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TWENTY-THREE
Ryker had planned for this contingency, but that didn’t make him feel any better. Worry spiked as he led Hannah through the front door and toward her bedroom. Charlotte was sleeping peacefully in the crib. So innocent and sweet in her pajamas. Completely unaware that a killer—or killers—were heading their way. Ryker gently scooped her up. The weight of the baby in his arms added a new load of responsibility to his shoulders. He couldn’t let anything happen to this precious child or her aunt.
He handed Charlotte to Hannah, his movements smooth despite the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Hannah pressed the baby to her chest. Zoe appeared in the doorway. His mom had been preparing dinner. An apron was tied around her waist and flour streaked across one cheek. In her hands, she carried a shotgun.
“Get in the closet.” Ryker hustled Hannah into the large walk-in. It was an interior room with no windows, which would prevent anyone from breaching the space serendipitously. He didn’t plan on letting Dusty get that close, but every layer of protection helped. Ryker pointed to the doorknob he’d replaced the day after Hannah’s arrival. “There’s a lock on this. Use it.”
Hannah’s complexion was pale, but she kept control of her emotions. “I need Charlotte’s diaper bag.”
“Got it.” Zoe entered the closet, still carrying the shotgun, with the bag slung over one shoulder. She met Ryker’s gaze. “Your father is in the office. He’s accessing the cameras on the property.”
Ryker gave a sharp nod. He started to step out of the closet when Hannah snagged his hand.
Their gazes met. Ryker's chest tightened at the emotions written in her gorgeous blue eyes. She was terrified about what would happen next, but there was also acceptance. A trust. In him and in God. The power of that faith reached inside Ryker and grabbed hold of his heart.
He was falling in love with her. Utterly and completely. And once this threat was neutralized, he intended to do whatever was necessary to handle the baggage holding him back from stepping forward into the future with her.
Ryker kissed Hannah’s forehead before gently touching Charlotte’s back. “It’s going to be okay. Stay here with my mom and don’t open that door up for anyone except me or my father.”
Before she could reply, he pulled away and shut the closet door behind him. The lock snicked into place.
Resolve and a fierce need to protect his family fueled his steps to the office space near the living room. His father was positioned behind the computer. Another shotgun rested across his lap. Oliver stood at attention next to the balcony doors. The dog’s body language was tense, as if he was also ready to defend his home.
Layers and layers of protection. Ryker prayed the precautions he’d put in place were enough.
“Two individuals on the southeast corner of the property.” Jack accessed the camera footage and hit play. His expression was grim. “They’re armed. Rifles.”
Ryker watched as two figures dressed in black clothes and wearing ski masks crept across the perimeter of the property carrying semiautomatic rifles. They’d gotten reports that Dusty had been reaching out to friends, trying to garner help. Seemed he finally found someone. “Did you call 911?”
Jack nodded. “Deputies are en route. Estimated time is about fifteen minutes. Walker and Hayley are still running errands in town, but Eli is in the barn saddling up horses.”
It was a stroke of good fortune that Ryker’s colleague was on the ranch during the attack, especially since his cousin had gone into town. Eli had come to the ranch to have dinner with the family and then go over the case. His presence meant that Ryker had a fighting chance to capture Dusty tonight.
He clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Call dispatch back and let them know that Eli and I are on location. Then keep watching the cameras. Text me if anything changes.”
Before his father could reply, Ryker turned on his heel. He slipped out of the house into the cool night air. Motion detection lights flicked on as he raced to the barn. As his father said, Eli had already saddled two horses. The ones he’d chosen were steady but fast. Rifles, taken from the locked gun room, were nestled in the scabbards. Ryker sent up a silent prayer that his childhood friend still spent enough time at the ranch to know where all the equipment was kept.
Eli handed him the reins to a black gelding. “Did you see the footage?”
“Yep.” Ryker swung himself into the saddle. “Intruders are armed. There were two on camera, but I don’t want to assume more aren’t out there. The southeast corner is mostly wooded.”
“I’m in text communication with Gavin who is coordinating the deputies. I’ve instructed him to send one responding unit to the main house and the other one to the dirt road running along the far side of the property. We can flank Dusty and his friend. Capture them tonight and end this thing.”
It was a good plan. Ryker nodded. “Let’s do it.”
Fresh adrenaline shot through his veins as Ryker gave a gentle kick to his horse's flanks. The gelding needed very little encouragement. He bolted from the barn. His hooves tore chunks in the grass as they crossed the fields toward the woods surrounding the property. Moonlight coated the trees in a silvery glow. Ryker tugged on the reins to slow the horse down as they approached the southeast corner. Goosebumps broke out across his skin.
He pulled his weapon from the holster on his belt. Eli stationed himself thirty yards away. Ryker was too far to see his face, but his fellow lawman braced the rifle against his shoulder. They would stay on the horses for the time being. The elevated position would give them a height advantage and make traversing the dense woods easier. It could also place them in danger since they would be bigger targets to the enemy. Ryker sent up a silent prayer that he was making the right decision.
He hooted like an owl. A signal from their childhood days. He and Eli had spent many hours playing in these woods. They knew every square inch of it. The intruders' entry point was about two miles in front of them. Provided they stayed on a direct path heading for the house and didn’t get lost in the woods, Dusty and his friend should be close by.
Ryker and Eli would encircle the men. Deputies would block their escape via the dirt road.
Hannah and Charlotte would be safe.
Tree branches tugged at his clothes as Ryker urged his horse past the tree line. The black gelding was surefooted, handling the roots and underbrush with ease. Darkness cast long shadows big enough to hide a man in. Eli wasn’t visible, but the gentle sound of his horse walking through the woods carried across the distance between them. Ryker adjusted the hold on his weapon. His heart picked up speed and his vision threatened to narrow. He took a deep breath to counteract the effects of the adrenaline.
The faint rustle of movement caught his attention. Ryker pulled on the reins, bringing his horse to a halt. He peered into the brush. A branch shifted, followed by a muttered curse. Then silence.
