Page 23 of Ranger Devotion

“Well, he’s shooting in my direction, and I’m definitely not you.”

She eased up, checking the nearby woods. A muzzle flashed an instant before a bullet punched into the wall of the cabin. Annie returned fire. Brush moved where the flash had been—he was repositioning, or running—but the shriek of stressed timber from inside the cabin pulled her attention back. The bedroom wall had begun to lean. Fire popped, and smoke blasted through the room. They didn’t have long before the entire cabin collapsed.

“We have to move,” Tate said, echoing her own thoughts. “Give me your gun. I’ll cover you.”

Annie glanced at him. For the first time, she noticed the way he cradled his right hand, and the dark blood coating his sleeve. How bad was the injury? And did he have others? In the smoke-filled room, it was impossible to tell. “Can you run?”

“Annie—”

“Just answer the question, Tate.” They didn’t have time for a debate. “Can you run?”

“Yes.”

She adjusted her grip on her weapon. “You go out the window first while I cover you. My UTV is about ten yards to the west. Bring it around to pick me up.”

Tate’s eyes blazed in his soot-covered face. He didn’t like the plan, that much was clear, but the injury to his dominant hand meant he couldn’t shoot straight. He also knew, just as Annie did, that the attacker would likely focus on the person returning fire first. “If you get yourself killed saving my life, I’ll never forgive you.”

She nearly smiled as she positioned herself at the edge of the window, gun raised. “Noted.”

A second later, Tate was out the window. A muzzle flashed in the woods as he dropped to the ground. Frozen earth kicked up near his left hiking boot. Annie returned fire, praying her accuracy was good enough to distract the shooter from Tate, who’d taken off at a stagger for the UTV. She counted her rounds. Five left in her magazine.

More glass shattered as the shooter fired back. Bullets smacked into the building, audible even over the fire. Sweat stung her eyes. The grip on her gun felt slick, but there was no time to adjust. She breathed out and fired.

A yelp came back across the clearing, and then a stand of bushes thrashed as if someone had run into the woods. She waited half a heartbeat and then slipped her legs over the windowsill. The cabin groaned. Fear drove her forward, and she jumped. Pain shot up her ankles, but she stayed upright.

Tate swung the UTV around, barely tapping the brakes.

Annie launched herself into the vehicle just as something thundered. Heat washed over her back. And then they were barreling across the clearing. The icy air made the towel flap against her face. She ripped it off and looked back.

The cabin had collapsed.

They’d made it out with seconds to spare.

Heart thumping against her ribcage, Annie spotted another UTV racing down the path toward them. She motioned for Tate to slow down. Dwayne jerked to a stop in front of them, his shepherd mix, Bud, in the passenger seat.

Dwayne’s gaze swept over them. “What happened?”

“Someone set fire to the cabin with Tate inside, and then shot at us.” Annie’s voice was hoarse from smoke inhalation. “I returned fire. Might have hit him, but I’m not sure.”

His weathered face hardened. “Get back to the main lodge. Bud and I will track him.”

Annie opened her mouth to protest, but Dwayne had already hit the gas. She grabbed the radio from the cup holder and called him on it, but Dwayne, the stubborn man, ignored her. Frustration tightened her chest, already raw from smoke and cold, until her breath came shallow.

Tate’s steered the UTV into a U-turn. “We’ll go after him.”

“No.” Annie shook her head. “We’ll only make things worse crashing through the woods behind him. Dwayne’s grandfather guided hunts in these hills for forty years and taught him everything. We’d be half a mile behind before we found the trail.” She keyed the radio one more time, got nothing, and lowered it. “I don’t like it either. All we can do is pray.”

She hoped it would be enough.

TWELVE

Tate’s hand throbbed with every beat of his heart, and he had to clench his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering by the time they arrived at the main lodge. The storm had started up again, rain battering against the tin roof of the carport as he got out of the driver’s seat. His legs buckled. Tate’s hands shot out to grab the UTV before he went down. The gash on his hand screamed at the sudden movement. He saw stars.

“Lean on me.” Annie ducked under his arm, wrapping it around her shoulders. Her clothes and skin were covered in soot. Sparks from the fire had burned holes in her jacket, and the stuffing poked out.

“I’m okay.” Tate tried to shake off her assistance, but she wouldn’t be deterred. Pain shot through his side. He was pretty sure he had a few bruised ribs, thanks to his tussle with the attacker. It hurt to breathe and even more to move. Still, Annie had fought her way through a blazing fire. Chances were she had some injuries too. He wouldn’t make things worse by having her take care of him.

“Don’t be pig-headed.” Annie scowled, gripping his wrist to keep his arm wrapped around her shoulders. “If you accept my help, we can hurry and get inside where it’s warm. Or maybe I should just leave you here? Let you fall flat on your face and then freeze to death so you can keep your pride?”