Kade
Close now, I glance at the blue digits on Hunt’s dash. Factor in Briana’s pit stop, and she’s only ten, maybe twenty minutes ahead.
Gravel crunches as I slam on the brakes. Jumping out, I place a palm on the squad car to my left. The hood’s still warm. Griffin’s not far.
Adrenaline sharpens everything—sight, sound, instinct. My body knows something’s wrong, even if I can’t name it.
Halfway up the mountain, a gunshot cracks the air.
My heart stutters. Then comes a scream—high, panicked—splintering into sobs.
No. No. No.Not her.Please, God. I finally found something real—don’t take it away.
Ears perked, Becca whines, eyes locked on mine.
“Go,” I say. “Find Briana. Find Bree, girl. Find.”
One wave of my hand and she rockets into the underbrush, her tail a blur.
As her barks fade, I charge uphill following the drone’s overhead buzz. My thigh muscles burn. Each breath scalds my lungs. My fear grows, keeping pace with the ever-steepening incline.
Without warning, the soul-wrenching sobs stop.
In the silence, I heel-toe forward toward the voices.
What the hell are you up to, Griff?“Put your gun down and your hands in the air.”
I’m about to call out when Briana’s sharp, defiant tone cuts through the trees. “Don’t think I’m going to do that, Officer.”
She’s alive.A wave of relief crashes through me, buckling my knees.
My inner Marine takes over, shoving aside the temporary sheriff. Slow and steady, I inch ahead until a thin break in the foliage—
Then, I freeze.
Face red, jaw clenched, the trooper stands barely a yard away. His arm is locked around a terrified teenage girl’s neck. At his feet, a young man writhes in the dirt, clutching his gut.
With his longneck slung over his shoulder, Griffin presses his sidearm to the kid’s temple.
“One,” he growls, finger curling around the trigger. “Two…”
I reach for my piece—
BANG!
Griff jerks. Eyes fluttering, he crumples.
The girl screams.
From the trees, Bree steps into view, pistol raised, smoke curling from the barrel.
Jesus, she’s magnificent.
“Don’t shoot—it’s me.” Stepping into the clearing, I kick Griff’s Glock clear, check his pulse, and shake my head.
Stupid bastard. As I remove his rifle, her eyes widen. “Kade? You’re not dead.”
A shit-eating grin on my face, I open my arms. “Nope. You neither.”
