Page 30 of Ranger Devotion

Luke reappeared in the office without his kids. He must’ve caught the tail end of Tate’s statement because he leaned over the desk. “This Preston guy you mentioned earlier…should we run a background check on him first?”

“No. Initially, I thought he’d killed Kayla, but he’s not responsible for the attack on me at the cabin. He was surrounded by a dozen witnesses when it happened. Besides, if this is about Seth, then Preston is more likely to be on the target list than the killer.”

“What about Caleb?”

“He was close with Seth, and he had good reason to be angry with Kayla. She talked him into letting Preston copy off him, and Caleb’s the one who lost his scholarship over it. But he can’t be the one who attacked me. He arrived back at the main lodge before the shooting, and he’s the wrong build. The guy in that cabin was my size, and Caleb’s a head shorter.”

“Are you sure we’re looking at one guy?”

The question chilled him. “No. I can’t be sure of anything.” Tate glanced down at his bandaged hand. Annie had given him a Glock from her safe to replace the one the killer had taken, and thankfully, he could still fire a weapon. His aim wouldn’t be as good, however. “Whoever the killer is, he’s got hand-to-hand combat skills. Competent with a gun and a knife. If I had to guess, I’d say someone with a military background. Or law enforcement. Martial arts. That kind of thing.”

Grady scribbled the observations down on a notepad before handing Patrick a soft ball to play with while they talked. “We’ll keep that in mind. Anything else you can tell us? Height? Weight? Any markings?”

“Caucasian. I caught a glimpse of skin between his sleeve and glove. No noticeable markings that I can recall. Again, about my height. Maybe a bit shorter or taller, but not much. We were matched in muscle, that’s for sure.” Tate shook his head in frustration. “It all happened so fast. I didn’t get a good sense of him.”

“Understandable, given the circumstances.”

“He’s also good with tech.” Tate adjusted his hold on the phone. “He spoofed Annie’s number along with her property manager’s.”

“Do you think Seth’s death is the real reason for the attacks and Kayla’s murder?” Luke asked. “Could whoever’s doing this be using that as a cover for their true motives?”

“It’s possible. I can’t rule out anything at this point. But my gut says no. Kayla and I are the only ones who got the text messages from Seth, so I have to assume we were the targets. Annie was collateral damage.” His face flushed with shame. “I wasn’t the person I am today back then, guys. I made mistakes and hurt people.”

Grady and Luke both were silent for a moment.

“We’ve all made bad choices, Tate.” Grady grimaced. “I have a tally of my own, and I make it a point to never throw stones when I live in a glass house. You’ve repented and asked for grace, and then made better choices. It’s all the Lord asks of us.”

His friend was right. It was the reason he’d come to the reunion—to make amends to Annie—but somehow it didn’t feel like enough. Tate wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to see past his mistakes to the man he was now.

And that mattered to him. More than he wanted to admit.

Shoving thoughts of Annie aside, Tate focused on the case. “If this is about Seth, then there’s some logic to who the killer is targeting. Kayla was the catalyst for what happened. Annie and I got into an argument and failed to stop him before he disappeared into the woods.”

“So she may not have been collateral damage after all.”

His stomach dropped. Had the attacker seen her go into the cabin and figured he’d get vengeance on the two of them at once? Tate had far too many questions and not enough answers.

He checked his watch. He’d been gone from the main lodge for almost an hour. The urge to see Annie, to make sure she was safe, plagued him. “As I learn new information from my interviews, I’ll pass it along. Cell signal isn’t great here, so if you call me, I may not find out for hours. Annie has a satellite phone, though.” Tate shared the number. “I’ll also be checking my email regularly, so anything that isn’t urgent can be sent there. Thanks.”

“Sleep with one eye open,” Luke urged. “We’ve gotten used to having you on the team. It’d be a real shame to have to replace you cuz you got yourself knocked off by a revenge-seeking murderer.”

His words might have been humorous, but Tate heard the worry threading through his colleague’s voice. “Oh, I’m not that easy to kill. Besides, I like my odds better than yours. You’re what, five kids to four adults in that house right now?”

Both rangers burst out laughing, and Luke looked sheepish. “Next Christmas, it’ll be six to four. Megan is pregnant with our third.”

“Congrats!” Tate couldn’t have been happier for Luke and Megan.

As he ended the call, the comfort of talking with his colleagues faded into cold reality. Tate had failed Seth. And Kayla. He refused to make another mistake.

Tucking his phone into his pocket, he checked the walk-in fridge, ensuring the red light on the control panel glowed. Locked. Good. He turned to leave, but a partially open door on the other side of the industrial kitchen caught his attention. His stomach tightened. Hadn’t that been closed the last time he was in here?

Drawing the borrowed Glock, Tate eased past the metal preparation stations and the giant stove. His heartbeat pulsed in his ears, echoed by a throb from the wound on his hand. He approached the door. There wasn’t a lock on the handle. He strained to hear any noise coming from inside the room, but there was nothing. Beyond the gap, the room was pitch-black.

“Is someone there? This is the police. Come out with your hands up.”

Nothing.

Tate kicked open the door and pivoted into the room. Light from the kitchen spilled over metal shelving stocked with canned goods, paper towels, cleaning products, and extra supplies.