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“Will anyone else be there?” he asked.
“In the barn? Not yet, but it won’t be long.”
“If I helped you, would you get things done quickly? You could head to the house and change before breakfast.”
“You? You’re going to help me with barn chores?”
“Not if you’re going to look at me like that. I’m quite capable, you know.”
I chuckled. “We’ll see.”
Ghost wrinkled his nose when we walked into the barn. “You really don’t mind the smell?”
I shook my head. “I like it.”
“Cowboys are so fucking weird.”
“But we’re hot.”
He smacked my ass. “That’s for damn sure.”
“I’ll organize the buckets, and you can deliver them to the stalls. Can you handle that?”
He looked down the aisle of stalls. Several of the horses had their heads over the doors, already making demands for their breakfast. “Um… I think so. Do they bite?”
“If you piss them off.”
“How do I avoid that?”
“Don’t make sudden movements, make sure they see what you’re doing, and be kind but assertive.”
“Oh, that easy, huh?”
“You’ll be fine.”
And he was. We got the chores done quickly. I headed out, leaving him washing up. I had no doubt he’d manage to disappear before anyone saw him.
A few steps past the barn entrance, I froze. A man I didn’t recognize moved out from behind Grant’s truck and pointed a gun at me.
“You’re Rhys, aren’t you?”
I wasn’t about to confirm or deny that until I knew what was going on. “Who are you?”
“Vengeance,” he said. “I’m going to kill you, that stupid brat you’ve got holed up here, and everyone else TJ cares about.”
“Why me?”
“Because TJ loves you, the stupid fuck. I loved Franco. I didn’t go broadcasting it around to everyone, but I will avenge him.”
This wasn’t good. If he’d been in love with TJ’s cousin, it was no wonder he wanted to hurt us. I doubted it would do any good to try to convince him I wasn’t Rhys. He might not even know Rhys had a twin.
“Back away.” My heart skipped a beat when Ghost spoke. I’d been praying he’d stay in the barn, but there he was with his weapon pointed at the intruder.
The man glanced at Ghost but kept his gun trained on me. “Who the fuck are you?”
Ghost moved a step closer. “Put the gun down and back away.”
“Fuck no. I’ll kill you too.”
When he aimed at Ghost, instinct took over. I screamed as I leaped between them. “No!”
I heard Rhys call my name, but his voice seemed to come from somewhere far away. Nothing seemed real as the moment stretched endlessly.
I felt the impact before there was any pain. As I fell backward, I failed to brace myself, and my head hit the ground. There was another shot. I tried to turn to find Ghost, but my vision was going dark. A third shot rang out, then someone—Rhys?—was kneeling by my side.
“Rogue. Rogue! Please. Talk to me. You’re going to be okay. You’ve got to be okay.”
I heard him, but I couldn’t make my voice work. Were my lips moving? Maybe.
I blinked, trying to clear my vision, and saw Ghost staring down at me as pale as his namesake.
“It’s okay.” The words were slurred, but I thought they were audible. I tried to move my hand, wanting to reach out to him, but it only twitched.
“Don’t try to move,” Rhys insisted. “I’m right here. Just keep breathing.”
I heard Grant’s voice, then Ghost’s. I tried to force my eyes open, but it took too much effort.
I felt Rhys’s pain even through my own. I wanted to comfort him, but my chest felt like someone was sitting on it, trying to keep me from breathing, and with every beat of my heart—were they really coming too slowly or was that my imagination?—I felt blood pour out of my wound.
There was whirring in my ears like the sound of the engines on an airplane, but a few words were still coming through.
TJ was telling someone what happened, then Ghost spoke. “That’s supposed to be me.”
“I wish it was,” Rhys snarled at him.
No. That wasn’t right. “I…” Pain seared through me when I tried to move. I coughed, and blood rose into my mouth, and I felt it running down my chin.
“You have to be okay. Please,” Rhys begged.
I felt his hand on my arm, but my strength was gone. My body was going numb, and I wasn’t sure I was breathing anymore. No amount of fighting could keep me awake, so I let the darkness take me.
29
GHOST
I kept praying I’d wake up. This had to be a nightmare. I was still in bed with Rogue in the cabin he and Rhys had turned into a haven for themselves. That was the only possibility I could accept. Rogue had not just sacrificed himself for me.
TJ, Grant, and Rhys were kneeling by Rogue, but I just stood there watching them like I was watching a gruesome play. I didn’t belong with them. I should never have intruded in their world. Nothing felt real. I’d talked to X like Grant asked, but all I could do was repeat what he’d said like a robot.
