He must have left the back door ajar because she could see it easing open, very slowly. Any hopes of a someone coming to her rescue were dashed when the door was fully open and no one appeared until her gaze dropped to the ground. Crawling like a plumber under an old house hunting down a leak, Brady was ever so slowly and quietly inching forward. It had never occurred to her that if Brady had been in the house, his military training would kick in.
Before she could react, Ray turned in the direction she’d been looking. His whole body turned and arm held straight out, he pointed his firearm at her precious Brady. “No!” ripped from her lungs as she lunged forward, throwing herself low in hopes of knocking him off his feet before he could pull the trigger.
Slamming hard on the floor, she held her arms forward and shoved at the back of his knees with all her might, the sound of another shot echoing loudly in her ears. All she could think was not Brady. Dear lord, not Brady.
“Come on, Mom. Answer.” Phone to his ear, Kade spat through clenched teeth.
His own phone in front of him as they all ran to the truck, Clint called Benny’s cell, each ring taking an eternity until finally the kid answered. “Hello.”
“Where are you?” Clint hopped into the truck, turning the engine as the others climbed in.
“Replacing the well pump. Remember?”
Damn it. “Yeah, yeah.” He’d forgotten that Benny wasn’t working in the barn today.
“What do you need?”
Running calculations in his mind, even if Benny flew like the wind, Clint and the guys had a more likely chance of reaching the house first by a wide margin. Still, this was Alice he was worried about. “There may be trouble at the house. Drop everything and get back as fast as you can.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Benny?”
“Yes.”
“You’d better bring your rifle.”
The kid breathed for a second before saying, “Got it. I’ll hurry.”
There was no need to say anything else. The kid had been raised on ranches his whole life, he knew that anything could happen and he clearly understood that Miss Alice could be in trouble.
“Don’t worry about speed limits,” Kade ground out.
“That’s the plan.” The truck sailed across the fields and pastures faster than Clint had ever driven. Several times the rear end of the vehicle went airborne as he flew over a rut or mound. No one said a word. None of it mattered. Bruises would heal. Not so much Alice if Ray was really at the house.
As they approached the house, from a distance everything looked deceptively normal. What should have calmed his frayed nerves only increased the acid churning in his gut. Clint didn’t take his eyes off the house ahead. “Try her again.”
Without a word, Kade had the phone to his ear again.
Josh leaned forward from the back seat. “Can’t we go any faster?”
“It won’t do her any good if we flip this sucker over and break our necks.” But he too wished he could go faster.
The sound of a gunshot cracked through the air, clear even at this distance.
“Jesus,” Kade uttered, his face draining of color.
Clint’s knuckles went white on the steering wheel as he pushed the truck faster across the uneven ground. Horrible visions of Alice lying on the floor in a pool of blood, the life draining out of her, flashed before his eyes. More ugly thoughts of Alice injured, in pain, with Ray taking advantage of an empty house and no hands around. Both visions had him hitting the accelerator even harder.
No sooner had the truck skidded to a halt by the back porch then the three of them leapt from the vehicle, greeted by Alice’svoice screaming loudlyNOaccompanied by another gunshot. Never had his heart hammered so violently in his chest. Not even when he battled the heat and smoke in a failed effort to save his wife, not even then had he been as terrified of what he’d find as he was at this very minute.
Taking the porch steps two at a time, he was only steps ahead of Kade and Josh. Crashes and thuds and groans carried from the open door. Heaven help Ray if he’d hurt even one hair on Alice’s head, Kade and Josh would have to wait their turn. Clint would easily beat the man within an inch of his life. With no idea of what he’d find, he held his finger to his lips and took the lead, slowly, quietly inching the already ajar door fully open, rifle in his hand, prepared to shoot to kill if necessary.
Only the sight ahead had him stuttering to a stop, Kade and Josh nearly plowed into his back.
Standing over Ray’s prone body, a string of clothesline dangling from her hands, Alice tore her gaze away from the man out cold on the floor and leveled her eyes with Clint’s. “He was going to shoot Brady.”
At Ray’s feet, teeth exposed under a steady snarl, Brady was poised to take over if the man stirred. To the side of Ray’s head, a cast iron frying pan lay on the floor.
