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“Call Landon again.” Josh kept his eyes on the road.
Grim pulled his cell and dialed the bodyguard’s number. Heheaved a sigh of relief when the man picked up. “Lan, where are you?”
“I’m pulling in now. I’m sorry it took me so long, but Icouldn’t get the security system to unlock at the shelter. I’m glad you’reupgrading because it’s a piece of crap,” Landon complained. “I still can’t getHarlow to… Oh, god.”
Grim’s heart threatened to freeze at those words. “What’shappening?”
Josh sped up again, taking the corner that would lead themto the motel way too fast. Grim could feel the wheels come up but Josh handledit, getting the truck stable again.
“We’re going to need an ambulance out at the motel,” Popswas saying into his phone. He obviously wasn’t going to wait. Pops sounded calmand cool under pressure. “Yes, there’s been an attack. Have the police come asfast as possible. Yes, Charlene, it’s me and Jack and our boys. We’ve got abodyguard who’ll be on scene, too.”
“Lan?” Grim asked.
“He’s not going to answer. That’s his truck up ahead. He’salready out of it. I can’t see past it, though.” Josh complained tightly. “Whatif it’s…”
“It’s not. Damn it. It’s not.” He couldn’t believe Landonhad found Nicole’s body. He wouldn’t believe it. She was fine. She couldn’t notbe.
“We need to stay calm,” Dad advised.
“The cops and an ambulance are on the way,” Pops explained,and he shoved his cell in his pocket. “I let them know we’re armed.”
If this were a big city, he would worry the cops could rollin and not know who the bad guys were. But the sheriff sometimes called Jackand Sam in to help when they had missing kids or old folks. They knew the areabetter than anyone. They wouldn’t come in shooting. Hell, the sheriff mightactually defer to their dad in this situation.
Grim let a cold practicality come over him. He couldn’t gointo this hot. Whatever had been done to Nicole, he would fix. They wouldcoddle her and love her back to normal. They wouldn’t let her go through thisalone.
“If she’s hurt,” Josh said as he rolled up next to Lan’struck.
“I’ll take care of it until the ambulance gets here. I canstabilize her.” A vet was not licensed to work on humans, but this would be anemergency. He could stabilize her until they got to the hospital.
Please let her be alive. Please. Let her be alive. Hecould handle anything as long as she was alive.
Then he saw what had caused Landon to hang up and run. Therewas a body on the sidewalk.
“Harlow,” Dad said. “Fuck. That’s Harlow.”
She lay on the sidewalk outside the room Kim had occupied.He knew it was her from the shock of blue hair. Landon was on his knees next toher.
Grim was out of the truck before Josh put it in park. Hegrabbed his emergency kit and ran. It was smaller than his normal working kit.This was the one he used when someone needed first aid. A ranch could be a mazeof minor injuries, and he was always ready to help.
What had happened to Harlow was anything but minor.
The light-colored shirt she was wearing was stained inblood. Her skin was a stark white, her eyes closed.
“I turned her over.” Landon had gone pale. “I shouldn’t havedone that, but I panicked. Damn it. I know not to turn her over. Did I hurther?”
Pops was back on his phone. “Yes, ma’am. We’ve got at leastone gunshot victim. Let them know. We’re looking for the second woman. Shemight have been kidnapped.”
Or they might find her body somewhere else.
From what Kim had said, there was no reason to kidnapNicole. They’d come here to silence her.
Harlow was pale but she was breathing. Her eyes opened, andshe looked up at him. “It’s hard to breathe, Grim.”
Okay. He could do this. “Pops, I need your help.”
Sam Fleetwood was by his side in a heartbeat. “Jack and Joshare doing a sweep. They will find her, Grim. I promise. Hey, Harlow, sweetie.Looks like you got into some trouble.”
“She ran,” Harlow managed, pain obvious on her face. “Ithink Nicole ran toward the woods. I’m not sure. I couldn’t see.”
