, and surprise on Brooke’s. Tate was confused until he realized he and Annie were practically nose to nose, his hand still on her arm.

Tate released Annie. She rose from the chair. Her cheeks were stained with color, and maybe it was Tate’s imagination, but Annie wouldn’t meet Evan’s gaze as she spoke. “I cleaned Tate’s wound, but I think it needs stitches.” She turned to Brooke. “You brought coffee. Bless you.”

Her best friend smiled and handed her a mug. “Actually, it’s tea to calm your nerves.”

Annie’s nose wrinkled. “Ugh. I hate tea.”

“I added enough honey it’s practically a dessert, so it should be palatable. Besides, it’s good for your throat.” Brooke handed one to Tate. Her dark eyes held an assessment that had nothing to do with the beverage. “I didn’t know how you like your tea, so I only added a normal person’s amount of honey.”

He laughed. “That works.”

Evan claimed the rolling stool and examined Tate’s wound. As Annie predicted, it needed stitches. Brooke peppered Annie with questions about the attacks, with Evan jumping in now and then. Both of them fell silent when they learned about the text to Tate.

Brooke’s hand went to her throat. “Is that why Kayla was murdered?”

“We don’t know yet.” Tate hissed as Evan jabbed him with a needle, injecting lidocaine to numb his hand. “Have either of you received a weird text message? Someone asking you to do something strange, like what happened to Caleb?”

Evan stilled. “Maybe…” He checked his phone. “I heard on the radio that Caleb had come back to the main lodge, but then Dwayne sent me a text saying it was a mistake. He asked me to check the far side of the property. That’s why it took me so long to get back here.” Evan turned the phone toward them. “But the message is in the same thread as the rest of our texts. Doesn’t that mean it’s from him?”

“No.” Tate studied the text chain. “Spoofing services can fake the exact number. Your phone matches the number to your contact and files it in the thread — name, picture, everything. There’s no way to tell it apart from the real thing.”

Annie set down her tea. “This doesn’t make sense. Sending a message to Caleb, asking him to meet us in the stables, works if the killer was hoping to isolate you, Tate. But why send Evan to the far side of the property?”