Page 25 of Captive at Rescue Ridge

“He’s gone for now,” Chloe said. “And we have lights.” She shifted her gaze to Annalee.

Annalee couldn’t deny how good it was to see Chloe again. She had always liked Archer’s sister.

“And we should take advantage of this time,” Chloe continued. “Breaks in situations like these can be rare.” Chloe pointed toward the bag of food. “Which means the two of you should eat.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Archer said with a grin.

The burgers and fries were beyond good. Being starved had a way of making food taste like the best thing you’ve ever had.

“We shouldn’t stay here,” Kade said when they’d polished off the last fry. “Let’s head to the ranch and figure out our next steps.”

“Okay.” Annalee wouldn’t argue. “I thought Travis was on his way.”

“I called him and told him what happened so he’s out in the woods searching for the bastard,” Chloe said.

Now that she was married to a sheriff, she must be used to all this. Being shot at was very new to Annalee and rattled her more than she wanted to admit.

“He’ll stop by to pick up the evidence before we head out,” Chloe said.

The thought of handing over the backpack along with the weapon caused panic to squeeze her ribcage. It was the only leverage she had to stay alive and keep her mother safe, not to mention Owen. “If the bastard realizes I don’t have the evidence any longer, what will stop him from shooting to kill?”

“He’ll more likely move on and leave you alone,” Chloe said.

“Where would that leave Owen and my mother?” she asked.

Chloe reached over the table and squeezed Annalee’s hand. “I can only imagine how difficult this situation is for you. Not turning over the evidence doesn’t guarantee your safety, though.” The compassion in her voice said she understood better than Annalee realized. “I also see that turning it over can feel like cutting off an arm.”

“More like firing a bullet into the ones I care about,” she muttered.

Chloe nodded. “Or, it can mean identifying the bastard who is behind this, catching them off guard, and arresting them, which would put an end to this nightmare for everyone.”

It sure felt like a dangerous gamble to Annalee.

She needed to think about her next move. Every fear inside her said to excuse herself to the restroom, locate the backpack, and bolt out the window. Running away might save a life, considering others were willing to put theirs on the line for her.For Owen.The entire reason the family was involved was because their sibling was in danger. Period. This had nothing to do with how much they cared or didn’t care for her.

Think. Think.

An idea came to her. Could she pull it off? “Where do we go next?”

“You could stay at my trailer on the edge of town,” Chloe offered.

“Too far,” Archer said. “We need to be closer to family in case we need help.”

“There’s always the main house,” Kade offered.

Annalee was already shaking her head. “I don’t want to put your family in any more danger than I already have.”

“I think that ship has already sailed,” Archer said.

She listened for resentment in his voice and was surprised when she found none. At least, not about the current situation.

He gave her a nod. “Owen is still missing and that involves all of us.”

Kade shot her a look of solidarity. “We stand together on this, including Beau.”

“At least we have one crime that can’t be attributed to him,” Archer said before adding, “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Learning to trust an outsider can be a slow process,” Kade said. “Beau showed up unexpectedly and with an attitude. He might have turned it around, but it’ll take time to fully trust him again.”

---