Not badly. Not enough to slow them permanently. But enough to humiliate him.
Enough to prove that the Ranger hadn’t just escaped—he’dplayedthem.
Thomas paced the narrow clearing where his men regrouped, boots grinding into the dirt. One man groaned nearby, clutching a bloodied arm. Another sat stunned, eyes darting too fast, too wide.
Useless.
“You let him dictate the field,” Thomas said coldly.
No one spoke.
“He wanted you to scatter,” Thomas continued, voice eerily calm now. “And you did.”
Diego shifted. “He knew the terrain better—”
Thomas turned on him, eyes burning. “Then why are you still standing, and he isn’t in pieces?”
Silence fell hard.
Thomas inhaled slowly, forcing his pulse down. Rage was a weapon—but only if you aimed it.
“You said the woman threw a rock,” Thomas said.
Diego nodded. “Yes.”
“She didn’t scream.”
“No.”
“She didn’t freeze.”
“No.”
Thomas smiled—and it was the most dangerous expression yet.
“She thinks she’s brave now.”
That was the problem.
Rylie wasn’t supposed to feel strong. She wasn’t supposed to act. She was supposed to wait to be told what to do.
He pulled out his phone and scrolled to a familiar contact.
The fatal mistake wasn’t violence.
It waswherehe aimed it.
“Call the town,” Thomas said. “Light it up.”
Diego’s eyes widened. “The sheriff—”
“Is exactly why,” Thomas snapped. “If I can’t scare her back into submission, I’ll remind her what running costs everyone else.”
A pause. Then obedience.
Thomas turned away, dialing another number—one he’d been holding in reserve.
The line rang twice.
