“The old drive-in movie theater. It’s private and doesn’t get a lot of traffic. And it’s in this direction.”
Blake spoke into his radio, instructing his men to where he and Colton were headed.
He drove to the drive-in and pulled off to the side of the road. Colton got out and went to the trunk. After withdrawing several weapons, he slipped on a protective vest. He had the same feeling now as he used to before missions, and although he was glad to have Blake by his side, he wished his other ranger brothers were there, as well. But this had all gone down so quickly, there hadn’t been time to call on them.
Exhaling slowly, Colton squared his shoulders, bracing himself for what lay ahead. One way or another, Laura was coming out of there alive. Randall was a different story. It was his choice whether or not he lived through this.
* * *
Randall dragged Laura through a clearing toward what looked like an abandoned building. She saw the big outdoor movie screen and realized they were at the abandoned drive-in Colton had told her about.
He kicked in the door to the building, then pushed Laura inside and shut the door. She landed on top of a stack of metal bins, which went crashing to the floor with a loud clank.
He growled. “You did that on purpose.”
“No, I didn’t. It was an accident. You shoved me and I fell.”
“So it was my fault?” The question burst angrily from him and it seemed he would explode with rage. He lifted his hand, then smacked Laura hard across the face.
She lay still for a moment as the searing pain rippled through her cheek. Then, breathing heavily, she pulled herself to a sitting position. She didn’t know what his intention with her was, but she wouldn’t cower to him. He would just have to kill her. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of being afraid any longer.
She’d never seen Randall look so disheveled and out of control. He looked like a man on the edge and nothing like the power broker she’d known him as.
“What happened to you?” she asked him and he smirked.
“I killed a federal agent today.” He must have seen the horror on her face because he nodded. “That’s right. He managed to worm his way into my employment only to gather evidence against me. Your friend Miranda is the one who turned me on to his true nature. Before I shot him, he told me the FBI has enough evidence against me to put me in prison for a long time. I believed him about that, so I got out of town as fast as I could.”
Laura thought Miranda must have gotten that information about an undercover FBI agent from Blake and it saddened her again to realize how her friend had betrayed those who’d cared about her. His words also seemed to confirm what Colton had told her about going to River City to meet with an undercover FBI agent. He’d told her the truth and she hadn’t believed him.
But she had a much bigger problem than Miranda’s betrayal. Randall was, in fact, on the edge. He was losing everything and so he had nothing to lose.
She wasn’t going to make it out of there alive.
Her one saving grace was that she’d gotten to speak to Colton before Randall had crushed the phone. She’d been able to hear his voice one final time.
“What do you want from me?” she asked Randall.
He pulled out his gun, pointed it at her, then knelt in front of her, locking eyes with her. “I want to hear you say you love me.” When she didn’t respond, he cocked the gun and pressed it against her head. “Say it!”
Laura sucked in a breath so full of terror it nearly choked her, but she was determined she wouldn’t let Randall win. He wouldn’t make her cower. “Is that what you want?” she asked him. “You want me to lie to you? Will a lie make you feel better?”
The gun jerked in his hand, frustration clearly taking over his mind-set. “You’d better say it like you mean it if you know what’s good for you.” His hand was shaking and she was a little worried the gun might go off by accident.
“You can shoot me, Randall, but you can never make me love you. That’s the one thing you can never have.”
Her heart already belonged to someone else. He may never be able to forgive her for doubting him and he may not still want her after all this if she survived it, but she loved him and she only hoped to live long enough to tell him so.
* * *
Colton checked his weapons. He couldn’t afford any misfires, not today, not when Laura’s life depended on him. She may never trust him again, but he would still do his best to protect her from Randall.
He glanced over at Blake. His friend was hurting over the loss of Miranda, but Colton knew from experience he would keep his wits about him. He knew the stakes all too well. Randall had already killed an FBI agent and Miranda. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill Laura.
Blake took command of the locals who were now arriving, instructing them to set up blockades and establish a perimeter. But Colton doubted it would come to that. Randall wasn’t on the run. He was going down and Colton knew from experience he would take anyone and everyone down with him. The fact that he’d come himself for Laura spoke volumes about his intentions. He had plans and no one was getting out of this alive if Randall had his way.
Blake introduced two of his best deputies, both former military who knew how to handle a rifle. “Dunley is a former sniper, so I’m positioning him on the landing at the big screen. Our initial reconnaissance shows they’re holed up in the projector booth. That spot should offer a clear view into the building. And this is Waller. He was a marine.”
Sniper Dunley gave Colton a reassuring nod of his head. “We’ll get her out safely,” he said before he left to take his position. Colton summed up the kid—and he was just a kid, probably only twenty-five or twenty-six, the same age as Garrett. He seemed capable, but Colton had never fought with him, never put his trust in the man, and he wished once again that his own team was with him tonight.
“Don’t worry,” Blake said, obviously sensing his uncertainty. “Dunley is good. He only left the teams because his mother got ill and he had to come home to help care for her. I checked him out when I hired him. He could have had a great career ahead of him had he stayed in the military.”
Colton shook off his dread. He didn’t have time to go through each man’s background to approve or disapprove them. Blake knew his men and Colton trusted his judgment.
Blake motioned toward the map. “I’m putting Johnson, Phillips and Clark to surround the building from each side. I’ll take the fourth spot.”
He felt better knowing Blake was going in with him. At least he had one of his men backing him, but he was still scared. Everything he wanted out of life was inside that booth.
Quicker than Colton would have thought possible, Dunley’s voice came over the radio. “I’m in position and I have a visual. They’re definitely in the projector building.”
“What do you see?” Blake asked him.
“Laura is crouched in the corner. Randall is pacing back and forth. I see one weapon in his hand, but I can’t determine yet if he has more.”
“How is Laura?” Colton asked, his voice gruff with emotion. “Is she hurt?”
“She looks frightened but uninjured as far as I can tell, but, guys, this fellow looks unstable. He’s waving that gun around.”
“I’m going in there,” Colton said. All he could think of, all he could focus on, was getting to her and getting her away from Randall by any means necessary. He started out, but Blake stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t do anything rash, Colton. We need to come up with a plan.”
“I have a plan. I’m going in there.”
“Don’t be dumb, Colton,” Blake barked. “We need to figure out how to get the upper hand on him.”
Dunley’s voice came over the radio again. “He’s blocking the windows. I have negative visibility now. He must have made us. Repeat, zero visibility.”
“Time to change plans,” Blake spoke into his mic. “Looks like we’re going to breach the building. Everyone hold for furthe
r instructions.” He looked at Colton. “Do you remember the Zarneski plan?”
Colton smiled and nodded. “I’m on it.”
The Zarneski was a bait-and-switch plan. Basically, one person would keep the target occupied while the other sneaked up behind—or in this case, sneaked past—him to retrieve the girl.
While Blake approached the front of the building, Colton approached the back of the projection shed. The plan was for his buddy to keep Randall busy while Colton figured out a way to get Laura out.
He heard Blake’s strong, authoritative voice and was amazed at how controlled it was. His friend continued to amaze him. He honestly didn’t know how he was keeping it together.
“Randall, it’s Sheriff Michaels. We need to end this.”
And then Randall’s psychotic response. “Get back! Get back or I’ll kill her!”
Colton kept one ear listening to the conversation. He didn’t want to be blindsided if Randall suddenly stopped talking or his voice raised, anything indicating he’d reached a boiling point.
Colton climbed stealthily onto the roof, ignoring the pain in his knee, then pried open the ventilation shaft. He slid inside, still cautious of Randall and using his voice to pinpoint where he was in the shed. Sliding in was the dangerous part because he had to use both hands. He was basically unarmed during this process. As soon as his feet hit the floor, his gun was back in his hand.
Laura saw him and jumped up. She started to call out his name, but Colton held his finger to his lips, warning her to remain quiet. She nodded her understanding. He motioned for her to come to him and she did, moving quietly and watching Randall as she did.
Her foot clipped a piece of metal and it clanked to the floor. The noise caused Randall to spin, raise his gun and fire. Colton lunged for Laura, knocking her to the floor. He felt the bullet pierce his flesh beneath his vest and it stung like crazy. Laura’s eyes were wide with fear as Colton landed on top of her.
“Get up,” Randall commanded. “How dare you try to sneak in here!”
Colton heard the commotion both from outside the building and through his earbud. The gunshot had obviously raised the tension outside among Blake and the others.
He heard Blake’s shouts. “Colton, are you okay? What’s happening?”
“Get back,” Randall hollered to those outside. “Get back or I’ll kill them both!”
He closed the distance between them and grabbed Colton by the vest, pulling him off Laura with a crazy unnatural strength obviously fueled by adrenaline.
Colton felt the pain from the gunshot wound rip through him. He stared into Laura’s eyes, seeing her fear and worry, and knew he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. Pain blurred his eyes. His balance faltered. And as Randall grabbed him and pulled him off Laura, he slumped and knew he wasn’t getting back up.
He’d failed Laura again.
* * *
When Laura saw Colton slump onto the floor, a scream ripped through her. She crawled over to him. Blood was gushing from his side. He’d lost a lot of blood in a short of amount of time and she thought Randall’s bullet might have nicked an artery. If it had, they had limited time before he bled out. He had to get to a hospital and quickly.
Randall stood over them, gun raised, his face twisted with fury.
Laura pleaded with him for mercy. “He needs to get to a hospital. You have to let his friends come in and get him.”
Randall shook his head. “That’s not going to happen.”
“He’ll die,”
“Then he’ll die,” Randall stated without a bit of empathy in his voice.
Laura had known he was coldhearted, but now she saw it firsthand. He cared about nothing but himself. Maybe she could use that to get them out of there alive. If Randall wanted her, he could have her if it would save Colton’s life.
Colton had come for her. He’d risked his life and might possibly lose it by trying to rescue her despite how she’d treated him. She hadn’t trusted him. She’d put them both at risk because she’d believed lies instead of what she’d known in her heart—that she could trust Colton. They were now in this mess because of her. It was her fault. Colton might die because of her foolishness.
She thought about her father. He’d been willing to try to fix the mess but hadn’t been able to, and although Laura had appreciated that he’d tried, she hadn’t forgiven him for his foolishness. Now she understood how one bad decision could never truly be undone. That was why forgiveness was so important.
But right now she had to do whatever it took to get Colton the help he needed. It was all up to her now.
Blake was still yelling for some kind of communication and she could see it was getting to Randall. He was distracted and confused. She waited until he turned and walked to the window, then saw her opportunity. She took the gun from Colton’s hand and aimed it at Randall just as Colton had shown her. This gun was much heavier and it took both hands to hold it at him.
Randall turned and saw it and all the confusion and distraction faded. His face hardened and she knew there was no turning back. She tried her best to keep her hands from shaking, but they still did. She knew she had to stay strong. Focused.
And she found herself praying.
God, please help us. God, please keep Colton alive until we can get him to the hospital. Please help us get out of this mess alive. Make my aim steady and true.
Randall raised his gun and Laura fired. The force of the gun knocked her backward, but she steadied herself. Randall jerked as he was hit, but he swung back to her and she fired again, this time hitting him straight in the chest. He went down and didn’t get up.
Suddenly the door burst open and Blake, followed by a swarm of men all dressed in protective gear, their guns raised, filed into the room. Laura made certain not to make any sudden movements until they’d had a moment to process the scene, but she slowly lowered the gun to her side.
Blake stood over Randall. He kicked the gun from his hand and out of reach, then knelt to check for a pulse. He looked at Laura and shook his head, indicating no pulse.
The gun slipped from her hand and clunked against the floor. She wouldn’t have been able to explain the emotion that fell over her, but she was sad in a way that she’d killed Randall. She’d never killed anyone before and she’d never even thought about how she would feel afterward if she’d had to do it. And she’d had to shoot him. She knew that. Randall would have surely killed her. He’d already shot Colton.
Colton!
The thought of him pulled her out of her momentary fog and it no longer mattered how it felt to have killed Randall. She had to focus on the man she loved now and on saving his life.
“What happened?” Blake asked her, following to him.
“Randall shot him.” She knelt beside him and pressed her hands into his wound, trying to stem the bleeding. “He’s losing blood fast. We have to get him to the hospital.”
Blake spoke into his mic. “We need an ambulance in here.” He looked at Laura. “They’ll be here as fast as they can.”
She prayed they made it in time.
Colton began to stir. His eyes fluttered open, but Laura could see they were glassy and unfocused.
“Laura.” He spoke her name weakly.
“I’m here. Hold on, Colton,” she pleaded. “Help is coming.”
“Randall?”
“He can’t hurt anyone anymore.”
Blake knelt beside him. “He’s dead, buddy,” Blake said from over her shoulder. “Laura shot him.”
Colton reached up and stroked her cheek. “Good girl,” he whispered to her.
“I had a good teacher,” she said, pressing her face against his hand.
“He’s fading,” Blake said as Colton’s eyes closed and his hand went limp, falling back to his side.
His breathing grew rapid and heavy and he started to sweat. His skin was becoming pale, cold and clammy as blood flow was being directed away.
Laura recognized the symptoms. “He
’s going into shock,” she said hoarsely.
“You’re a nurse. Tell me what to do.”
“Do you have a medical kit with oxygen?”
“Yes. All our police cruisers come equipped with emergency oxygen kits.” He got on the radio and called for someone to bring the kit.
She grabbed Blake’s hands and pressed them against the wound in Colton’s stomach. “Keep applying pressure.”
An officer rushed in with the first-aid kit and Laura reached first for the emergency oxygen. Colton needed an infusion of blood, but for now, oxygen and IV fluids would have to do until they reached the hospital. Realizing she needed to get his blood moving if he had any chance of surviving, she pulled the oxygen mask over his face, then started an IV line and pushed fluids that were also in the emergency kit.
All the while, she kept speaking to Colton, trying to get him to respond to her. “Talk to him,” she told Blake. “Tell him to hold on.”
In the distance she heard sirens and was relieved the ambulance was finally here.
Blake looked around at all the old furniture and equipment. “It’s awfully tight in here. Should we move him?”
Laura shook her head. “Not until the ambulance arrives.”
The sirens grew louder until she could hear it right outside the door. Two paramedics burst inside and rushed over to them. Blake moved out of the way, but Laura didn’t move.
“I’m an RN. He’s sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Excessive bleeding and he’s in hypovolemic shock. I’ve started oxygen and pushed IV fluids, but he’s still lethargic and unresponsive.”
Laura moved out of the way as the paramedics rolled in a gurney. Blake and another officer helped lift Colton onto the gurney. She stayed by his side as they loaded him into the ambulance. Then she climbed in with them to monitor his vitals.
“I have to stay here to process the scene,” Blake said, “but I’ll be at the hospital as soon as I can.”
“I’ll stay with him,” she assured him, knowing it must be tearing him up not being able to be with Colton. She knew it would be for her.
Ranch Refuge Page 16