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Finn shook his head stubbornly. Before Liam could argue, a man’s guttural shout tore through the forest. Boyd.In the next breath, Liam was running. He didn’t stop to think or plan; he just reacted. All he knew was that Cora had been following Boyd, and now she could be in danger.
27
LIAM BURST FROM the trees to a sight that stole the breath from his lungs. Time slammed to a halt. His insides crackled, icing over in brittle fear, only to explode into molten rage. Boyd was aiming a gun at Cora’s head. She was backed up against the metal railing overlooking the waterfall, and though he couldn’t see her face, her chin was lifted in stubborn resolve.
“Stop!” Liam roared, rushing toward them. He couldn’t get to her fast enough. Every drag of his lungs to breathe felt like an eternity as he ran, drawing the gun from his holster.
Boyd jerked, then grabbed Cora around the neck with one arm and spun to face him. He held the barrel of the gun against her temple.
Liam’s vision narrowed to a pinpoint. The trees disappeared. The ground under his feet vanished. Even the last vestiges of daylight were swallowed up by his unyielding focus. All Liam could see was the face of the man who threatened Cora’s life. A man he’d once called a friend. A man he’d once trusted. Nothing Liam had ever experienced could prepare him for the utter fury burning him from the inside out. HowdareBoyd? He didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as Cora, let alone touch her or threaten her life.
“One more step and she’s dead,” Boyd shouted, jolting Liam from his rage-filled mission.
Liam forcibly locked his muscles, skidding to a stop near the railing just a few feet from them. He didn’t dare glance at Cora, for he knew if he saw her face racked with fear, he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back. “Let her go.”
Boyd scoffed. “You don’t get to make demands, O’Connor. Now, toss the gun.”
Liam’s arm shook, his fingers itching with the effort it took to override his instincts. Letting go of his only weapon would give Boyd even more of an advantage, but Liam had faced down formidable people before with nothing but his fists. He could still take Boyd down. Before he could change his mind, Liam flung the gun over the waterfall with a curse, then dared to glance at Cora.
She was trembling, but there was a hard set to her jaw and fire in her eyes, which only made Liam love her more. His brave, brilliant woman wasn’t going to give Boyd the satisfaction of seeing her waver. “Point the gun at me, Boyd,” Liam demanded. “She doesn’t deserve to die, but I do.”
“No,” Cora choked out, glaring at Liam. “No one deserves to die today.”
“I can think of one.” Liam stared hard at Boyd, mentally calculating the distance between them. If he could somehow take him by surprise, create a diversion, Cora could run to safety. But Liam knew her. She wasn’t the running type.Damn it.How could he fix this? He’d done so many things wrong in this life. All that mattered now was her. The angels had given him a reprieve because he wanted to spend his last days doing as much good as he could, yet here he was. Failing even at the end.
“That’s the problem with people like you, McLeod,” Boyd said in disgust. “You think if you follow all the rules, life’s supposed to be fair. You believe no one deserves to die, but you are missing the whole point of living. He who holds the gold makes the rules. You should’ve listened to Magnus when he offered you a cut of the money. Maybe if you’d embraced the game, we could’ve helped each other out. Instead, look where your precious moral compass has led you.” He shoved her at Liam.
She stumbled, landing hard against Liam. He caught her in his arms, then thrust her behind him to shield her.
Boyd laughed. “It’s no use, O’Connor. Whether I shoot you first, or her, makes no difference. Same result.” Boyd aimed the gun and started to back away. “McLeod. O’Connor. I can’t say it’s been a pleasure.”
A blur of movement drew Liam’s attention.
Finn appeared out of the shadows, running head-on toward Boyd. Liam saw everything as if in slow motion. Boyd began to turn, his outstretched arm about to fire on Finn.
It required no thought. For all Liam’s scheming and machinations since the angels had dropped him into this crazy life, his sudden act came from a place far removed from anything familiar. In the split second it took Liam to jump in front of the gun, there was no fear of what came next, only the wholehearted wish to save a good man who deserved so much more than Liam ever had.
“No!” Cora screamed.
A bolt of agony slammed into Liam. The abrupt crack of the gunshot mirrored his own shock as he stumbled backward from the impact. Finn shouted something, but Liam didn’t hear it over the jarring thud of his body landing on the unyielding ground. He blinked up at the sky. Stars were just beginning to appear against the canvas of deepening twilight, and then an angel appeared. The most beautiful angel he’d ever seen, with eyes deeper than the ocean and a face dearer to him than life itself.
“Liam!” Cora leaned over him, pressing her hands against his torso. Pain spiraled out in molten waves, stealing the breath from his lungs.
Boyd let out a guttural shout. Another gunshot rent the air.
Liam’s head fell to the side, and he saw Boyd pushing Finn up against the railing. They were still grappling with the gun, but Finn was losing. He was taller and broader than Boyd, but the fatigue and days of starvation made it obvious he couldn’t last much longer. Boyd swung his arm in an arc, using the gun’s momentum to punch Finn in the face.
“Stop,” Liam tried to shout, but it came out as a hoarse whisper. He needed to help Finn. He needed to stop Boyd from hurting more people. But no matter how hard he willed his body to comply, he couldn’t move.
Finn’s head snapped back. His arms flailed as he began to tip backward over the railing. He reached for Boyd’s shirt, yanking hard to stay upright.
Boyd lost his footing and lurched forward, slamming into Finn and propelling them both over the railing.
“No!” Cora screamed.
It all happened so fast. One moment, Finn and Boyd were standing there, and the next...
They were gone.
