He and Finley made their way back toward the ledge. Two of the men followed on foot, one followed in the ATV.
His brain had gone icy cold, but his heart was fiery hot.How do I protect her? I can’t allow anything to happen to her.
It didn’t take them long to reach the dig site. The one driving the Polaris killed the motor but not the lights. When the strangers came to stand next to the hole, Luke could feel their satisfaction and greed.
“Have you told anyone else about this?” the leader asked Luke.
He could lie and tell him they’d already called the police. But that might agitate them, and he didn’t want to force their hand. “No.”
“I don’t believe you,” one of the others said.
“It’s the truth,” Luke bit out.
“Is it?” the leader asked Finley, who was still shielded by Luke’s body. “Who else knows about this?”
“No one,” she said clearly.
Two of the men went to the ATV for boxes and shovels.
The leader drew closer. “Come out, Finley,” he said mildly.
Foreboding knotted Luke’s stomach. He let go of Finley’s hand in order to reach toward his lower back.
“How do you know my name?” Finley asked.
“How would anyone know about this gold if theydidn’tknow your name?” he countered. “Step to the side. Let me get a look at you.”
“No,” Luke said.
“You’re not in a position to tell me no.”
For a tense moment, no one moved. Then the leader tried to reach around Luke for Finley.
Luke drew a handgun from his waistband at the exact same time that the man raised his weapon. They pointed the muzzles at each other.
“Wait.” Finley slipped forward, standing beside Luke. Out in the open. “Everything’s all right. You can lower your guns.”
Neither of them lowered their gun.
“Luke.” There was anguish in Finley’s tone.
She didn’t want him to risk himself, but she couldn’t know how little he cared about his own life in this moment. He hadn’t saved his brother. He would die before he failed to save Finley.
“Lower your guns, please,” she said.
They continued to face off.
“You’re welcome to the gold,” she told the leader. “In fact, we’ll help you load it. Just let us go.”
The leader kept his aim on Luke but drew a few inches nearer to Finley.
“Get any closer to her and I’ll kill you,” Luke promised.
“No.” Finley reached toward Luke’s forearm, distracting him for a split second—
The leader charged him, knocking Luke’s gun upward right before Luke pulled the trigger. The sound of his gun firing boomed through the air as the man shoved him. Luke planted his feet to keep his balance, then drove his shoulder into the wall of the man’s chest. A grunt sounded. Luke wedged an uppercut against his jaw. The man’s head snapped back, and he faltered.
Another man collided with Luke from the side. The third wrenched his gun arm up and behind him, twisting the ligaments and tendons in Luke’s shoulder. He lost his grip on the gun.
