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He wanted to bellow with rage, shake his fists at the sky and dare the universe to take from him again.
“No one is taking her from me,” he bit off in a snarl.
Webb gripped both weapons he held. “I didn’t serve with you on that battlefield, brother, but I stand with you now.”
* * * * *
Demi prided herself on her ability to cope with stress. When a client’s pet passed away, she was able to calm them down and empathize. But humans were a different ball game.
Each minute that ticked by while she hid in the vehicle, waiting for Ledger and his men to show up, her anxiety seemed to triple. Was the killer still around? Was it the same man who’d attacked her?
Her stomach threatened to revolt from sheer nerves, and she dragged in deep gulps of air to calm it.
A glance at the paddock showed that the horse was still standing there, waiting for her to tend to its injury. She was too afraid to leave the vehicle. She had the baby to think of first. Besides, if she didn’t listen to Ledger on this matter, there would be hell to pay.
Only a few minutes had passed, but it felt like an eternity. When the headlights of a truck panned across her back window, a cry of relief broke from her lips.
She reached to open the door and then pulled her hand back. She had to wait for Ledger. There wasn’t time for him to lecture her about safety precautions—his people needed to hunt down a murderer, and she had to tend to that horse.
Gazing out the side window, she waited, gripping the wheel. Two men leaped out of the truck and approached. Even in the darkness, she could see they carried rifles.
A shiver rippled down her spine. What was happening to their small, sleepy town? The most crime they saw was petty theft or the occasional drunk driver. Now they were dealing with a murderer on the loose in a town where she planned to raise a baby.
As Ledger approached her vehicle, she couldn’t hold back anymore. She threw open the door and hurled herself into his arms.
He clasped her against him, palm cradling her skull against his chest. “Thank god. Are you okay?”
“Yes. But Mr. Vale isn’t!”
“Shh. I’ve got you now.”
Webb gave them a hard nod as he passed them. “Stay with her. I’ll have a look around before the others get here.”
As he spoke, more headlights flashed across the yard when a second vehicle turned into the driveway. Still holding her, he twisted his head to watch a second truck come to a stop.
Though her lover was standing here with his arms wrapped around her, she felt the distance in him. At the first sign of danger, he’d transitioned into the cold, methodical SEAL he was trained to be.
Meadow jumped out of the truck and came running, with Livia and Ivy right behind her. “Demi! Are you all right?”
She slowly withdrew from Ledger’s grasp and turned to the ladies, placing her palm over her womb. “I’m fine.”
“Is it true?” Ivy’s eyes swam with tears. “Mr. Vale?”
She nodded, throat constricting with emotion. Seeing the older man lying facedown like that wouldn’t fade from her memory for a long time.
Meadow covered her mouth with both hands. Colton touched her side as he walked by, and she reached for him too.
Their fingers trailed over each other’s in a display of love that shouldn’t stand out to Demi so much right this moment. A man was dead. His family members—Opal and her little girl—would be devastated when they learned of his passing.
But despite the crime committed here tonight, there was still love in this world. Meadow and Colton were proof.
Colton nodded at Ledger. “I’ll guard the women. You check the barn.”
Ivy had a thick blanket bundled in her arms. She wrapped it around Demi, and she couldn’t be more grateful for its warmth. Of course, Ivy and Meadow were experts when it came to loss—first their momma, then their brother.
Livia and Wolfe climbed out of their truck and strode toward them. Livia’s eyes were rounded with worry as her man took his leave from her and joined the others in the search for the killer. Colton stood a few feet away from their little cluster, weapon at the ready.
Demi wrapped the blanket tighter around herself. “My guess is the murderer ran off. Why would he stick around?” She spun to look at the paddock. “I really need to tend to that horse.”
