The rifle went off with a crack. One body fell slack. After some rummaging sounds, one man stood and lifted his hand to her. She thought it was a thumbs-up. Which meant it was Risk. Relief surged through her.
He dragged the body to a location two yards away and climbed back up the ladder. She met him at the door opening and wrapped her arms around him, needing to feel that he was alive. She also felt bulky goggles over his eyes and another rifle, which he put into her hands.
He moved her fingers over the trigger guard, down the length of the rifle. “Shoot, push the lever, like I did earlier,” he whispered, so close to her ear that the goggles brushed her hair and his breath tickled her neck. She nodded. “I will identify myself immediately when I come up. Shoot anyone else.”
Something vibrated in his hand. He held up a cell phone with a glowing text message: Shot fired at deer stand Alpha Blue, I think. Another text came in shortly after. On my way over now.
That one was from Alan, the guy who’d taken a bullet in the shoulder.
Risk turned and was gone, jumping back down to the ground and disappearing into the shadows. She heard the ATV engine a few seconds later. Still no lights. She hefted the rifle and tried to get comfortable holding it in position. Could she really shoot someone?
Yes, she could shoot these sons of bitches.
Just so long as she didn’t accidentally shoot Risk. Panic plus gun equaled potential disaster. Still, it empowered her to have the gun. And if one of the men came up into that opening, he wouldn’t expect her to be armed.
The ATV drew cautiously closer, then stopped as the driver, Alan, obviously spotted the body. He was probably focused on that form, trying to discern whether it was Risk or one of their own.
Risk crept up and shot him. Alan slumped forward, and Risk pushed him the rest of the way. He waved Addie to come down. She was just about to leave her place when she saw another shadow move a few yards from Risk. Her throat closed up. Her finger tightened on the trigger. And she pulled it.
The shadow lurched back. Risk spun and fired again, and the shadow fell. She scrambled down the ladder, her legs so weak that she slid down the final three rungs. When she reached Risk, he was kneeling next to the man who had been only a shadow. “Good shot, Addie,” Risk whispered. “You saved my ass.”
She only nodded, shock numbing her. He turned back to Alan’s body and rummaged through the clothes. After extracting another phone, he entered a text message: Got the son of a bitch. Going after the girl.
She shivered at the phony message. Because that was exactly what Alan would have texted had things gone the other way. Risk settled something over her head, and suddenly the world was a shade of daylight green. So was Risk, who smiled as he held up a black pistol. His Glock, she guessed.
Risk climbed onto the ATV, and she settled behind him, her arms tight around his waist. Maybe they were going to make it after all. But they had hundreds of acres to traverse without a clue how to get out. A border of electric fence. And Elrod out there somewhere, waiting for the chance to gun them down.
Chapter 20
There was one thing Risk hadn’t had time to tell Addie. He’d texted Chase while waiting on the roof of the blind to let him know what was going on. Chase had responded that he’d just arrived in Buck, worried when he hadn’t heard from anyone in hours. With a friend from the FBI.
But they weren’t home free. Addie riding behind him was a dead giveaway that it wasn’t one of Elrod’s guys on the ATV. Even worse, the engine camouflaged the sound of any other ATV in the area.
He sped through the woods as fast as he could, winding around trees and aiming for the largest gaps so he didn’t lose time. They bounded over rocks and dips, and he hoped this wasn’t the quadrant with the crevices. Having a map of the place would have been a big help. Back in his SEAL days, sometimes they had maps and diagrams of their targets; other times they had nothing more than vague coordinates. He’d work with it. But it wasn’t just his life on the line. He had a woman he’d come to care about a lot. And a tiger cub.
Addie was holding on tight, and he felt her arms tremble. From fear or muscle tension, he wasn’t sure. She’d been through so much. And they weren’t done yet.
Risk spotted a wear pattern up ahead. Not a real road but a frequently used passage. He had to decide: Take it and possibly end up at the compound. Or keep driving blindly through the woods.
He took the road. If he came up on someone face-to-face, the other man wouldn’t see Addie right away. She was that close to Risk.
He leaned back and said, “Stay tight and keep your head down.” She might lean to the side if he stopped.
If Elrod bought Alan’s text message, he’d think Risk was dead. So Elrod should assume any guy approaching on an ATV was one of his own. That was if all went well. Things didn’t always work the way they were supposed to.
Risk saw lights in the distance. Not headlights but steady lights that indicated they were probably nearing the compound.
Fortunately, he saw no one. He started to head past the buildings, continuing on the road he now knew led to the outside gate. Getting out would prove another difficulty: He was sure it would be locked and electrified.
The sound of an ATV behind had him spinning around. Risk snatched the NVGs from Addie’s head and said, “Pretend you’re with me against your will. You watched me shoot Risk and you’re distraught. Exhausted. Still cuffed.” They couldn’t continue with their backs to Elrod, so Risk started to turn around.
She positioned herself to slump against his back. Within seconds, Elrod came into view and headed over. They came to a stop, facing each other.
“Hey, boss, got the girl and brought her back for you,” Risk drawled. Elrod may not be able to tell who he was with the NVGs still in place.
Elrod’s expression went from puzzled to elated and back to puzzled. “Who are you?”
“I’m your favorite.” Risk drew his gun and climbed off the ATV. “Your favorite nightmare. Drop your weapons.”
He wanted to shoot this bastard so bad, his finger was trembling. Something Elrod noticed as he dropped his rifle. Chase had emphasized that shooting a guy without direct provocation made for a messy aftermath. “Keep it clean,” he’d said. “You don’t want that kind of legal trouble, and The Justiss Alliance doesn’t need the press.”
“On the ground. Now.” Risk gestured with his gun. And try to pull on me. Please try something, anything. Give me a good cause. He had plenty, but explaining to the authorities how he’d shot a man who was laying down his weapon would be tricky. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that his little Addie had positioned herself next to him, aiming her rifle at Elrod. Damn, he was so proud of her.
Elrod flattened on the ground. Risk pressed his foot down on the center of his back and frisked him. He extracted his KA-BAR and tucked it back into his own waistband.
Suddenly a sound grew loud over the two ATV engines. A black helicopter dragged a huge spotlight along the ground and eventually centered over the tableau they presented. Risk read the words on the side of the aircraft: BUCK COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPT.
A voice sounded over a loudspeaker: “Lower your weapons.”
“You’re dead,” Elrod said, cackling.
Risk lowered his weapon but kept it at the ready. Like hell he was going to surrender and put the two of them in the hands of a corrupt sheriff.
The chopper swung around, and a familiar face leaned out of the open doorway. Chase. Only then did Risk lower his gun completely.
“Cover your face, Addie!” he called out right before dirt and twigs went flying.
When the chopper settled, Chase, Sax, and another man jumped down and came running over. Risk pulled off the goggles but kept his foot planted firmly on Elrod.
“Where’s the sheriff?” Elrod screamed, twisting his neck to look for his buddy. Risk stomped down even harder.
The blades came to a stop as Chase neared Risk. He gestured toward the man with him. “This is Specia
l Agent Steve Wilson.”
The two nodded in greeting, a handshake a bit out of the norm at the moment. Wilson knelt down next to Elrod. “Are you Walter Elrod?”
“Yes. Who the fucking hell are you?”
“I’m with the FBI’s Public Corruption Bureau, Mr. Elrod. The sheriff is being questioned by the Georgia Bureau of Investigations as we speak. Both bureaus are very interested in what’s going on in this town. And on this property in particular.” The agent glanced up at Risk. “At ease, soldier. I’ve got him.” He cuffed Elrod and pulled him to his feet.
Risk stepped away and pulled Addie to his side. “There are five men down, possibly more of them out there hunting Addie and me.”
Wilson called in for medical aid.
“And there’s a cave with a tiger cub in it,” Addie said. “We have to find it.”
“How many men do you have out there?” the agent asked Elrod.
Elrod turned his angry face to Risk. “Five down? You took out all five of them?”
“They might be alive,” Risk said. “How about you tell us how we find the cave from here, and I’ll tell the medics where your men are?”
Elrod’s face tightened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. All I know is that you came here to hunt a deer and you went crazy, murdered my employees.”
Risk gave him a hard smile. “What do you think the authorities are going to find when they do a full-scale investigation on this land? When they interrogate your employees? And we will find the cub. Meanwhile, your people might be suffering out there. And if they die, it’ll be on your head.”
Elrod paused, anger rippling across his expression. “Fine. I’ll show you on the map.”
Risk and Addie gave everyone a quick rundown of the events of the last few hours. Sax shook his head. “Damn, I missed all the fun.”
Addie’s laugh was near-hysterical. “Fun. Fun? You people are crazy!”
“Kidding,” Sax said softly, as one might speak to a crazy person.
Sirens wailed in the near distance. Elrod opened the gate after they escorted him to his office. Right behind the ambulance and cop cars from another county screaming down the drive was Shirley in the white van.
Addie broke loose from her death grip on Risk and ran to the van, wrapping her arms around Shirley. He couldn’t hear what she was saying, but he did hear a stream of high-pitched words. Then Addie brought Shirley over. “We need to find the tiger. Now.”
He’d seen the little guy’s face, heard his mewling. He wanted the cub out of that cave almost as much as Addie did.
Thirty minutes later, they backed the van up to the rocky entrance. Before anything could be touched, a swarm of investigators went in first to document what they found.
Risk held a container with two raw steaks cut up into small pieces. Some of the very steak that Elrod had been about to enjoy with his thug buddies when they realized their quarry had escaped. Addie was nervously wrapping and unwrapping the leash around her fingers while one of the cops questioned her.
Shirley came up and gave Risk a hard hug, then kept an iron grip on his arms as she stepped back. “Thank you for keeping her safe. Don’t let her push you away because she thinks having a life will detract from her purpose. I’ll threaten to quit if she lets you walk out of her life.”
He had to quell a smile at her vehemence. “I appreciate how much you care about Addie, but she has to come to that decision on her own.” His gaze slid to Addie, passionately describing what had happened at the deer stand. Something in his chest expanded. He returned his attention to Shirley. “But I have no intention of giving up easily.”
Two men in uniform and one plainclothes officer came out of the cave, the latter saying, “Okay, go on in.”
Addie stared at the entrance, and he saw her fear of facing that dark place. She swallowed, shored her shoulders, and walked straight in. Then turned and invited him to join her with a soft smile. Damn, he was in love with this woman.
When they reached the cage, Addie spoke softly to the cub, sweet words that washed over Risk like honey. “You little darling, you’ve been through so much. I’m so sorry about that. But you’re safe now, thanks to that handsome kick-ass guy standing over there.” She glanced at him, in case he didn’t get the reference.
He gave her a smile. “You were pretty kick-ass yourself, doll.”
She blinked at the endearment, then turned back to the cub and readied the leash. A couple of the officers stood at the ready, along with Shirley. Addie led the cub down the entrance, using the meat as lures. Tigs followed Addie and the meat right into the van and the cage. Addie kissed the pad of her finger and pressed it to the cub’s nose. “Have a nice life, little one.”
Shirley closed the back door once Addie climbed out. “I meet the sanctuary owner in an hour. Which means I have to scoot.” She gave Addie a fierce hug and then pinned her with the same look she’d given Risk earlier. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“I’m not going to be sneaking onto anyone’s land any time soon, that’s for sure.”
“I don’t mean that.” Shirley nodded subtly toward Risk. Then she released Addie, got into the van, and drove away.
At least he had an ally. But Addie had to come to the decision to let him into her life wholly on her own. Not that he was above giving her a nudge. And he was about to nudge just a little by pulling her into his arms when Agent Wilson and Chase approached.
Chase said, “You both will have to finish giving your statements before you can go.”
Wilson ran his hand over his hair, shaking his head. “This is going to take a while to unravel. I’m sure Elrod will avoid court and take a plea deal when it comes right down to it. He’s got a lot of blood on his hands, we’ve got your accounts, and two of his employees are singing like birds.” He clapped his hand on Chase’s shoulder. “We’re going to keep TJA and your name out of this as much as possible. But you, Addie, can use this to promote your organization. The national news will eat it up.”
She got the light in her eyes that made Risk want to kiss her. Before he could do that, two agents came over and separated them to finish their questioning.
He would kiss her again. And it would in no way be a goodbye kiss.
* * *
Addie had called her father on the plane ride back and told him everything. Amazingly, he hadn’t blown a gasket. She’d imagined his stoic face as he’d taken in the information. When she’d had to close the call, he’d said, “We’ll talk soon.” For the first time, those words hadn’t sent her into a panic.
Not like something else had. After the interviews wrapped up and Chase was arranging for his pilot to fly her home, Addie had thought Risk would go directly to Miami. But he’d told Chase that he would stay on unpaid to see Addie through the next few days, when the press would be hounding her.
And now she and Risk stood on her porch, watching the hired car head back down the long gravel road as dawn broke across the sky.
He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “Feel good to be home again?”
Two roosters were prowling the yard and crowing. Three pigs were wallowing in the mud outside their stall. The ranch was waking up. She nodded, taking in all the buildings and barns that represented her purpose, and her future became very clear. She turned around in his arms. “Just now I was looking at everything I’ve worked so hard to achieve. I’m very proud of all this. Everything I’ve sacrificed, including my personal life, has been absolutely worth it.”
He gave her a somber nod. “Is this where we promise to keep in touch but inevitably drift apart?”
The thought of that made her stomach sink, the same way it had the first time she’d said it. When she’d considered it imperative to let him go. When she’d believed it was even possible. “Is that what you want, Risk? Because the—”
“Seems your mind is made up, so I’m going to just lay it all out there.” He settled his hands on her shoulders. “Seeing as I don’t hav
e to worry about scaring you away anymore. What I want is right here. I want to wake up every day and see your beautiful face and say, ‘Morning, sunshine.’ Even if I’m on assignment and it’s through Skype. I want to strategize with you when you’re planning one of your trespassing stunts so I can make sure you’re safe. And yes, you’ll have to listen to me. We’ll argue, you’ll call me overbearing and overprotective, but we’ll end up making love, and then you’ll see that I only have your best interests at heart.”
He ran his hands all the way down her arms, twining his fingers with hers. “I want to feed the animals with you every night so you can get that light in your eyes. Then I’ll have to kiss you.” He did. “And more than kiss you.” He kissed her deeper this time, sweeping his tongue through her mouth, running it along the length of hers. Then pulled back a few inches. “But mostly I want you to feel good about taking something for yourself. And that something is me.”
His words sucker-punched her, especially coupled with the resolve she saw in his eyes. She took a deep breath. “If you hadn’t interrupted me, what I was going to say was the sacrifices have been worth it, because they’ve brought me here. If I hadn’t put my life on hold, hadn’t been thinking I was responsible for my mom’s death, I wouldn’t be here.” She snuggled closer. “It’s good to be home, but it feels even better to be here. I imagined you heading back to Miami and my life going back to the way it was before all this happened. Suddenly my future filled with saving animals and rallying for their rights wasn’t the whole picture anymore. Because now there’s a muscle-bound guy with gorgeous eyes and an incredible smile that makes my heart go zing. And I have fallen completely, totally, madly in love with him.” She narrowed her eyes in mock sternness. “And now you’re going to have to deal with the consequences.”
He braced his legs on either side of hers, giving her a very serious look. “Ma’am, I always accept the consequences of my actions. So I give you my word that I will honor”—he kissed her—“respect”—another kiss—“and love the hell out of you.” He swept her up in his arms and turned to the front door. “In fact, I’ll report to duty on that last one immediately.”
Wild on You Page 25