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Rosalie’s knuckles faded to white against the black gun. “Release Annie so we can help you remember. “
“I can’t tell you. He’s watching me.” The teenager removed a red knit cap embroidered with the Shredder snowboard logo. Blond curls spilled out and brushed his shoulders.
“Tell me who’s watching you, Shred, so we can find him and get you back on the mountain.”
“The demon, man. He stuck me with a needle.” The teen raised his shoulder and rubbed his scraggly goatee against it. “He’s going to kill me if I don’t shoot the nurse with the snowmen on her shirt and deliver my message.”
“We’ve caught the demons.” Rosalie glanced at Cannon as sirens wailed in the distance. “Me and Dr. Ford. They’re in FBI custody far, far away from here. Nobody is going to hurt you.”
Shred aimed the gun at Rosalie. “The demon said the FBI is the enemy.”
Cannon positioned himself between the fearless agent and danger. Sweat dripped down his back. Rosalie smoothly maneuvered to his side and shot him the sameI got thisglare he’d received in the ER this afternoon.
“Listen, Shred.” A lighter tone crept into Rosalie’s voice. “I think I saw you on the mountain this morning. Do you remember me?”
“Not sure.” He narrowed his eyes and blinked. “Why ain’t I sure?”
A patrol car skidded to a stop at the ER entrance. Flashing lights swirled around the waiting area. Cannon followed Shred’s gaze from the arriving officers to Wulf and his team ushering patients out of the room. His heart stopped when Shred’s attention landed on Julia, rounding a corner from the hallway.
Shred pointed his gun at her. “Tell the cop to get out.”
Cannon’s heart stopped. “Get out of here, Julia.”
She avoided his gaze and eyed the situation with the professional calmness he’d always admired. Right now, he wished she’d run out of the ER like she had when their father had died. God knows he wanted to act like he had that night. Instead, he bit his tongue and drew blood.
“Listen, Shred. You’re not going to believe this, but Special Agent Zenner is a badass on a board. Yesterday she cruised down Lucifer’s Lair like it was the bunny slope.”
“She can’t be that good.”
Cannon shook his head. Shred had it all wrong. “You’ll never get the chance to know if you don’t give me that gun. Weapons aren’t allowed on the mountain.”
“The demon is on the mountain too.” Shred waved his gun toward the Rockies beyond the ER in a wide, jerky arc.
Cannon coiled his muscles to pounce. Rosalie shot him a wicked side-eye. The unspoken message to stand down halted his attack, but if the little fucker waved his gun one more time…
Shred pointed his weapon back at Rosalie.
She took a cautious step forward. “You know we’re better than some demons.” Her lips, still painted red from the party, perked into a smile. “I bet they can’t even make it down the bunny slope. We’ll be safe there.”
Shred nodded as if his head was moving through sludge. His hold around Annie’s neck loosened. Cannon prayed Rosalie’s reasoning penetrated whatever the kid had taken long enough to distract and disarm. He held out his hand, palm up. “Give me the gun so we can show Special Agent Show-off who rules the mountain.”
Shred slowly extended the weapon. Cold metal touched the tips of Cannon’s fingers. The automatic doors swooshed open. Wulf yelled at someone to get back as Shred yanked his gun back to Annie’s head.
Cannon spun as Grady’s brother, Easton, barreled inside with a hunting rifle in his hands, Officer Barnett of Red Snow PD on his heels.
“Get out of here,” Cannon yelled.
“Sorry, no can do. I came to see my dad, but then I heard that Miss Annie was being held at gunpoint.” Easton pointed the rifle he always kept in his truck at Shred and cocked it. “Now let her go, or I’ll blow you to fucking pieces.”
TEN
“Easton?” A bullet couldn’t have hit Rosalie any harder than her ex and his rifle’s appearance. What was it with the alpha men in this town?
Shred swung his pistol to Easton’s cowboy hat. “Everybody back off.” His aim wavered along with his voice.
Easton laughed. “Didn’t your daddy teach you to use that thing properly?”
It didn’t appear so, but Rosalie knew Easton knew how to use his weapon. The former military police officer had proven a crack shot when they’d had a date at a shooting range.
