Reining in Justice

by Delores Fossen

  Something the man immediately did.

  Reed pulled back behind the barn just as Quint and Addison managed to rip off several boards. It wasn’t a huge space, but it was big enough for them to get inside.

  “Check and make sure no one else is in there,” Reed warned Quint.

  The ranch hand’s eyes widened because he obviously hadn’t thought they could be ambushed inside. But it was possible. Their attackers could have managed to get someone inside the barn before the ranch hands even arrived.

  Hell, there could be gunmen scattered all over the ranch.

  Not exactly a thought to tamp down the adrenaline knifing through him.

  “I think it’s empty,” Quint finally said.

  Think. In other words, he couldn’t be certain. Reed hadn’t been in these particular barns in years, but he figured there was still some hay. Maybe ranch equipment, too.

  Plenty of places for killers to hide.

  Still, he didn’t have a lot of options. With the new position of the gunmen in the ditch, the shots started coming at them, and Reed had to do something to stop this in case all of these bullets were simply a ruse so that one of the goons could get closer to Addison.

  Or God forbid Emily.

  “Crawl through,” Reed said to Addison.

  She still had hold of the gun, and while it took some maneuvering, she got through the ragged opening with Reed following right behind her.

  Even though there was plenty of sunshine outside, not much was making its way into the barn. Just threads of light spearing through the spaces between the boards. It created an eerie effect, but worse, it made it hard for him to tell if someone was in there hiding.

  Reed had been right about the huge number of hiding spots in the sprawling space. Hay bales were stacked above his head in spots, and there was a tractor and a small bulldozer near the front.

  Outside and up the road, Reed heard another shot. Not near the houses. This one had come from the area near the first barn where he’d left Darnell. Maybe Darnell had managed to take out one of the hired guns.

  “Keep watch behind us,” Reed said to Quint. He put Addison between them and made his way to the front door.

  Reed motioned for Addison to drop down next to the tractor. It wasn’t much protection, but at least it had enough metal on it that it could be used to stop a bullet or two. He eased open the front door, ready to take aim at the gunmen in the ditch.

  But taking aim was as far as he got.

  The shot blasted through the air. However, Reed immediately knew this was no ordinary shot.

  A split second later, he got that confirmed the hard way.

  The metal canister bashed through the wood on the front of the barn and clanged to the floor just a few yards behind Addison, Quint and him.

  Tear gas began to spew throughout the barn.

  * * *

  BEFORE ADDISON EVEN realized what was happening, her eyes started to burn, and her breath clogged in her throat.

  “Tear gas,” Reed managed to say, and he latched on to Addison’s hand and got her running away from the canister and toward the back of the barn.

  Oh, mercy.

  There was only one reason their attackers would use something like that—to get them out in the open again.

  Something that would definitely have to happen.

  None of them could breathe and were coughing nonstop. It only got worse when a second canister came flying into the barn and more of the gas hissed out and around them.

  With Quint right behind her, Reed kept her moving, and they finally reached the opening they’d made at the back. Addison instincts were to hurry through it so she could gulp in her fresh air, but Reed held her back.

  Without Reed at the front of the barn to fire shots at them, those gunmen could have hurried to the back so they’d be in place to attack them.

  Still coughing, Reed peered out. No doubt looking for those men. And he must not have seen them, because he motioned for Quint and her to hurry out.

  They did.

  Addison dragged in several much-needed breaths, but her eyes were still on fire. She couldn’t see much of anything. However, Reed must have been able to see, because he kept her moving.

  “We can’t stay out in the open,” Reed said through the coughs.

  He’d no sooner spoken those words than another shot was fired. Not from the front of the barn, either. This one had come from the side.

  The gunmen were coming for them.

  Reed positioned himself in front of her. Protecting her. Quint tried to do the same, and the second they reached the second barn, they immediately started to bash through the back of it, as well.

  More shots came.

  They flew into the old barn, shattering the wood.

  Reed stopped kicking in the boards so he could take aim at the men. He fired. The shot was so close that it clanged in her ears. Even if someone had been standing right in front of her, Addison doubted she would be able to see or hear him now.

  Thankfully, that didn’t seem to be Reed’s problem. He sent another shot toward the gunmen. No doubt to buy them some time to get through the boards.

  And that was exactly what it did.

  In those few precious seconds, they loosened enough of the wood so that Quint could shimmy inside. As he’d done before, he looked around, his gun ready, and motioned for her to come in. He didn’t have to make the offer twice. Addison crawled in through the ragged opening, scraping herself along the way, and pulled in Reed after her.

  “Make sure no one’s here,” Reed said to Quint.

  The ranch hand went to do just that while Reed stayed at the back opening. He took aim at something and fired. At first, Addison thought it was just another shot to keep the gunmen at bay, but he leaned out and fired one more shot.

  “Got him,” Reed said. “I think there’s only one of them left. One here anyway.”

  That sent another wave of fear through her. She wasn’t sure what exactly had gone on at the gate, but judging from the sounds she’d heard, there’d been a second vehicle. One that Reed, Darnell and Grange had managed to stop because it hadn’t come past the barns.

  However, it didn’t mean they had stopped the men inside that vehicle.

  Sweet heaven. How many of them were out here?

  And were any of them trying to get to Emily?

  These monsters had to know that if they managed to grab Emily that Reed and she would do anything to get the baby back. And in Addison’s case, anything meant she’d exchange herself for Emily.

  Since a full-blown panic attack wasn’t going to help anyone, Addison tried to tamp down her wild thoughts. Not easy to do with her baby less than a mile away. But she had to believe Reed when he said that Marshal Walker and the others would protect Emily with their lives.

  Maybe it wouldn’t come down to that.

  “See anything?” Reed asked Quint.

  Again, the ranch hand shook his head, but he continued to look around the barn. So did Reed, but he stayed toward the back, volleying his attention between there and the barn’s front door.

  Now that her eyes had cleared a little, Addison was able to take a look around, too. Like in the other barn, there were some hay bales. Sacks of feed, as well. And seemingly dozens of shadowy places for one of those gunmen to hide. It didn’t help that the front door was open and creaking with each gust of wind.

  Addison tried to calm her own heartbeat so she could listen for any sounds that shouldn’t be there. Hard to do, though, when everything inside her was racing. The fear had her by the throat, but she fought it and kept looking.

  Another gust of wind caught the door, the rusty hinges squealing, but the flash of light from the opening allowed her to see some of the corners.

  Empty.


  Well, unless someone had crouched down. But if one of the gunmen had been waiting inside for them, then why hadn’t he just shot them when they first stepped inside?

  Or fired another tear gas canister in the barn?

  If that happened, then Reed, Quint and she would have no place to go. There weren’t enough trees and shrubs nearby to use for cover.

  Unless they made it to the truck.

  Yes, it was a risk, but anything they did at this point would be. They could maybe use the truck to draw the rest of the gunmen far away from Emily.

  Of course, Reed might have plenty to say about that idea. He was the good guy, the lawman, and his instincts would be to get her to safety so he could take on these killers without her.

  The door creaked again, and like before, Addison used the opportunity to look around. This time, in the hayloft that was a good fifteen feet above them. Maybe it was her watery eyes playing tricks on her, but Addison thought she saw something.

  Or rather someone.

  Who was up there?

  “Reed,” she said, and motioned toward the loft. She hurried behind one of the hay bale stacks just in case.

  That got Reed’s immediate attention, and he stood so he could see where she was pointing. But the light was already gone, and even though her eyes had adjusted some to the darkness, she still couldn’t tell if there was anyone in the loft or if her mind was playing tricks on her.

  Addison soon got her answer.

  “Get down!” Reed shouted.

  She ducked lower next to the hay bales.

  But she wasn’t fast enough.

  Reed took aim at the loft. Fired. However, whoever was up there got off a shot first.

  The pain was instant as something sliced into her arm.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Reed cursed, fired a shot at the guy in the hayloft and then raced toward Addison. He caught her before she fell to the floor.

  She’d been shot.

  At least that was his first thought, but he fought through the panic and realized that hadn’t been the sound of a gun being fired. Not an ordinary one anyway. When he pushed her hand away from her arm, he realized exactly what’d happened.

  Someone had shot her with a tranquilizer gun.

  “Are you all right?” Reed asked, still watching the loft. Whoever had fired had already moved back into the shadows so that Reed could no longer see him.

  “It stings,” Addison said, already sounding woozy.

  Still cursing, Reed pulled the small dart from her arm. It probably wasn’t poison—that wouldn’t make sense. If their attacker wanted her dead, he could have just shot her with a bullet. So someone wanted her sedated.

  And the question was why?

  The only thing Reed could come up with was that someone wanted her alive so they could question her about what she’d learned from Cissy, and that someone no doubt wanted to try to kidnap her again.

  “You see who fired that dart?” Quint whispered from the stack of feed sacks where he’d taken cover.

  “No.”

  But he still had to be there. Waiting. Probably for Addison to lose consciousness.

  Something that might happen soon.

  Even though he couldn’t see it clearly, he tried to look at the spot where the dart had hit her. It appeared to have gone partly into the seam of her top, by her shoulder.

  Partly.

  Of course, the other part was in her, and that meant she needed medical attention.

  Reed spotted an old hammer on the floor of the barn. He picked it up and tossed it into the loft. He couldn’t see exactly where it landed, but it must have gotten close enough to the dart shooter for him to come out of cover.

  Big mistake.

  Reed double-tapped the trigger and took him out. Well, hopefully. The guy fell back anyway, and Reed didn’t want to waste time going up there to find out if he was still alive. For now, just having him out of commission would do. Of course, he’d have to keep watch to make sure the moron didn’t try to fire another one of those darts.

  “Keep an eye on the hayloft,” Reed told Quint.

  While Reed did the same, he took out his phone and fired off a text to Colt. He kept it short but let Colt know that they needed an ambulance and that he was going to try to get Addison out to his truck.

  “Emily,” Addison said, licking her lips. “Ask Colt how she is.”

  Well, at least Addison was alert enough to realize what was going on. That was good. Maybe Colt would have equally good news on that front.

  Reed eased Addison onto the floor. “Stay here a second,” he whispered to her, and hoped that she did.

  The last time he’d seen their attacker outside, the guy had been in the back of the barn. Too close to the gaping hole that Addison, Quint and he had created so they could get inside. Keeping low, Reed went there first and dragged a couple of hay bales in front of it. That wouldn’t stop a gunman, but it might slow him down enough so this flimsy plan of Reed’s might work.

  “Check and see if anyone’s out front,” Reed told Quint.

  The ranch hand crept his way there and peered out the door. Several moments later, he shook his head. “I don’t see anyone.”

  That was a start. “Stay here with Addison,” Reed insisted, keeping his voice as low as possible.

  “No, don’t leave me.” She caught on to his arm. Or rather tried, but her grip was too weak for her to hold on.

  “I won’t be long.” Reed brushed a kiss on her cheek and hoped it would help soothe her nerves. It sure helped his a little.

  Quint scooted in next to Addison, and that was Reed’s cue to get himself moving.

  “If that idiot in the loft is still alive and moves a fraction, shoot him,” he told Quint. “I’m getting the truck. Stay away from the door, because I’m bringing the truck in here.”

  Quint made a sound of surprise. Maybe even disbelief. Yeah, it was definitely a flimsy plan. But it was the only one Reed had at the moment.

  Reed used the feed sacks and hay for cover while he made his way to the front door. No one in sight, just as Quint had said. He took a deep breath, readied his gun and raced out toward the truck. He braced himself for gunfire.

  It didn’t come.

  And that unnerved him even more than if it had.

  He got into the truck as fast as he could, and once he started the engine, he lined up the front end with the door. The barn door was plenty wide enough to get the truck through, but fully opening it would have required pulling it back and anchoring the latch.

  No time for that.

  Reed threw the truck in gear and crashed through the barn. Before he even came to a full stop, he leaned over, threw open the passenger’s door and motioned for Quint to get Addison inside. However, Reed’s phone rang just as Quint scooped her up in his arms.

  “We got another problem,” Colt said the moment Reed answered. Reed put the phone on the dash so he could free up his hands to help Quint get Addison onto the seat.

  “Yeah, Addison needs an ambulance,” Reed said immediately.

  “It’s on the way, but we’ve got an even bigger problem. Darnell and Grange managed to get one of the gunmen alive. And he’s talking. Or rather bragging. Reed, there’s someone in the barn with you.”

  “I know. He was in the hayloft, and I shot him.”

  “No. According to this gunman, there’s somebody else. Their boss is in the barn with you,” Colt added quickly. “They sneaked onto the ranch before all of us even got out here.”

  Reed hadn’t needed any other reasons to hurry, but that did it. Colt’s news also caused his heart to slam against his chest. If the person responsible for this was truly inside, he wanted to face him down, badly, but he didn’t want to do that with Addi
son next to him.

  But Reed would definitely come back for him.

  He threw the truck into Reverse, ready to barrel out of there. However, Reed didn’t make it far before the blast tore through the barn.

  * * *

  EVERYTHING WAS SWIMMING in and out of focus, but even with her blurry head and eyes, Addison had no trouble hearing the explosion. It was deafening, and it ripped through the front of the barn. Hay, bits of wood and other debris rained down on them.

  “Get on the floor of the truck,” Reed told her.

  Addison immediately tried to do just that, but her arms and legs didn’t want to cooperate. What had been in the little dart that’d slammed into her arm? Whatever it was, it had made her drowsy.

  Quint helped her. He caught on to her shoulder and pushed her to the floor, but the new position didn’t stop her from hearing another sound.

  A bad one.

  This time, it was a gunshot, and it slammed into the front of the truck. It was quickly followed by another. Then another.

  Soon, they were in a hail of gunfire.

  “He’s shooting out the engine,” Reed snarled, and hit the accelerator, no doubt ready to get them out of there by crashing through the barn’s back wall.

  But that didn’t happen.

  Not only was the front entrance blocked from the debris of the explosion, but the truck engine clanged to a stop. The gunman has managed to disable the engine after all, leaving them sitting ducks.

  “Step out with your hands up,” someone shouted.

  It wasn’t a voice that she recognized, but it seemed to be coming from the far right corner of the barn. One of the gunmen, no doubt.

  “Stay down,” Reed told her.

  He’d no sooner said that than another shot bashed into the truck. This one crashed through the front windshield. If she’d still been on the seat, it would have gone right into her.

  “I’ve got dozens of bullets,” their attacker added. “And if you don’t get out of the truck now, I’ll keep firing until you’re all dead.”

  Addison had known right from the start that the man didn’t have friendly intentions, but it sickened her to have it spelled out like this. Quint and Reed could die because these monsters wanted her.