by Kaylea Cross
“I don’t know, but let’s get the hell out of here and call the fire department.”
She hurried alongside him, both of them still coughing. The crackle of the flames made her skin crawl as they headed across the clearing for the trail. Then she heard another sound.
“It’s Ric,” she said, fear constricting her chest. He was barking frantically, trapped in Mason’s Jeep.
Mason bolted forward, racing for the trail. Avery jogged after him, praying the dog was okay.
No sooner had she reached the start of the trail, when three shots exploded in the night.
She gasped as a streak of fire burned across her side, instinctively grabbing the wound as she fell.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Avery was down. She’d hit her!
Shannon ducked down out of sight in the shadows cast by the trees she hid behind next to the trail, her heart slamming against her chest. Die, bitch. She should have died in the fire. Shannon had been hoping to hear her screams.
“Avery!”
She whirled to the left and stared down the trail at Mason’s shout and raised her weapon, prepared to fire once he came within range. He was the greatest threat to her now. She would kill him too if that was her only chance of escape. By the time anyone found their bodies, she would be long gone.
“I’m…okay.” Avery’s voice was weak and unsteady.
Shannon gritted her teeth, disappointment and fury lashing at her. Shit, Avery was down but not dead. Was she dying? Shannon wasn’t sure where she’d hit her, or how many times.
Running footsteps pounded up the trail. Shannon hesitated, torn. Mason was racing toward them, but she could hear Avery moving around nearby, her pained groans music to Shannon’s ears.
She’d come here to kill Avery. She and her lover had been oblivious that Shannon had been waiting in the trees to follow them to the barn earlier.
Hearing them fucking in there minutes later had made something inside her snap. She’d jammed a broomstick through the door handle to trap them, then doused the door and walls with gasoline, and set it ablaze before retreating a safe distance to watch the show.
Except the fire hadn’t caught fast enough. They’d managed to escape, but Shannon had been ready and waiting when they came out.
She was going to kill Avery tonight one way or the other. She was so close now. One more careful shot and she could get out of here. Disappear and find a new town to blend into. She had a fake ID ready, and enough cash to get her through a few weeks until she could find work. It would mean a long separation from Mike, but he wasn’t going anywhere and the sacrifice was necessary for them to be together in the end.
Another muted groan reached her, sounding farther away this time, near the spot where the trail opened up into the clearing, the barn still alight in the distance. Avery was trying to drag herself away.
Not happening, bitch.
Blood pulsed in her ears, louder than the crackle of the fire in the center of the clearing. Mason was getting closer every second, giving her only moments to make her move.
Resolve hardened in her gut like steel. She’d come this far. She was going to end this now.
Rising to a crouch, she kept to the shadows and ran left, where she’d heard Avery moving. The light was almost gone now, the sky ablaze with the flames from the burning barn in the distance. Shannon used the extra light to scan the ground, searching for her prey.
She caught a flash of movement through the screen of trees. Avery’s bright hair reflected the flames. She’d managed to get up. She was bent over at the waist.
Shannon put on a burst of speed, her breathing erratic. Another few seconds and she’d be within range.
Elation punched through her, better than the rush of any drug she’d taken. She stopped, her eyes trained on Avery as she raised the pistol to take the final shot.
****
“Avery!” Mason yelled again as he raced up the trail, weapon in hand, his heart in his throat. He’d barely made it to the Jeep to check on Ric before the shots had rung out. The smell of the fire still stung his nose, waking all the ghosts he fought to keep buried, his comrades’ screams loud in his head.
He shook it away. Avery had answered his first shout saying she was okay, but she’d been hit, he knew it. The shots had come from up ahead and to the left, but he couldn’t fucking see anything in the thick shadows of the trees.
He ran full out, ignoring the pain in his knees, his sole concern getting to Avery and protecting her. Ahead in the clearing, the barn was completely engulfed now, a wall of flame in the darkness to light his way.
His heart stuttered when he rounded the bend in the trail and finally caught sight of Avery. She was on her feet, but doubled over, facing away from him. Shit, how bad was she hit?
“Avery—” Another shot rang out. His heart lurched, and only started beating again when Avery didn’t fall.
Mason locked down his emotions and raised his pistol, in operator mode as he searched for any sign of the shooter. He caught faint movement in the underbrush just inside the trees. Aimed. Fired.
A grunt sounded. The shooter dropped out of sight, melting into the shadows. He pursued his target, needing to take them out if he wanted to protect Avery.
The brush moved. He moved faster, adjusting his aim.
More movement, then the person dropped out of sight as the ground dipped into a gulley. Mason stalked forward, his steps almost silent, gaze trained on the dip.
He caught the faint sound of movement, and paused. The instant the shooter appeared, he fired, squeezing the trigger just as another shot rang out from his right.
The shooter dropped to the ground. Mason kept coming, ready to fire again. His eyes had adjusted enough to allow him to see his target.
A woman. And when her hand lifted, he didn’t hesitate, pumping two more rounds in her chest and one in her head.
She was dead before her head hit the ground, her weapon falling with a soft thump.
Threat neutralized, Mason whipped around to find Avery standing twenty yards away, holding a weapon. She grimaced and dropped it, then fell to her knees, pressing one hand to her side.
Oh, shit, no. “Avery.”
He holstered his pistol and ran to her, dropping down in front of her. Cupping the side of her face, he set a hand over hers and did a visual sweep of her, hindered by the darkness. “How bad?” He could feel the blood under his hand, smell it on the cool night air.
“Not bad. Just…hurts,” she panted, her eyes squeezed shut.
It was a good sign that she could still talk. But he couldn’t see anything in here, even with the light from the fire. He needed to get her out of here and get the bleeding under control. “I’m gonna carry you out so I can get a better look, okay?”
She nodded, face strained.
Just as he reached for her, someone called out behind them. “Hello?”
Mason shot to his feet and drew his weapon, whirling to face the new threat. “Freeze!” he barked.
A figure appeared at the edge of the trees. A man. He stopped, raised his hands. “Don’t shoot. I’m unarmed,” he called out.
Mason stalked toward him, finger curved around the trigger. Avery was behind him. He had to protect her.
Within a few paces, the shadows retreated and the man’s face became clear. “Ray?” he said in surprise.
“Yeah. Are you folks all right? I heard shots.”
“Call 911. We need help.”
“I already called ‘em. Cops and fire department are on their way up.”
Right on cue, Mason heard the faint wail of sirens off in the distance. “Avery’s hit,” he said, holstering his weapon.
“God dammit,” Ray snapped, and rushed forward. “Where?”
“Her side. I need to get her out of here.”
“I’ll call for an ambulance.”
Mason hurried back to Avery, who was still on her knees. “Ray’s here. He called for help and it’s almost here.” He slid on
e arm around her back and the other under her legs, a twinge of pain ripping down his back as he lifted her.
“Good,” she whispered, her breathing ragged as he carried her.
“I’ve got a med kit in the back of my Jeep,” he said to Ray, who trotted along beside him, face worried. “Can you go grab it? And a blanket.”
“Yeah, anything.” He ran ahead.
“How you doing?” Mason asked Avery, trying not to jostle her. He needed to stop the bleeding and get her to the hospital.
“I’m getting pissed off,” she muttered.
That made him crack a laugh. “Pissed off is good.” Real good. It meant she wasn’t going into shock.
The jingle of a collar reached him, then Ric appeared from around the bend in the trail. He must have jumped out the moment Ray opened the back. “Hey, buddy. You gonna help me look after Avery?”
“Hey, Ric,” she gasped out. “Don’t worry.”
Ric ran anxious circles around them the whole way back up the trail, the sirens getting closer now. Ray was waiting near the Jeep with the med kit, a blanket already spread out on the ground.
Mason knelt and gently lay Avery down on it. She immediately curled up on her side, her hand pressed to her ribs, eyes squeezed shut.
“Let me see, Avery,” he said gently, prying her hand away. Her palm and fingers were blistered and raw. The front of her shirt was soaked with blood but her breathing was clear.
“C-cold,” she whispered.
“I know. I’ll get you warm in a minute, but first I have to stop this bleeding.” He pulled up her shirt to get a better look while Ray aimed the beam of a flashlight there for him. He bit back a curse.
The bullet had hit her between her hip and ribcage. It had gone clean through, the exit wound slightly larger than the entry. He applied a dressing to each and rolled her onto her back. “I have to put pressure on it,” he warned, then pressed down with his hands on the entry wound.
She gasped and swore, her legs writhing on the blanket. “This sucks,” she growled.
“I know it does. Help’s almost here, and we’ll get you to the hospital.” His adrenaline level was dropping now, his hands a little unsteady.
It made him insane to see her hurting and bleeding, but he had to stay calm and not scare her more. He was worried about possible internal damage. The bullet could have hit an artery or her bowel or even kidney.
She panted, cracked one eye open to look at him. “The shooter…she’s dead?”
He didn’t let up on the pressure, sorry he was causing her more pain but determined to slow if not stop the blood loss. “Yes.”
“Was it Sh-Shannon?”
“Yeah.”
“Dammit, I knew that girl was up to no good,” Ray said.
Mason glanced up at him sharply, his muscles grabbing. “What do you mean?”
“She was in the bar earlier. Asking questions about you both. Not the first time she done it, either. I mentioned you were both up here because I saw you turn off the access road on my way into town, but when she took off right away, I had a bad feeling. I called you, but there was no answer. So I tried to find her. I thought I saw her once, but lost sight of her and eventually came here to warn you.”
Mason stared at him, raw fury punching through him. Jesus Christ, the woman had been hunting them and he hadn’t even realized it.
Ray scrubbed his free hand over his hair, looking distraught. “I’m sorry. So damn sorry, I shouldn’a said anything. But I swear I didn’t know she was coming up here to do anything like this.” His voice caught.
Mason believed him. “She’s not a threat to anyone anymore.”
“Thanks for c-calling for help, Ray,” Avery rushed out, grimacing again. “I hate n-needles, but I think I need a f-few.”
Mason lifted one hand from her wound to rub his thumb across her cheek. “Yeah, you will, angel eyes. But you’re gonna be just fine, and I’ll be there to hold your hand.”
Because he loved her, and wasn’t leaving her side until he knew for certain she was going to be okay.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Avery cracked her eyes open when her hospital room door opened. Oh, please, God, no more needles.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed since she’d gotten here. They’d rushed her by ambulance to the trauma center in Missoula hours ago while Mason followed in the Jeep, and everything had been a whirlwind since.
Needles, tests and being rushed into the O.R. They’d whisked her away from Mason, and the next thing she knew she was on the operating table for emergency surgery.
Her heart squeezed when Mason stepped inside, his silhouette unmistakable even in the dimness. A quiet jingling told her Ric was with him. “Hey,” she croaked out, her throat parched. Every time she drew a breath, pain streaked through the right side of her waist. “What happened to the part where you were going to hold my hand through everything?”
“Sorry, I wanted to be there when you woke up, but they wouldn’t let me in the recovery room.” He pulled the chair over to her bed, sat and reached for her forearm, curling his fingers around it because they’d bandaged both her burned hands. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore. Glad to see you. Lucky to be alive.”
He leaned over her and smoothed the hair back from her face, his expression concerned. “What did the doctor say?”
“A nicked artery and intestine and some bruising, but my organs all seem okay. They stopped the bleeding in surgery. Now they’re pumping me full of antibiotics and a little something for pain.” Not enough, but better than nothing.
He stroked her hair. “Can I do anything?”
“You already are.” She echoed the words back to him that he’d said to her the other night out on her deck.
He gave her a little smile, but his eyes were still worried. “Tate, Nina and Tala wanted to come down, but I told them not to yet. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Did I hear Ric?”
“You sure did. Come here, buddy,” he said, patting the side rail.
A second later, a handsome, furry face appeared next to her. His ears were up, his expression almost worried. “Hey, handsome.” She reached up to pat him with her bandaged hand. “I’m so lucky to have you come visit me.”
“I put on his therapy dog vest, and there was no problem.”
She laid her hand back down, the constant burning in her palms and fingers from when she’d grabbed the scalding hot door handle right on the edge of unbearable. Second degree burns sucked. Singing the side of your finger on the toaster or oven rack was bad enough. Having both hands burned and blistered was awful.
The doctors had told her it would take a couple weeks for them to heal, and that they’d probably remain sensitive for a long while after that. “How long are they keeping me here?” She already hated it.
“Maybe tomorrow night at the earliest.”
She groaned. “I just wanna go home.”
“I’ll get you out of here as soon as possible, I promise.” He leaned over to drop a kiss on her lips.
Avery gazed up at him when he pulled back. “You smell like the fire. And you’ve got soot all over you.”
One side of his mouth pulled up. “I’ll clean up later.”
The half-smile didn’t reach his eyes. And when she looked into them, her heart constricted. “Oh, God, the fire,” she breathed. It hadn’t even occurred to her how it must have affected him, she’d been too caught up in trying to get out. Of course it would have triggered all his demons.
“Yeah. I’m just glad we got out.” He shifted in the chair. “You doing okay otherwise?”
She nodded, hating everything about this. To think that Shannon was psychotic enough to try and kill her because she’d testified against a convicted felon up for parole, was unreal. “The whole thing escalated so fast. Going from trashing a room and throwing bricks through a few windows to murder is a big jump. What in the hell triggered it?”
“Don’t know, and don’t care. I only
care that you’re okay.” He cupped the side of her face in his palm.
Avery turned her cheek into it, feeling way better now that he was beside her. “Thank you,” she whispered, her throat thickening.
His eyebrows contracted. “For what? You brought her down with me.”
“But you ended it. So thank you.”
He shook his head. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Always.”
Her chest tightened. This was the first chance they’d had to be alone together since everything had happened. There was so much to process, so much to think about. And yet, in quieter moments, her mind kept going back to one thing.
“Mason.”
“Yeah?”
“What you said in the barn. After…”
He didn’t look away. “What about it?”
“Did you mean it? Or was it just a heat of the moment thing?”
His blue eyes stared directly into hers. “I meant it. I know it’s fast, but I know how I feel. I love you.”
Ohh… She swallowed, a tremulous smile forming on her lips. “You do?” Her throat thickened more, her heart beating faster.
A slow, gorgeous smile spread across his lips. “Yeah, angel eyes. I do.”
“How can you know so soon?” Her feelings for him were powerful, but she was afraid to trust them.
“Because you’re my light in the darkness. You see my flaws and accept me anyway. You make me believe in myself again.” He shook his head, his expression earnest and his voice slightly rough. “And because… Because I feel totally safe to be myself when I’m with you.”
Her breath hitched, a bittersweet pain lancing her chest. Of all the things he could have said, nothing could have prepared her for that. For this proud, strong man to admit something so deep and private, turned her heart inside out.
She blinked as tears scalded the backs of her eyes. Damn pain meds. “Good, because I love you too.” It still scared her, but she had to let the fear go and reach for what he was offering.
He groaned and closed his eyes, bending down to press his cheek to hers, his hand now cradling the back of her head. “God, Avery.”
