Settling an Old Score

by Delores Fossen

  Just as they’d done the other times at Jack’s house, Eli moved her fast from the cruiser to her front door—after Gunnar had already opened it. She was outside for only a couple of seconds while both Eli and Gunnar protected her. Ashlyn hated that they had to put their lives on the line for her like that, but maybe they’d get answers soon so that Eli could make an arrest.

  Gunnar did a quick check of the house, something that sent her heart pounding because it was a reminder that someone could have broken in. Someone who might be still be there and was lying in wait for them.

  But nothing, thank goodness.

  Once he’d finished his search, Gunnar went straight out the back door, hurrying, no doubt so he could finish the chores and get them out of there fast. Ashlyn headed to her bedroom and tried not to focus on the signs of what had been a struggle between her and the gunmen. A broken lamp and toppled furniture.

  Eli stayed right next to her as she walked down the hall, but he stopped in the doorway of her bedroom when his phone dinged with a message.

  “We got the approval we needed to exhume Marta’s body,” Eli relayed to her. “They’ll start digging soon.”

  Which meant that it wouldn’t be long before they had answers. If Marta was truly alive, then that would start a whole new investigation.

  She grabbed a suitcase from her closet and stuffed in some clothes and then went into the adjoining bathroom to do the same with her toiletries and meds. When she came back out, she saw Eli glancing at the books on her nightstand while he kept watch at the window.

  “Parenting books,” she explained, though Eli could easily tell that from the titles. “I wanted to do everything right. I didn’t want to take a chance of messing it up. It’s the most important thing I’ve ever done.”

  Eli didn’t seem surprised by that. Probably because even in high school she’d mentioned that someday she wanted kids.

  “I’ve seen how you are with Cora, and you’re a great mom,” he said, his glance going to her this time.

  Ashlyn wasn’t sure why that felt like such high praise coming from him. And then she remembered something else. “You wanted kids, too.” But the moment the words left her mouth, she winced. After that kiss, he might think she was trying to thrust both a relationship and fatherhood on him. “Sorry. That didn’t sound right.”

  He lifted his shoulder and seemed more, well, amused than manipulated. The expression didn’t last long, though. His forehead bunched up, and he hurried out of the room.

  “Stay away from the windows,” Eli warned her as he ran.

  The chill rippled over her skin, and just like that, her heart began to pound. With her suitcase gripped in her hand, Ashlyn followed Eli and saw him in the kitchen. She didn’t go closer because there was a wall of windows above the sink and counter, and from those windows, she had a clear view of the barn.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked once she had gathered enough breath to speak.

  Eli didn’t jump to answer, and he continued to fire his gaze around the yard and barn. “Maybe nothing. I thought I saw someone, but I could be wrong.”

  She wanted to believe that. Ashlyn wanted to latch onto it so she could try to tamp down the nerves that were now raw and hot.

  “I’m texting Gunnar to have him come back inside,” Eli added a moment later. “We’re leaving.”

  Good. She didn’t want to be there if there was some kind of danger, and she set down her suitcase, waiting to find out what was going on.

  Eli took out his phone, but he didn’t manage to send the text before the bullet came crashing through the window.

  * * *

  ELI DIDN’T SEE the shot coming, but he sure as hell heard it. And he felt it.

  The glass exploded, sending sharp pieces right at him, and he felt one of those pieces slice across his sleeve and arm. There was a quick jolt of pain, which he ignored, because he lunged at Ashlyn, pulling her to the floor with him.

  They fell hard, causing Eli to see stars when he crashed onto the floor. Not a second too soon. Because another bullet bashed through the window and into the kitchen.

  “Gunnar,” Ashlyn said on a rise of breath.

  Yeah, Eli hadn’t forgotten about the deputy and hoped like the devil that he’d also taken cover. Better yet, Eli wanted Gunnar to be able to take out whoever was firing those shots. There was no chance this was just some random attack, and that meant either there was another hired gun or the boss was there to make sure the job was done right.

  That sent a slam of rage through him. Here Ashlyn was in danger again, and they still didn’t know why this was happening or who was behind it. That would change, though. As soon as he could get her safely out of here, Eli would make certain that he caught this SOB. First, however, he had to get Ashlyn out of here.

  Eli’s phone dinged with a text. Gunnar. Anyone hit? Do you have eyes on the shooter?

  No to both, Eli texted back. He nearly added for Gunnar to make sure he stayed out of Eli’s line of fire, but it wasn’t necessary. Gunnar was a good cop and knew that Eli would be looking for this snake.

  “Stay down,” Eli told Ashlyn.

  “You stay down, too,” she insisted, her voice shaking.

  No way could he do that. He couldn’t give the shooter a chance to move closer to the house so he or she would have a kill shot.

  Eli got up, took his backup weapon from his ankle holster and slid it her way. It would probably make her even more terrified than she already was, but the security system wasn’t on, and that meant someone could sneak in. If that happened, he at least wanted her to have something to protect herself.

  “Keep watch on the front door,” he added. Again, that wasn’t going to steady it, but Ashlyn was smart so she’d not only keep an eye out, she’d also listen for any sounds of footsteps.

  “I have my phone now,” Ashlyn said. “I’ll text Kellan and tell him what’s going on.”

  His brother would send backup, and it wouldn’t take long for someone to get there. But Eli hoped he had this situation under control before a cruiser could respond. This time, though, maybe he’d be able to only injure the person so he could take them alive. And question them.

  Two more shots came, but these didn’t go crashing into the window. They hit the back door, a sign that the shooter was indeed moving. But Eli wouldn’t stand still, either. He had to at least know the person’s position to be able to stop them.

  Staying down, he went to the window and peered out. He saw Gunnar by the barn—on the opposite side from where those shots had been fired. Good. That meant the deputy had some cover.

  And could possibly be in a position to be ambushed.

  Gunnar had his back against the barn wall, and with his gun gripped and ready, he was keeping watch. Still, that didn’t mean someone couldn’t take him out with a long-range shot.

  Eli fired glances all around, but he didn’t see their attacker. So he waited. Hard to do since this clown could send a deadly shot straight into the house. Still, he forced himself not to move and risk having the shooter see him.

  Where the hell was he or she?

  There was a fence, but Eli would be able to at least partially see him if he was there. That left some trees and shrubs just beyond the fence and a water trough just inside it, but Eli caught no glint of metal from a firearm, no movement.

  Another shot came. It also hit the back door, but this one had a different angle, meaning the shooter had moved again. Since Eli still hadn’t seen him or her that meant he or she was likely on the ground. A belly-down prone position wasn’t the best if a gunman wanted to get off a series of rapid shots, but it was damn good for accuracy.

  Eli tested that. He took off his hat and flung it at the window. Sure enough the shot came, and the bullet tore through it. Eli didn’t need another reason to hate this piece of dirt, but that did it because it was his favorite
hat. Still, it was worth the sacrifice because he now had this idiot’s location.

  The shooter was on the ground by a water trough.

  Eli made a quick check on Ashlyn to make sure she was still down on the floor. She was. She had her phone in her left hand, the gun in her right, and her attention was fixed exactly where Eli needed it to be. On the front door.

  With his back covered, Eli leaned out and sent a shot to the side of the trough where he’d pinpointed the gunman. His bullet only kicked up some dirt, but it was enough to get the guy scurrying to the side.

  “He’s by the trough,” Eli called out to Gunnar. It was possible that Gunnar would have a better angle on the shot than he would.

  From the corner of his eye, Eli watched the deputy lean out from cover. Eli did the same, and he waited for Gunnar to fire. Gunnar’s shot slammed into the fence, sending a spray of splinters. Not a hit, but it got the gunman scrambling back toward the trees.

  That’s when Eli took his shot.

  He sent a bullet right into the guy’s shoulder, and Eli knew he’d hit pay dirt when the guy dropped to his knees. But he wasn’t down. The idiot twisted his body, taking aim at Gunnar. And that’s when Eli knew he had no choice.

  He fired.

  This time, it wasn’t a shot to disable him but rather one that would likely kill. The shooter took two bullets to the side of his chest before he collapsed face-first onto the ground.

  Chapter Ten

  Ashlyn tried to make sure she looked a lot steadier than she felt. That’s because Eli was watching her, no doubt to make sure she didn’t fall apart.

  She wouldn’t.

  No way did she want to add more to his shoulders than was already there.

  Eli was blaming himself for the attack. She could sense that in his stiff posture and tight jaw as he paced across the living room and continued the string of calls that’d started as soon as he’d killed the gunman. Eli was angry and frustrated—two things that she completely understood. She had gone through that as well, but then it’d been eased some when she’d gotten back to Jack’s and had seen for herself that Cora was okay. There hadn’t been a second attack at the ranch.

  She looked down at Cora, who was now in Ashlyn’s lap, and the baby smiled around the bottle she was sucking. Ashlyn automatically smiled back and felt some more of the tension ease away. Things weren’t perfect, not by a long shot, but it was impossible not to be at least somewhat happy with her baby cuddled like this in her arms.

  Owen glanced over at her when Cora cooed, the sound obviously getting his attention. He wasn’t pacing. He was in the kitchen with her, sipping coffee and standing guard. She didn’t miss the quick checks he was making in the backyard. In the front room, Eli was doing the same in between his pacing.

  Owen reached down, brushed his fingers over Cora’s bare toes, causing the baby to smile again. “If you go back out with Eli when he questions the suspects, you’ll leave her here with Raylene and me,” Owen said.

  It wasn’t a question, but Ashlyn nodded anyway. She wouldn’t take Cora out of the house, but the rest of what Owen said puzzled her.

  “Is that what Eli’s doing—setting up another round of interrogation?” she asked Owen.

  He nodded, sipped his coffee and studied his brother. “I don’t think his temper is going to help in the interviews.”

  No, it wouldn’t. Eli had been forced to shoot two men who’d tried to kill them. Dealing with that alone was enough, but he had the added pressure of not knowing which of their suspects was behind this.

  Remy, Dominick or Oscar.

  All of them had means, motive and opportunity, which meant Eli and she weren’t any closer to learning the truth than they had been before this latest attack. She knew that Eli hadn’t had a choice about killing the gunman, but part of his anger and frustration had to be because now the man couldn’t tell them who’d hired him.

  “You might want to try to calm him down a little,” Owen continued, tipping his head to Eli.

  Ashlyn lifted her eyebrow. “Why would you think I could do that?”

  “You always could,” Owen assured her. “I remember at the end of a football game when someone on the opposing team gave him a sucker punch as they were heading to the locker rooms. Eli punched back, and likely would have kept on punching if you hadn’t stopped it.”

  She had no trouble recalling that. Or the fact that it’d happened a decade and a half ago. “High school,” she reminded him. “I don’t have that kind of...influence over him now.”

  “Sure you do.” Owen gave her a wink.

  Ashlyn would have disagreed with that, but Owen didn’t give her a chance. He scooped Cora up from her arms, kissing the baby on her cheek. Cora must have liked the move because she gave him a big smile.

  “I’m good at burping detail,” Owen insisted, and he headed out of the kitchen just as Eli was coming in. Obviously, this was Owen’s ploy to give her some privacy so she could try to do the soothing that he’d just suggested. She wouldn’t.

  Or rather she couldn’t.

  But it certainly seemed as if Eli needed something. As he got closer, she could practically feel the anger radiating off him.

  “What the heck is he smiling about?” Eli growled when he looked in Owen’s direction.

  “Burping duty,” Ashlyn mumbled, causing Eli to snap toward her. “He says he’s good at it,” she added when he just stared at her.

  Skepticism replaced some of Eli’s anger, and then his scowl deepened. “He told you to calm me down.”

  “Yes,” she admitted. “I’d try if I thought it’d do any good.” She took hold of his hand. “This wasn’t your fault.”

  “The hell it wasn’t. I knew it was a bad idea for you to go back to your place.”

  Ashlyn sighed. “All right, then it’s my fault because I’m the one who insisted I go.”

  That didn’t improve his glare. Not at first anyway. Then he groaned and squeezed his eyes shut a moment. When he opened them again, she’d hoped to see less anger there. Nope. So she leaned in and brushed her mouth over his. Eli stiffened, but when his gaze met hers, his eyes weren’t nearly as narrowed as they had been.

  Only then did she remember that she’d done that very thing the night of that football fight.

  “You’re trying to distract me,” he grumbled. “But it’ll take a hell of a lot more than just a kiss to do that.”

  Even though his tone was still rough, she relaxed a little because she could feel him doing the same. She wanted to push it even more. To say something light. But she still wasn’t feeling steady enough to do that.

  And Eli saw that in her eyes.

  He cursed softly, pulled her to him and brushed a kiss on the top of her head. “You’re going to have some bad dreams tonight,” he whispered. “Not much I can do about that, so I’m sorry for that, too.”

  She pulled back, looked up at him. “I know there’s plenty you will do to help with those dreams...and the threat of another attack.” Things that involved more than hugs and kisses. “I heard one of your phone calls. You’re bringing out some Ranger friends to search the grounds and keep watch. You’re adding some security cameras with motion detectors. And I suspect you’ll sleep on the hall floor outside the bedroom again.”

  He frowned. “How’d you know I slept in the hall?”

  “Because I know you.” Ashlyn ran a hand down his arm and felt the muscles respond beneath her touch. “You’ll do whatever it takes. So will I.”

  His frown had lightened up a little, but it deepened again when she added that last sentence. “What do you mean by that?”

  Since this would require a deep breath, she took it. “Owen said you were bringing in all the suspects. When?”

  “ASAP. I told them if they didn’t get into the sheriff’s office that I’d arrest them and charge them with obstruction
of justice.”

  Ashlyn bet none of them cared much for that threat, but it might get them there sooner than later. “I think that’s a good idea, but I also believe I should be there when you talk to them.”

  Now his eyes narrowed, too.

  “We won’t take Cora with us,” she went on. “She’ll stay here with an army of law enforcement officers to protect her. She’ll be safe.” Ashlyn had to believe that because the alternative was unthinkable. “But I should be there to talk to Dominick. I know him. I’ve dealt with him. And if he’s lying, I believe I’d be able to tell.”

  Eli didn’t jump to respond to that. Not verbally, anyway. However, he did grind out some profanity under his breath. “It might not even be Dominick. It could be Remy. Hell, or Oscar. I’m trying to get an ID on this latest shooter so I can see if he’s linked to Oscar like the others.”

  She nodded. Ashlyn had heard bits of that conversation as well. “And if he is, maybe you’ll have enough to make an arrest.”

  “Yeah.” Eli didn’t sound very hopeful about that, though. “I also asked the Rangers to do a deeper financial dig on Dominick and Remy.”

  Good. She hadn’t heard that part of the call, but Dominick was definitely capable of hiding funds. She suspected Remy was, too, especially if he’d hired someone to murder the mortician and steal those files.

  “It just seems stupid that Oscar would hire gunmen that we could so easily connect back to him,” Eli continued. He paused, groaned softly. “But then that might have been exactly why Oscar would do that.”

  A sort of reverse psychology, she supposed, but it might not be as complicated as that. It could be that Oscar was reacting out of anger and hired the first people he could think of. Even as the owner of a seedy pawnshop, there probably wasn’t a slew of potential candidates for hit men so he might not have had a lot of options in that area.