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“Police! Put your weapons down.”
A quick glance toward the voice confirms the man in body armor is who he claims to be. He’s not alone. Several other state troopers descend on the area, their guns trained on us.
I slowly lower the Glock to the muddy ground, avoiding any sudden moves. My lungs are working overtime, recovering from the fight.
The man who attacked Simone and me appears to be weighing the odds of escaping. But he’s also breathing hard, so it’s unlikely he’ll get far.
The state troopers can shoot him for all I care. Relief coils around me. It’s over.
Simone is safe, and it’s over.
I tell the state troopers that the man tried to kidnap my wife and shot at her. When I found the cabin ransacked, I knew Simone was in danger. When I heard the gunshot, I thought I’d never see her alive again.
I also inform the troopers that the man had a gun, but he dropped it when I tried to get it away from him. My plan could have gone wrong in so many ways, but thank Christ it didn’t.
I hug Simone, keeping her close. Confirming to myself that she’s alive.
Kellan and Troy approach the group. And never have I been happier to see my brothers than I am now.
“How—? Where—?” Simone starts to ask but seems to give up forming the rest of the questions.
“Zara told me where to find you,” I explain. “Someone attacked your grandmother—”
A half gasp, half whimper falls from Simone’s lips, and she sags into me. I tighten my hold on her. Her shivering is more pronounced than it was earlier.
“She’s gonna be okay,” Troy quickly tells her. “The hospital is observing her for twenty-four hours, but she should be fine.”
I kiss Simone’s temple. “Sorry, I should have started with that.”
One of the state troopers approaches us.
“I’m taking my wife to the cabin to warm up,” I inform him. “You can question us there.” What I really want is to show her how sorry I am for how I reacted earlier. To do whatever it takes to make things up to her. And to tell her I love her.
Especially to tell her I love her.
But that will all have to wait.
“All right.” He lets the other troopers know where we’re headed and joins us.
Once we’re in the cabin, Troy locates some blankets and hands one to me. I wrap it around Simone’s shoulders, and my arm circles her waist. I don’t give a damn if the troopers want to interview us separately. I’m not leaving her side for the foreseeable future.
I’m not failing her again.
The paramedics arrive, and one of them checks out Simone’s ankle and makes sure she doesn’t have any other injuries that require medical attention.
“The man you arrested might be associated with Kincaid Timber Corporation,” I explain to the trooper. “You might want to contact the Eugene police about a murder investigation they’re now involved in with the death of Sebastian Dryson. He could be linked to that.”
If he’s linked to Sebastian’s death, why come after Simone? It doesn’t make sense. Did Kincaid think that by threatening Simone’s life, we would drop the bid? We would have, but we wouldn’t let things slide that easily. They have to know that.
It can’t be that. There’s something else we’re missing. Does the file he was looking for have something to do with Sebastian’s murder?
Knowing that doesn’t settle well in the pit of my stomach. Who else’s life is at risk while the cops try to figure it out?
While my brothers and I try to figure it out?
An hour later, the troopers are gone and we’re getting ready to leave. In a burst of nervous energy after the troopers left, Simone straightened the mess the man made while he searched for the mysterious files. She didn’t want to leave the cabin until she’d finished tidying up.
“You asked Kellan earlier what catfish means?” I pick up the box of food and dog supplies from the coffee table.
