For two men crouched so low to the ground, they move fast. Suddenly, they’re coming at the stranger from opposite sides.
“Stop right there,” Shane commands, pointing his weapon at the man. “Drop the rifle.”
“Hey,” the guy says and raises his hands, slowly lowering his gun to the ground. “I’m not looking for any trouble.”
“What are you looking for?” Shane asks as Curt retrieves the weapon and walks with it out of range of the stranger.
“Elk,” the man says. “I’m just hunting elk.”
“You’re doing it on private property,” Shane informs him. “My private property.”
“I didn’t realize I left state land.”
“Bullshit,” Curt mutters. “There are signs everywhere, asshole.”
“Not to mention, I don’t know of anyone around here who would shoot an elk with an assault weapon.” Shane steps closer and pushes his pistol into the other man’s face. “Who do you work for?”
“I’m just hunting elk.” But the other man doesn’t blink. Doesn’t even look scared.
I’m terrified, and I’m safe in this room.
“Who sent you?” Curt asks and relieves the man of his wallet. “And is your last name really Sugarbaker?”
“Sugarbaker?” Shane smirks, but the man moves quickly, takes Shane’s pistol, and rounds on Curt when he advances. There’s a fight, a gunshot, and the camera goes dark.
“Oh, God.” I tap keys frantically, but I can’t get the feed or the sound back. They’re just gone.
“No. Don’t do this to me, Shane. Move into the range of another camera.”
But they don’t. In fact, systematically, every monitor goes dark.
Minutes that feel like hours tick by, but there’s nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Until the sound of another gunshot comes through another monitor. I don’t see anything, but I hear the shot.
Jesus, is Shane hurt? Is Curt injured?
How can I be expected to just sit here and wait?
I try to call Shane’s phone, but there’s no reply.
“He told me to stay,” I remind myself. “He’ll be pissed if I don’t.”
I chew my lip.
“But he could be hurt. Oh, God, did more men show up? How long am I supposed to wait here? What if they’re both bleeding out there somewhere?”
I can’t just sit here on my hands. I can’t.
I check my weapon and keep it in my hand as I climb the steps to the first floor. I put my hand on the knob and take a long, deep breath.
He’s going to be so mad.
But I need to know that he’s okay.
I bite my lip and turn the knob. When I open the door, I come face-to-face with Shane himself. He’s bleeding. And he’s so pissed.
“What in the fucking hell are you doing?”
Chapter 11
~Ivie~
“Oh, my God.” I collapse against him and hold onto him. “Where are you bleeding? Who was that creep? What happened to him? Is Curt okay? I was worried sick, Shane. All the monitors went blank, and I didn’t know if you were the one who got shot. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t just stay down there by myself; I was going crazy.”
“You were supposed to stay put.”
I lean back to look up at him, relieved when there’s no fury in his gorgeous brown eyes. “But what if you were dying?”
“Then you still stay put. There’s nothing you can do if that’s the case.” He wipes a tear I didn’t even know was there from under my eye. He doesn’t look nearly as mad as I expected him to be. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“My bedroom. I need to clean up, and we need to talk about you following orders.”
I sigh, in both relief and defeat, but follow him down the hall to his bedroom and through to the bathroom. He strips out of his shirt, and I gasp at the hole in his arm.
“You were shot!”
“Yeah, it stings like a bitch. Just grazed me, but those hurt worse than the alternative, if you want to know the truth.”
I just stand and stare at him. “Shane.”
He glances up at me as he pulls supplies from a medicine cabinet.
“You were shot.”
“It’s not the first time. Probably not the last. It’s not too bad.”
I shake my head and cross to him, pushing his hands aside as I begin to dress the wound. “Tell me everything.”
“In a second. I don’t want to fight about this anymore, Ivie. I’m not trying to control you or be a douche canoe, as you put it. I’m trying to keep you alive. And if you don’t follow my orders to the letter, you put yourself at risk.”
“I won’t apologize for needing to know if you’re dead or alive.” I look him in the eyes and lean in to kiss his cheek. “I was so scared.” My voice is a whisper. “I knew I’d be okay because you’re here. And even if that asshole had killed you, you’d probably find a way to be a ghost and kick his ass if he tried to put his hands on me. You’ll protect me no matter what, Shane. I needed to know if you were okay.”