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Hunter slammed on the gas and barreled through the intersection. “Roman, I need you to call Rhys or Jax for me.”
He could tell that Roman was on instant alert because he said, “Why? What’s going on?”
“I’m not sure, it may be nothing,” he said as he quickly explained the visit to the hardware store. “I didn’t have time to stop at the police station.”
“Hunter, are you following them?”
“Yes, but I don’t see them. They’re too far ahead of me. I need to see if they’re headed to the CB Bar.”
“Hunter-”
“Please Roman, make the call. Call Callan too – even if he’s out checking the herd, he might have his phone. I’m going to call Finn.”
“Okay,” Roman said quickly. “But if you see something, wait for Rhys and Jax, do you hear me?”
Since that was a promise Hunter couldn’t make, he simply said, “I love you, Roman” and hung up. He dialed Finn’s number but cursed when it went straight to voicemail. He pressed the gas down as far as it could go and when his phone rang again a few minutes later, he didn’t dare answer it for fear of losing control of his car.
By the time he reached the dirt road leading to the ranch, he could see a dust trail from whatever vehicle had been there ahead of him. He hoped to God it was from Finn’s truck but in his gut he knew it wasn’t. His suspicion was confirmed a few seconds later when the dust cleared as he reached the barn. The same black truck he’d seen in town was parked right next to Finn’s.
Terror shot through him as he slammed his car into park. He reached beneath the back seat and yanked out the lever action rifle that he always took with him to the lake and then ran through the barn. He found what he was looking for almost immediately. The three men and Finn were along the side of a storage shed near the corral that the big white horse, King, was in. The animal was in a panic as it tore around the enclosure.
Two men were holding Finn’s arms as Hunter’s father punched him in the stomach. Even from the distance, Hunter heard Finn groan and just as his father drew back his arm to hit Finn again, Hunter pointed the gun in the air and pulled the trigger.
The two men holding Finn immediately released him and Finn dropped to his knees. There was a bruise on his face but otherwise he appeared unharmed. His father seemed surprised to see him but his face quickly pulled into a sneer and he actually had the balls to pull his arm back as if to hit Finn again. This time, Hunter didn’t bother with aiming into the air. He aimed directly at his father’s feet, pulled the lever back to reload the gun and pulled the trigger in one smooth motion. The dirt at Malcom’s feet flew up and Malcom froze mid-punch. Hunter yanked back the lever and watched in satisfaction as his father swallowed nervously as the empty round was discharged from the gun and a new one was loaded.
“You,” Hunter said to the two men. “Walk towards me slowly.”
The men did as they were told and once they were within a few feet of him he said, “Stop and lay down on your stomachs, hands behind your head.” He kept his gun pointed at his father. “Finn, you okay?”
“Yeah,” Finn managed to wheeze.
“You guys have a gun out here?”
Finn nodded and climbed to his feet. It took him a couple seconds to catch his breath and then he was hurrying past Hunter and into the barn. He reappeared moments later with a shotgun.
“Watch them,” Hunter said as he motioned to the two men on the ground.
“With pleasure,” Finn drawled as he drew back on the barrel of the shotgun. Hunter could hear sirens in the distance but he kept his eyes on his father as he closed the distance between them.
“Big man with the gun,” his father bit out.
“Get on your knees,” Hunter ordered, his anger barely leashed as he stared down the barrel of the gun at the man who’d taken such pleasure in tormenting him. When his father ignored his order, Hunter fired again. The bullet actually took off the very tip of his father’s boot and his father screamed and jumped back. “On your knees,” Hunter said again as he reloaded the gun. When his father continued to balk, Hunter warned, “You know I’m nowhere near out of bullets.”
His father’s eyes narrowed but he finally dropped to his knees. Hunter got to within a couple feet of the man who’d sired him. “No heart, isn’t that what you said when I wouldn’t shoot that whitetail when you took me hunting for the first time?”
“Your mother would have thrown less of a fit than you did.”
Hunter ignored the barb and said, “Why come after Finn? Your buddy there must have told you I was the one who told everyone in that store about your dirty little secret…and mine. Why not just come after me?”
When his father’s eyes hardened, Hunter nodded his head in understanding. “I was next, is that it? Finn was an easy mark because you knew where he was headed and that Rhys was on duty today and chances were good that you’d catch Finn on his own so you figured you’d take care of him and then come after me as soon as you got the chance.”
“Hunter.”
The sound of Roman’s voice washed over him like a caress. He glanced out of his peripheral vision and saw that Roman wasn’t alone. Both Jax and Rhys were with him. Jax was busy cuffing the guys on the ground and Rhys was examining Finn’s injuries.
“Roman, please tell me Jax and Rhys aren’t going to have to arrest you for reckless driving.”
“I was on my way to Dane and Jax’s to pick up the medication for Champ when you called.”
