Page 14 of Rangers Last Promise

“I’ve driven through worse.”

“You always were a stubborn bastard.”

“Keep her inside.”

“I’ll try.”

“That isn’t good enough.”

“Then you tell her when you get here.”

The call disconnects.

For the first time since receiving the photograph, I almost smile.

Wolf hasn’t changed.

I suspect Mara hasn’t either.

Neither one of them knows how much danger she’s in.

Because the photograph isn’t the only reason I’m heading to Eagle River.

The message contains words no stranger should know.

Your promise ends with her.

Only five men heard me make that promise.

Grant died in my arms.

One Ranger died in the valley.

Wolf and Trigger made it home.

And the fifth man was officially declared dead eleven years ago.

If he’s still alive, the attack on Mara isn’t a warning.

It’s unfinished business.

Rain pounds the roof of my truck when I reach Eagle River shortly before midnight.

The town is smaller than I imagined, built around a main street lined with brick storefronts, old trees, and streetlamps glowing through the storm. Most of the businesses are dark.

One isn’t.

A weathered wooden sign swings above the entrance.

THE LAST STAND TAVERN.

Warm light spills across the sidewalk. Several trucks fill the parking spaces along the street, including two marked sheriff’s department vehicles.

Mara is here.

I park beneath a streetlamp and shut off the engine.

For a moment, I remain behind the wheel.