Page 22 of Captive at Rescue Ridge

In thinking of her mother, and now that Annalee was thinking more clearly, she realized she should have written down a list of her mother’s exes. It made sense this ordeal would be tied to someone more recent.

Could be an associate of a boyfriend.

The thought quashed the split-second of hope she might be able to solve the puzzle and go home.But what home?

The annoying voice in the back of her mind needed to zip it. She had an apartment if not a home. It was a place to lay her head. She worked under the table at a bar and paid cash for the apartment over the garage of the bar owner. It was a small one-bedroom with a corner kitchenette—not much, but it held the few belongings she wanted to keep. Losing her grandmother’s brooch would destroy her. It was the only thing Annalee had to remember Granny by.

Forcing her thoughts back to the present, she and Kade slipped into the office and behind the desk.

“You can fit in there,” he said, motioning to behind the desk. “Pull the chair in as far as you can. I’ll hide in the bathroom, behind the door. If anyone comes in, they’ll no doubt check the desk. I’ll be able to surprise them from behind.”

“What about Archer?” How could she tuck herself away safely when he was still in the other room?

“He’ll be just fine,” Kade reassured. The words did little to calm her stress levels. He must have picked up on it because he added, “My brother is strong enough to take care of himself. It’ll be better for him if we’re in here and I’m watching over you. He’ll be able to focus.”

When he put it like that, it made perfect sense. She distracted Archer and weakened him because he would step in front of a bullet for someone else, even someone who’d hurt him. That was just the way Archer was built.

Slinking behind the desk made her feel like such a coward. But Kade was right. If Archer believed she was secure, he would be able to focus. Maintaining laser focus could mean the difference between life and death. The man wanted her, not him. Wouldn’t the bastard shoot on sight?

Not if the asshole wanted to use Archer as a bargaining chip.

What else could they use? Annalee had very few possessions, the brooch being the only thing of value, and the value was sentimental, not monetary. Her thoughts bounced back to Granny. She’d passed away when Annalee was seven. A popular belief was that kids didn’t retain memories before age ten. Annalee didn’t believe that one bit. Some of her memories might be fuzzy, but others were strong. The few photos her mother had printed out of the two of them helped. Like the countless hours Annalee had sat on Granny’s lap on the porch in her favorite rocking chair. They’d sipped lemonade from glass straws because Granny had said they had to save the turtles. Granny had possessed a heart of gold. She’d lost her husband to an accident with heavy farming equipment and had taken in sewing and odd jobs to get by.

The sound of gravel crunching underneath tires tightened the knot in her chest. One of two things could happen. The first and best-case scenario would be the person arriving would scare off the shooter. The second, and the one she didn’t even want to consider, would be the person coming to help would end up shot.

Since Annalee couldn’t risk another one of Archer’s family members being hurt because of her situation, she bolted away from the desk toward the front door to warn them.

She expected Kade to say something to stop her, but he was silent. Silent, yes, but also two steps behind her.

Kade’s hand gripped her arm before she reached the door, stopping her cold.

“No,” was all he whispered.

Annalee jerked her arm away and then screamed, “Help!”

9

Archer bolted toward the sound of Annalee’s call for help. He cursed at himself for leaving her alone in the first place.She’s not alone. Kade is there.

He nearly crashed into her in the hallway, forcing sensible thoughts out of his mind. No matter what anyone thought, Annalee’s safety was his responsibility. Dammit, if he hadn’t screwed up again.

“Who just pulled up?” Annalee asked after practically bouncing off his chest. “We have to stop them from getting out of their vehicle while someone is out there, on the loose.”

“I’m on it, but I need to know you’re safe,” he said with more emotion than he’d intended.

“This is my bad,” Kade said, a half-step behind her. “I should’ve stayed closest to the door. I just didn’t think she would take off like that.”

“Don’t worry about it.” There wasn’t time to assign blame or do anything else for that matter. He turned toward the vestibule as a door closed outside putting the driver in danger of the shooter.Shit.

“Hold her,” Archer said to Kade before turning and sprinting toward the door. He unlocked it and then ran outside, waving his arms in the air at his sister. “Go back inside the car and lock the door. Get out of here.”

Chloe’s expression morphed to outright concern as she scanned the area. She’d caught on to the fact someone was out there. Her gaze locked onto a target. She dropped a large bag of what he assumed was food. Not a second later, she lifted a shotgun and fired at a spot to the left of the building near a shed. Then, she bolted toward him, taking cover. “I brought another gun in case you need it. It’s on the floorboard. Backseat.” She didn’t hesitate or pause as she loaded another round and then repositioned to take aim.

Kade and Annalee came barreling out the front door as Archer started toward the vehicle. He stopped.

“Stay with Annalee,” Archer told Kade. “I’ll go with Chloe to catch the bastard.”

“Like hell,” Kade said as he came straight toward Archer. “Annalee won’t listen to a word I say. You try.”

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