Chapter 13
The bullet feltcold and damp in her sweat-slicked hand, in stark contrast to the baking heat of the sun overhead. Not that she really felt any of that. All she felt was numb and a vague sense of fear. The acute terror she’d experienced only moments before had subsided into shock. Not one person on her ranch had any reason to want to harm her. She’d never sensed any true violence inside a single one of them. She had a masters in psychology; she could read people’s emotions. She’d made her life’s work out ofit.
But somewhere, deep in the back of her heart, she knew Cord was telling the truth. The sense of foreboding and betrayal hung heavy over her shoulders, blanketing thefear.
If it truly was one of her men, they didn’t know what they were doing. They needed help, help maybe she could getthem.
The moment Cord turned away from her, she unconsciously reached out for him, almost brushing his shoulder with her fingers before some part of her stopped the movement just before she touchedhim.
No matter how much she wanted to help her clients, one of them was trying to kill them. She might’ve failed to accurately read the men on her ranch, but she could easily see a calm assurance in every firm line of Cord’s body. He knew exactly what he wasdoing.
Without hesitation, he lifted that rifle and fired. Then he dropped to his belly in the dirt, lining the scope up with his eyeagain.
With cold lips, she whispered, “Did you gethim?”
Cord’s broad back and shoulders shifted, and then he was back out from under the truck, staring at her with concern. “Yes, I thinkso.”
Cord cupped her cheek and then drew her into his arms. Sam laid her head against a solid chest, gladly accepting the comfort heoffered.
“I’m sorry,Sam.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but a strangle of tears clogged up her throat, so instead she just nodded against the fresh rush of tears. He’d had to do it, he really had no other choice. The sadness was crushing. “I need to know who itwas.”
Cord held her back from him. “I’ll go look. You stayhere.”
“No, I’m going with you. I need tosee.”
“Not until I’m sure he can’t hurtyou.”
The unsaid words hung in the air between them—not until he was sure the shooter wasdead.
Sam stared into his hard, emerald-cut gaze and knew Cord wouldn’t bend on the issue. “Fine, I’llstay.”
In that moment, his gaze softened. “Thank you. I need you safe and protected until I’m sure. I can’t loseyou.”
Cord reached for her hand and gently pried her fist open, dropping the forgotten bullet into his palm. “Everything’s going to be all right. Ipromise.”
She wasn’t so sure about that, but she kept that to herself. Cord chambered another round, peered around the truck, and then he was gone. Unable to help herself, she glanced around the corner, staring in wonder at the fluid strength evident in the fluid fast way he ran to the downedman.
“I always knew your Mother Teresa syndrome would get out ofhand.”
Sam spun, her horror intensifying when she got her first glimpse of her ex. His black tie and suit were gone, as was any attempt at personal hygiene. “What are you doinghere?”
He pressed his entire body against hers, trapping her between him and the rusty metaltruck.
“Brad,I—”
“You stopped returning my phone calls, Samantha. And after everything I did for you, lifting you up out of that pathetically poor existence you wereliving.”
His torn, khaki-colored shirt and thick, canvas jeans dug into the soft, exposed skin on her arms andlegs.
“You hit me,remember?”
“Fucking right I did; you needed to learn your place.” His grip tightened on her throat, momentarily cutting off herair.
Panic surged and she clawed at his grip, fighting to pry his hand loose. She might as well have been digging into stone. His fingers didn’t even loosen aninch.
Brad put his face less than an inch from hers; his foul breath sent goose bumps of disgust racing across herskin.
