He clenched his jaw and nodded. “Probably. For now, we have to get to the house as fast as possible. I believe we made good time coming in and we’ll have some lead time to get to the house, but we’ll have to run. Are you ready?”
“What about the horses?” Her heart ached for the animals.
“I’ll come back for them. Right now, we have to get you inside.”
He was standing tall, solid, seemingly afraid only for her. She felt safe as long as he was with her.
She grabbed his arm. “You can’t leave me alone in there. What if they come while you’re here?” She saw his jaw flex.
“I’ll have a couple of the men come and take care of the horses. These people are looking to shoot you, not my cowboys.”
Kaylie nodded. Now, she was mad. “You saw that I know how to use a gun. Let me have the Glock I used when we went shooting.”
He gazed down at her, then took her by the shoulders and crushed her to him. “I hate the thought of you carrying a gun, but I’m not such a jerk that I would insist I can protect you. I don’t know how many men he’s sent. All of my men are armed. I’ll get out my sniper rifle and use the scope to see if I can find them. Then they’re mine. But when we get inside, I’ll get you my sidearm.”
They ran back to the house, locking the door after they were inside.
Ryan went to his study and came back to the kitchen with the Glock and a full box of ammo. “You shouldn’t require all this, but I don’t want you running out when you need it.”
She took the gun, turned and pointed it at the floor while she checked the load. She made sure one was in the chamber and the safety was off.
He jutted his chin toward the gun. “Like it or not, I want you to be safe more than anything. What I don’t know is how he found you. But I’m calling Paul immediately. I will have answers.”
Vinnie has to have a snitch in the government. How else could he find me? And now that he’s found me, what does he have planned for me? Will he kill anyone, Ryan or one of the other men, if they get in his way?
CHAPTER5
In the kitchen, Ryan pulled his cell phone from his pocket and punched in the speed dial for Paul Morel. His body hummed with anger.
Paul answered on the first ring. “Ryan. What’s happened? Why are you calling?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “You tell me, Paul. Kaylie and I were shot at about half an hour ago.”
Paul let out a long breath and a string of curse words.
“I should have called you as soon as I found I had a mole but I wanted confirmation. I’m sorry. Here’s what I know. Vinnie Rizzo has put a bounty on Kaylie’s head. Fifty large. Also, there’s been a leak in my office. My assistant, Joyce Greer. She was addicted, and her supplier works for Rizzo. I believe she told them where Kaylie was…before they executed her.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, Paul. But my only concern is Kaylie. How many are coming?”
“We just received confirmation of three boots on the ground at the Bozeman airport. I can tell you the men they sent are good. You need to be on your best game. And Vinnie could have sent more that arrived before we were aware.”
Ryan looked out the kitchen window and scanned the mountains behind the barn for movement. “We’ll be ready. Are they working together? Will they come at us one at a time or all three together?”
“As far as we know, they have worked together for Rizzo before, so I expect them to work together now.”
“Send me everything you have on them. I want to know them inside and out. I want to know what they ate for breakfast and where they went after.”
“Kaylie’s in the room, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Because you’re moderating your words for her and not cursing.”
Ryan smiled and looked over at her. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
“I get it. She’s special. Why do you think I wanted you to protect her? Getting Rizzo off the street is huge, and Kaylie is the only one who can do that. I know it, you know it, Kaylie knows it and, more importantly, Rizzo knows it. That’s why he’s so determined to eliminate the threat.”
“What about a deposition?”