Page 42 of Ranger Devotion

The generators needed thirty seconds to cycle on. She’d stood in this room when the electrician tested them, timed it on her phone. Thirty seconds.

She counted.

Ten. Glass crunched somewhere near the window. The wind, or a footstep. No way to know.

Twenty. She held on to Tate’s sleeve, the wool soft against her fingers. He didn’t pull away or ignore her request to wait. He stayed. God, be with us. The prayer steadied her hands, if not her pulse.

Twenty-nine. She closed her eyes, knowing they would need seconds to adjust.

Thirty—

The lights came back on as the generators kicked in. Annie snapped open her eyes and bolted to her feet, gun at the ready. Her gaze swept across the front of the dining room. Glass and leaves and rainwater pooled on the tile floor. A giant branch dangled half in the broken window, its weight resting on a table that had somehow withstood the assault. A few people were lying on the floor. Someone was crying.

Tate sprang to his feet next to her, covering the other side of the room. “Clear.”

Evan, his body wrapped around Brooke, started to release her. Annie waved a hand for them to stay put. They didn’t know what they were dealing with yet. A simple act of the storm? Or sabotage? Without turning around, she addressed Tate. “Check the lobby.”

He gave a sharp nod and moved toward the exit. Annie headed for the broken window. Sleet hit her face and arms as she peered beyond the branches and into the yard. Darkness yawned beyond the exterior lights, the shadows thick enough to hide a person. She waited. Held her breath.

Nothing stirred.

Underneath a nearby table, Lizzie sobbed. Her complexion was ghostly pale, eyes huge. Blood stained her blouse. Harry clung to a chair next to her. He didn’t appear injured, just stunned, but looks could be deceiving. They’d both narrowly escaped the tree branch.

The radio hooked on her belt crackled. “Annie, what happened?” Dwayne’s voice was controlled, but there was a thread of urgency running through it. “Annie, come in.”

Tate raced back into the dining room, gun at his side. “All clear. Looks like the wind toppled a pine tree onto this side of the lodge.”

She nodded, but felt no relief. “Evan, we need you over here.” She crouched at Lizzie’s side and laid a reassuring hand on the woman’s trembling shoulder. “It’s okay. We’re safe.”

Lizzie lifted her head, anger flashing through the tears. “But we’re not safe, are we? He’s out there. He’s going to kill us.” Her voice rose with every word. “I wasn’t even at the bonfire, but that won’t matter. He’s coming⁠—”

“No one is going to hurt you.” Annie’s tone brooked no argument. “Not on my watch.”

“Or mine,” Tate added, offering a hand to Harry to help him up.

Evan appeared next to Annie. “Hey there, Lizzie. You’ve got quite the gash on your shoulder. Let’s get you into the infirmary so I can clean it up.” He wrapped an arm around the woman’s waist and helped her stand. Lizzie swayed, tears running down her cheeks. Killers and ice storms were a long way from her desk job as a computer analyst. Evan kept his tone soothing. “This way, sweetie. Come on. I’ve got you.”

Annie watched Brooke urging Nick and his wife, Cameron, out from under another table. The couple appeared terrified. They’d opted to stay, instead of going with Preston, and Annie could see their regret. Nick launched into a tirade, his voice rising over the storm, his finger jabbing toward the window.

Tate started toward him, but paused to touch Annie’s shoulder while his gaze made a quick pass over her. Checking, she realized, for blood or glass or any sign she’d been injured. Then his eyes found hers. “You good?”

She gave a sharp nod, even as warmth infused her. “I’m good.”

His hand slid away as he moved to run interference, his steady voice a low counterpoint to Nick’s angry one. But the heat of his touch lingered on Annie’s skin. He’d once again protected her, taking her to the floor without a moment’s hesitation when the glass shattered.

And it struck her: in the moment of chaos, his embrace had grounded her.

“Annie!” Dwayne’s voice snapped from her radio, more insistent. It sounded like he was on the move, judging by the rumble of an engine. “Report!”

She removed the radio from her belt and pressed the button. “We’re safe.” She headed into the lobby to get a better look at the damage. “Pine came down on the north side. Two windows gone, one minor injury. I’ve got boards and tools in the rec room, but the limb needs a chainsaw before we can seal the breach.”

“Five minutes.”

Annie knew he was already on his way, probably from the second the power dropped. Like her, Dwayne had an app that alerted him when the electricity failed.

She turned to address her former classmates huddled on the couch. “Everyone okay? Anyone injured?”

A series of replies assured her everyone was fine, if badly shaken. Heather had come downstairs sometime before the incident and must’ve raided the snacks in the kitchen. A box of crackers and a soda sat on the small table next to her. Caleb, Annie noticed, was missing. She was just about to ask after him when he appeared in the hallway, as if he’d come from the game room.