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Someone was there. But just one person. Where was the second intruder? Had they split up?
Silently, Ryker slipped from the saddle. His boots sank into the leaves and pine needles covering the forest floor. He debated announcing his presence and ordering the criminal to freeze, but the man was armed. With a semiautomatic. The last thing Ryker wanted was a potential shootout in the woods. The best option was to sneak up on whoever it was, disarm the man, and arrest him.
He crept forward, gun leading the way. A man-sized shadow came into view. His rifle was propped up against a tree and he was adjusting the zipper on his pants. Ryker took advantage of the situation without a second thought. He pointed his weapon.
“Police!” His tone was hard. “Put your hands up.”
The man froze. For half a heartbeat, Ryker feared the criminal would ignore the order. Then the intruder raised his hands in the air. Excellent decision.
With another few orders, Ryker had the man down on the ground with his hands on the back of his head. He paused, unable to cuff the criminal without holstering his gun. He placed a knee squarely on the man’s back, ensuring he was planted on the ground, and then reached for his cuffs. Pulse pounding, he holstered his weapon.
Like a lightning strike, the criminal shifted his body to the left. A blade flashed. Ryker deflected the knife thrust and slammed the heel of his hand into the other man’s face. Cartilage crumpled. The guy screamed as blood spurted from his nose.
Without wasting a second, Ryker caught the hand with the knife and twisted it hard. The blade fell to the ground. It was tiny and had probably been hidden in the man’s shirtsleeve. Pulse pounding and breath quick, Ryker cuffed his attacker before the guy could recover from the pain of having his nose broken.
“Where’s your friend?” Ryker patted the criminal down, searching for any other weapons. “The one you came with.”
“You think I’m gonna tell you anything? You broke my nose!”
“If you’re looking for sympathy, call your mama.” Ryker spun the criminal around and ripped off his ski mask. The man staring back at him had a beard and beady eyes. Not Dusty. “I’m a Texas Ranger and this is my property. You know what that means? You’re in serious trouble. So unless you plan on spending the rest of your life in prison, I suggest you answer my questions. Where is your friend?”
The intruder sagged. “Which one? There are three of us.”
That news sent Ryker’s heart skyrocketing in his chest. His gaze shot to the woods. Eli was armed and careful, but he only knew about two intruders.
Ryker yanked out his cell phone and quickly shot off a text to his fellow ranger. Sirens from approaching deputies blared through the night air. Backup was close. “Where are the other two?”
“One’s in the getaway car. The other isn’t far. I came to take a leak—”
Gunshots erupted in the woods.
TWENTY-FOUR
The hospital waiting room was packed with people. Hannah slipped some coins into a coffee machine and waited until the dark brew finished filling the cup before lifting it into her hand. Exhaustion clouded her thoughts. It was nearing one in the morning, and Eli had been in surgery for hours. He’d suffered from two gunshot wounds to the abdomen. By the time he got to the hospital, he’d lost so much blood, the doctors warned he might not make it through the operation.
Ryker sat on the far side of the room, slumped in a plastic chair, with his head in his hands. Dried blood stained his shirt. Several members of Company A were also there, along with their wives. Hannah discovered they—along with Ryker’s parents—were Eli’s only family. His father left when he was three, his mother died in a car crash when Eli was in college. His younger brother was in prison. Drugs.
Hannah crossed the room and placed a hand on Ryker’s back. The muscles under her palm were rigid. He lifted his head, his eyes filled with worry. It punched a hole right through her heart. For all his bravado, Ryker’s emotional well ran deep. No wonder he’d built so many walls around his heart. When he cared, he was all in. Hannah had quickly discovered that Ryker didn’t do anything by half-measures.
She handed him the coffee. “Here. Take this and I’ll get you something to eat.”
“I don’t want anything.” His gaze drifted to the doors leading to the emergency room as he set the drink down on the table next to his chair. Then he took her hand between his. “How much longer can the surgery take? It’s been hours.”
She leaned against his shoulder, resting her other hand in the crook of his elbow. “As long as it needs to take. No news isn’t bad. It means the doctors are being thorough, so Eli has the best chance of recovery.” Hannah didn’t want to give false promises. Eli’s condition was grave, but he was also young and strong. “All we can do is wait. And pray.”
He blew out a breath. “I said more prayers in the last week than I have in my whole life.” His jaw tightened and tears shimmered in his eyes. “Sometimes it feels like God isn’t listening.”
Before Hannah could answer, the doors leading to the emergency room swished open. Her heart leapt into her throat, but then Claire and Gavin emerged. The couple wore grim expressions. Gavin greeted a few members of Company A while his wife crossed the room heading for Hannah and Ryker. Her sheriff’s uniform was mud spattered from traipsing through the woods on the Montgomery property and her ponytail was askew.
Claire had been one of the first people at the ranch after receiving the 911 call from Ryker’s dad. She, along with Gavin, were leading the investigation.
Hannah rose. “What’s going on?”
“The perpetrator who exchanged gunfire with Eli didn’t make it. He died in the ambulance. We’ve identified him as 18-year-old Larry Higgins. He’s got a juvenile record, but there’s no obvious connection to Dusty. My deputies did spot a Chevy truck fleeing the scene, and they gave chase, but the driver escaped.”
“What about the man I arrested?” Ryker asked.
“Simon Harper. His nose is broken, but otherwise he’s unharmed. He and Dusty go way back. They were arrested together during a robbery almost twenty years ago. I’ve questioned Simon, but he refuses to talk without a deal of immunity.” Claire’s nose wrinkled. “Normally, I would never concede to that kind of demand at this point in the investigation, but given that Dusty was probably driving the getaway car and is still at large, it’s worth considering.”
