Calder held up a hand, and we both stopped. I strained to listen. It was something. Could’ve been an animal, but it could’ve been human, too. Whoever and whatever it was, they were running.
I pulled my Glock from my holster at my hip and slid from the saddle. I handed Calder my reins and made a motion for him to stay quiet. He wrapped my reins around his saddle horn and pulled out his rifle. We’d picked these horses because they had steady experience but were young enough to go the distance. I just had to hope they wouldn’t spook at whatever we were about to face.
I crept forward through the trees, Calder and the horses on my heels. The sound of running grew louder, and then there was a scream.
Everything in me froze, my blood turning so cold it hurt as it traveled through my veins. The screaming picked back up, and then I heard the sounds of fighting. It was the only thing that kicked me into action.
I didn’t think, I simply moved, crashing through the trees until I reached the edge of the forest. There, on the bank of the creek, was the woman I loved. She thrashed in a man’s hold. He wrapped an arm around her neck and pressed a gun to her temple, stilling her movements. “I told you I didn’t want to hurt you. But I will.”
I raised my gun. “Don’t move. Carson County Sheriff’s Department.” Ben froze. “Now, slowly lower your weapon and release Everly.”
His hold on her only tightened. “She’s mine. Not yours. You put her at risk. I keep her safe.”
“If you want her safe, then you don’t want her so close to that gun.”
His finger was on the damn trigger. It would only take one wrong move for everything to be over. I met Everly’s gaze. Tears spilled down her cheeks and over her chin, landing on the dirt below. I wanted to kill him for those tears alone.
Ben shook his head with a manic ferocity. “No, no, NO! You have to leave.”
“Easy does it. Just calm down.”
“No! You ruin everything. She’s mine. She always was.” His arm around her neck tightened, and Everly began to cough.
“She can’t breathe,” I gritted out.
He loosened his hold a fraction. Everly sucked in air. “Please, Ben. Let me go.”
“No. If we’re going to die, then it’ll be together. Maybe that’s the answer. It’ll be in heaven, but we’ll be together.” He began backing up towards the edge of the creek.
I’d seen parts of Canyon Creek before, but it looked more like a river in this stretch. Even if he didn’t shoot her, they could still drown if he took them both in. “Just wait, Ben.”
He kept moving them backwards. “No more waiting.”
I adjusted the aim of my gun, but I didn’t have a clear shot. Everly’s gaze shot to mine, and she mouthed three words. “I love you.”
I would’ve given anything in that moment to hear the sound those words made. To have them whispered against my skin while we were curled up in bed. To have them come out on a laugh as she tipped her head back—anything but this.
Her hand twitched, and she pulled something I couldn’t quite make out from her pocket. In a flash, she lifted her arm and brought it down on Ben’s thigh. He howled in pain.
I didn’t wait. I went for the shot. And as it cracked the air, I prayed for it to hit true.
46
Everly
The crack of the bullet was deafening. Even against the water rushing behind me and the wind that had picked up out of nowhere. That sound cut through everything.
Yet everything seemed to move in slow motion. My body was already listing to the side, but my eyes never left Hayes’ face. If I could just not lose sight of him again, I would be okay. I knew it.
I felt Ben’s arm around my throat fall away, and the heat of him at my back simply disappeared. And I was falling.
I landed hard on the rocky ground, my hip and shoulder hitting first. I tried to keep my head from knocking, but it was useless. The force of my fall was too great.
The world went black for the briefest of moments, but Hayes’ face was still there when light returned. And it was moving. He was moving—towards me.
He was on his knees in a flash, hands roaming all over my body. “You’re okay. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I love you.” It was the only thing I cared about getting out. I’d been so dumb to hold the words back. Terrified and thinking I could protect myself from devastation if I simply didn’t voice what was inside of me. But not saying it didn’t change the truth. I loved this man with everything I had. He was my resting place. Somewhere I could lay my burdens and be who I truly was, no shields or false fronts—only me.
“Ev…” My nickname on his lips was a guttural plea as he framed my face. “Can’t tell you what it gives me to hear those words. But I need to know if you’re okay.”
“I’m okay.” I tried to sit, the world swimming a bit again.
Hayes was instantly there, helping me rise. “I’ve got you.”
“I know.”
As I sat, I couldn’t bring myself to look behind me. I didn’t know what I hoped to see. Even with everything that had happened, I couldn’t find it in me to wish my childhood friend dead. “Ben?” I croaked.
Hayes’ jaw hardened. “I don’t know. My shot hit him, but he went into the creek. The current’s strong here.”
I turned towards the water that rushed and bubbled, swirling around rocks and fallen trees. I couldn’t imagine him surviving that trek with a bullet wound. “I have to know. We have to find him.”
Calder stepped out of the trees, two horses in tow. “I called in the team. They’re downriver, so they’ll watch for him.” His gaze swept over me, assessing and concerned. “Are you okay?”
“I am now.”
And that was when I broke. The first sob tore free before I even knew what was happening. Hayes engulfed me, wrapping his arms around me and absorbing each heave of my chest. He never once let go as I poured out the terror of the past few hours, the heartbreak of losing one of the few safe places I had growing up.
Hayes allowed me to let loose everything that was tearing me up inside. Not once did he try to tell me that everything would be okay or to stop. Nor did he make any sort of shhhing noise. He simply took it all in and gave me a place to lay it down.
I had no idea how long I cried. But Hayes was still there as the sobs eased. Holding me. He pressed his lips to my temple. “I’m here.”
“You always are.”
“And I always will be.”
Instead of fear or uncertainty at that vow, I felt only peace. The ethereal feeling that had always seemed out of my grasp. It filled me now, and if I could experience that peace amidst the terror of today, I knew it would never leave me.
Hayes pressed a kiss to my other temple. “Think I can help you get up?”
I nodded against his neck.
Hayes slowly stood, carefully bringing me with him. I wavered a bit, and he steadied me. Then he started prodding at my head. “Shit, Ev. There’s blood. Did he hit you?”
I brought my hand to my head, my fingers following Hayes’. There was a bit of tacky blood on the left side of my skull. “He knocked me out at the cabin. I didn’t even see him coming.”
“We need to get you to a hospital to get checked out.”
“No hospitals. I just want to go home. With you.” It was all I needed.