“No,” she whispered as her heart splintered.
Mark’s hands closed over her shoulders. “Stay here, baby, please,” he told her, his voice so soft she barely heard his words. “I’ll get them out. Just—stay safe.”
Then, before she could respond, Mark was up and running away. He was heading right for the front door, and he didn’t have any weapon with him. “He’s got a gun!” Mark bellowed. “Go out the back! Go!”
And gunfire erupted again.
“No!” Ava screamed. And she didn’t stay there. She didn’t hide.
She leaped to her feet.
* * *
“SOMEBODY IS SHOOTING at us!” Sully yelled as he held tighter to Davis.
They were at the front door. Mac had yanked open that door moments before, and air—clear, sweet air—had whispered inside. Davis choked and coughed because that clear air was gone, and the smoke was rising too fast.
The fire was burning all around them.
“He’s got a gun! Go out the back! Go!”
Davis heard that frantic shout, and he looked over his shoulder. Flames were behind him. Where had all those flames come from? How had anyone gotten onto his ranch? How? The place should have been secure.
“We can’t go back.” Mac’s voice was low and grim.
No, they couldn’t.
“Let’s head for a window. We’ll break the glass, just like we did before,” Sully said. And then Sully started pulling Davis toward the right.
In the next instant, Mac heard the thunder of gunfire. More bullets. Then—
“Stop!” Ava’s scream, clear even above the flames. “Leave them alone! If you want me, I’m here!”
“No,” Mac whispered.
Then the gunfire...it came again.
* * *
AVA LEAPT IN FRONT of Mark even as the gunfire exploded. She thought the bullets were going to slam into her. Mark was yelling and trying to push her behind him—
The bullets didn’t hit her.
They slammed into the house.
Mark froze.
“He’s not going to kill me,” Ava said, her voice breaking. “He wants me alive, don’t you see?” So he wouldn’t shoot her. But if he had a shot at Mark, she didn’t doubt for an instant that he’d take it. “If I’m here, he won’t shoot.”
And her brothers would have a chance. Because they had to get out of that fire. If they could just get out of the house and to the safety of Mac’s truck or Sully’s SUV, they’d make it.
“Hurry, Sully!” Ava called to her brother. The smoke was getting so thick out there. If it was bad on the narrow porch, what was it like in the house?
She risked a glance over her shoulder. Mark had finally let her go, and he’d shoved open the door to the house. He rushed inside—
And Ava stood there, her arms spread over her head, her feet braced apart. She was a target. She knew it. But more, she was a shield for her brothers and for Mark. For the men she loved so much.
Hurry.
“Come to me, Ava!” A hard, angry voice cried out from the darkness. “Come to me!”
She didn’t move. Ava feared his words were just a trick. If she moved, then he would shoot.
“I’ll kill them if you don’t!” His voice was such a terrible roar.
“You’ll kill them if I do.” She wasn’t budging and...yes, she could hear Mark behind her again. Mark and her brothers. They were coming out of the house. She moved then, but only so she could better shield them with her body.
He won’t fire at me. He hasn’t hurt me. He wants me alive. She just had to remember that.
“Ava!” Her name was a cry of absolute rage.
“Get to the vehicles,” she told her brothers. They were low, crouching behind her. “Run!”
Run. Her father had said the same thing to her. Despite the heat of the fire, Ava felt goose bumps rise on her arms.
“Move away from them!” the man in the darkness screamed.
But Ava wasn’t about to abandon her brothers or Mark. So when they ran forward, she ran forward. She tried to stretch her arms and her body as much as possible to cover them.
“Ava!”
She flinched at that bellow of fury. And an instant later, gunfire erupted. But the bullet hit over her head, plunging into the wood of the porch.
Then another bullet hit about a foot away from her shoe.
Ava’s breath sawed out and—they were at the SUV. They crouched behind it, and Ava reached for Davis. He was so still. When her fingers touched him, Davis flinched.
“Looks like the joker out there knocked Davis out,” Sully said, “and then just left him to die in the fire.”
A scream built in Ava’s throat, but she choked it back.
“I’m calling 9-1-1,” Sully declared.
Ava’s fingers slid over Davis’s jaw. “Are you okay?”
His hand lifted to curl tightly around hers. “Takes more than this...to stop me.”
More than a fire? One that was destroying the home he’d worked so desperately to save? That house had been everything to Davis. She’d refused to set foot in the place, seeing only the pain there. But to him and Brodie, it had been so much more.
It had been...hope?
Now it was burning.
“I’ve got my weapon, and I’m going after him,” Sully said. “Police and fire trucks are on the way.”
But they’d get there too late for the house.
Mark had his phone out, too. “Bring every man and woman over here,” Mark snapped into that phone. “We’ve got a fire at the McGuire ranch.”
He put down the phone, then stared at Davis. “You and your family have always been there for me. Time for me to repay my debt.”
Sully was already slipping away into the darkness. Ava wanted to grab him and hold on tight. The shooter out there wouldn’t hesitate to fire at him.
But Sully—Sully was too fast. One instant he was there. The next he was gone.
Davis groaned. Mac leaned toward him. “You’re bleeding so bad, man. What did he hit you with?”
And she could feel the blood streaming down his head. Davis. Her strong and tough brother. Another one who’d been hurt because he was trying to protect her.
“He’ll get away,” Ava said. Because if the guy had been good enough to sneak past their security, then he’d know a way off the property. Before help arrived, he’d be gone. “I have to stop him.” This wasn’t something she’d just leave to the others. Ava eased away from Davis. “Take care of him,” she told Mac.
Mac was shaking his head. “Ava, whatever you’re thinking—”
“I’m thinking that he won’t shoot me, but he’ll happily kill you all.” This man was sick. And he was out there right then. “I’m going to draw him out.”
“What?” Mark grabbed her arm. “No, baby, no!”
“Be ready,” she told him as she straightened her spine. “I’ll pull him out, and you get the bastard. Don’t let him hurt anyone else.” Then she leaned forward and kissed Mark. Fast, desperately. “Don’t let him hurt you.”
“Ava...”
She jerked away from him and ran. Not away from the ranch house, not this time. She wasn’t going to leave those she loved behind, no matter the cost. Instead, she stood in front of the flames. Ava raised her hands high above her head. “I’m here!” she shouted. “If you want me... I’m right here! So come out and face me!”
* * *
AVA WAS CALLING to him, standing in front of those flames as they destroyed the house she hated. Did she realize he’d set the fire for her? To rid her of that terrible pain that she carried?
Her arms were open. She was yelling for him, and he wanted to turn and go to her so badly.
Ava. Swee
t Ava. It had all been to prove his love to her. She didn’t need Mark. She didn’t need her brothers. She needed only him.
He heard the snap of a twig behind him.
He realized too late that he’d been hunted. His eyes had been on Ava, and he hadn’t seen the threat closing in.
“Drop the weapon, you bastard,” a low, guttural voice told him. “Or I will shoot you where you stand.”
Slowly, never taking his eyes off Ava’s form, he dropped the gun. It was one of the brothers who’d snuck up on him. The brothers had always been such an annoyance in his way, trying to block him from getting time with Ava.
Her parents had been in his way, but they’d been eliminated.
Now for her brothers...
“Take off the ski mask and turn to face me.”
Taking his time, he lifted off the mask. He tossed it to the ground.
“Why the ski mask?” the brother demanded before he could turn to confront the fellow.
“Because I wanted to remind Ava.” It was the truth. “I wanted her to remember that night whenever she looked at me.”
“Did you kill our parents?” Ah, so much hate was in those words. He understood hate. Fury.
Fury could make a man careless.
Smiling, his hand slipped down to his waist. He had another weapon there, tucked in his waistband. His fingers curled around the gun. “I wish I had.” He lifted it up and whirled in one movement. “Like I’m killing you!” He fired.
But—but the man had lurched to the side. Instead of hitting him in the chest, the bullet slammed into his prey’s shoulder. And the man fired at him—a fast, rapid succession of shots.
One sank into his shoulder.
Another into his side.
No!
Pain tore through him, and he fired even as he staggered away. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t the way things were supposed to end.
Not for him. Not for Ava.
Her brother stopped firing.
He ran for the sheltering darkness, even as the blood poured from his wounds.
Chapter Twelve
At the sound of the gunfire, Ava’s breath caught in her throat. But those shots weren’t aimed at her or the house or even at the SUV. They were coming from the west, from the line of trees just past the bluff.
“Sully,” she whispered. Because he’d been out there, looking for the man who’d set that fire. If he’d found him— “Sully!”
And then she heard the growl of vehicles approaching. Lots of vehicles, from the sound of things. They were roaring up the drive, and all she could see was the bright flash of lights.
Then Mark was there, running to meet them. Shouting orders. She realized that help had come in the form of his workers and friends.
“We busted through the gate,” she heard one man tell Mac. “Sorry about that, but the boss said we needed to get over here fast.”
And they had. They were shining lights around the scene. Men were grabbing hoses and buckets of water and trying to put out the fire, trying to save the house.
A house she’d scorned for too long.
In the distance, Ava could hear a siren. An ambulance, coming to take care of Davis.
“Where’s Sully?” Ava asked. Sullivan still hadn’t appeared.
The men and women who’d arrived were fighting the flames, but no one was searching for Sully.
Ava started running toward the bluff.
Then she was grabbed from behind. Hard hands swung Ava around. “You’re not going anyplace without me,” Mark said.
She stared up at him, but a cloud had slid over the moon, and she couldn’t see his face clearly. The scent of the fire was all around her, and so many memories were in the air. The past—the present—everything was tangling together.
Mark laced his fingers with hers. “Not without me,” he said again.
He had a gun. She could see it in his other hand. Ava didn’t even know where he’d gotten that weapon. From one of his men? From Mac?
But there was no time for questions. They ran toward the bluff. Mark’s steps were sure, and she moved too fast to stumble. “Sully!” She cried out his name, but there was still no answer. She tried to keep her body in front of Mark’s just in case the stalker was out there waiting for another shot, but Mark kept moving, trying to protect her.
When I want to keep him safe instead...
“Ava...” Her name was low, rough. And very close. She whirled to the left because she knew the sound of her brother’s voice.
She and Mark leapt through the brush.
The clouds slid past the moon—
Sullivan was on the ground. He had a gun in his hand, and he was struggling to sit up. She ran to him and sank to her knees. “Sully!” When she touched him, she felt the sticky wetness of blood on him. So much blood.
“Shooting arm...went numb,” he muttered. “Bullet’s still in me...”
More than one bullet, judging by the amount of blood she felt. “Help!” Ava screamed, because the others back at the house had to be close enough to hear her. “Help—”
“No,” Sully growled. “He’s still here, Ava. He’s close.”
Mark swore. “Where?”
“Slid away to the...right...moving slow ’cause my bullets hit him, too...”
And Mark rushed to the right. Ava jumped up, wanting to follow him, but Sully had too tight a grip on her wrist. “Stay,” he said. It wasn’t an order but a plea. She didn’t think tough Sully had ever pleaded for anything in his life.
Sully had been injured just a few months back. He’d gotten out of the hospital, supposedly with a clean bill of health, but...but he’d been taking fewer missions since then. And the way he was holding her hand so tightly...
She swallowed to clear the lump in her throat. “It’s not just a bullet in your arm, is it? Were you shot somewhere else, too?”
“I...love you, Ava...”
Tears stung her eyes. No, no, this wasn’t happening. Sully had survived so much. He was supposed to be invincible. He’d been her confidant for most of her life. The youngest brother, he’d been the closest to her age. The one who’d always taken the blame when she did ridiculous things because he’d said it was his job to keep her safe.
No matter what.
“Sully, no.” Her voice thickened. “Don’t you do this to me. Don’t!”
“Always hated...that I wasn’t here when you needed me.”
No, no, he was talking as if he were about to leave her. The final words of a dying man, and that couldn’t happen. She wouldn’t let it happen. “I’m going to get help. I’ll be right back.”
But he wasn’t letting her go. His grip was so strong.
And tears were sliding down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry...” Sully told her. “I wanted...you safe...”
That too-tight grip went slack, and terror drove straight through her. “No!” Ava yelled. “No, no, Sully!” Her hands flew over his chest. And she’d been right. There were more wounds. His shirt was soaked with his blood. “Sully!” She wasn’t even sure that he was breathing. She put her hands over those wounds, trying to apply as much pressure to them as she could. “Help me!” Ava screamed. But...but the fire was still raging. Would anyone hear her? Help was so close. She just had to run and get it.
“I’ll be right back,” Ava told him. She pressed a quick kiss to Sully’s cheek. It was...chilled. No, not Sully. She staggered to her feet and turned to run back for help. Her shoes thudded over the earth as she hurried back toward the house and flames. As she ran faster, she could hear the horses screaming in the stable. The men were shouting and—
“Ava!”
She nearly ran into the shadowy form right before her, but his hands flew out, and he grabbe
d her shoulders to steady her.
“Ava, what’s happening? Are you hurt?” Ty demanded.
Ty. Right. He must have come with the group from Mark’s ranch. “It’s my brother,” she said. “He needs help! Sully’s been shot!”
The ambulance she’d heard was finally coming up the drive. She could see its shining lights.
“Take me to him,” Ty ordered her. “Right now, Ava! Hurry!”
But Sully would need more than just Ty’s help. They needed to get those EMTs to him. She tried to pull free. “I have to get to the ambulance—”
And something shoved into her side. Something cold, hard.
“You won’t get to that ambulance,” Ty told her, his words low and cutting. “And if you make one move to scream or try to fight me, I will shoot you where you stand.”
That was a gun digging into her side.
Ty! Ty! Mark had been suspicious of him, but Ty had seemed to be so innocent. Oh, but he’d played that role far too well.
“You won’t shoot me,” Ava told him. Then she opened her mouth to scream.
His left hand slapped over her lips. “I will shoot you, and I will shoot every person who comes to your aid. I won’t stop until there are no more bullets in this gun.”
Over his shoulder, she could see the flames. The fire. Brodie had just arrived at the scene. Jennifer was with him.
“Do you want to see how many of them I can kill?”
Ava shook her head.
“Then you come with me, and you don’t make a sound.”
Brodie was looking at the house. He didn’t see her. Ava swallowed, and then she nodded.
* * *
HE COULDN’T FIND the guy. Mark ran back through the brush, his gun clutched tightly in his hand. He hadn’t wanted to get too far away from Ava. But I wanted to find that bastard!
He rushed back to her, but...
Ava wasn’t there.
Sullivan was sprawled on the ground. Fear spiked in Mark’s veins. “Sully!” He raced toward the man, but when he touched Sully, he knew the guy was in much worse shape than he’d originally realized. Sully’s breath was barely whispering past his lips, and his skin was far too cold to the touch. “Sully, man, open your eyes. Look at me!” But Sully wasn’t moving at all.