Sari looked up with blood in her eye. Before Paul could stop her, she got to her feet and approached the tall man.
“If you’re Ren Colter, the door is that way,” she said in a scathing tone, pointing toward the exit.
He stared down at her from a drawn, pale face. He winced. “You’re Sari, her sister,” he said quietly.
She bit her lower lip, then nodded.
Paul came forward and put his arm around her shoulders. He held out a hand to Ren. “She’s upset,” he said as he shook hands with Ren. “They’ve taken Merrie to ICU. She’s not responding as well as they hoped she would after the surgery.”
Ren drew in a ragged breath and averted his eyes. He was dying inside. He’d made so many damned mistakes. He didn’t know how he was going to go on if he lost Meredith. It would be his own fault. He’d ruined everything. He’d frightened her, insulted her, sent her running right into the arms of a killer!
“Stop beating yourself up,” Paul said. “It won’t help. Come and sit down.”
“I’ll go mad if I have to sit,” he bit off.
Sari peered up at him past Paul’s broad chest. She saw the anguish in his face, and it softened her. She moved restively. “Randall told you about Merrie.”
“Yes.” He stared at her. “You don’t look a lot alike, but you both have the same eyes. Hers are more gray than blue. Gray, like a fog on the river, early in the morning...” He averted his eyes and tried to swallow the pincushion in his throat. He rammed his hands deep into his pockets. “Have they found the assassin yet?”
“Still looking,” Paul said. “We’ve got people everywhere, including a man who knows the contract killer. We don’t think this was his doing. He had no way of knowing that Merrie came home, since we took her in the family jet. We think he’s still got your ranch staked out and that he sent a relative to keep watch here. Maybe to take her out if he got the opportunity.”
“The relative will wish he’d never been born, I promise you that,” Ren said through his teeth.
“Get in line,” Sari muttered.
“Ah, ah, ah,” Paul cautioned. “I work for the FBI and you’re an officer of the court,” he told his wife.
“I’ll buy you some earplugs,” she retorted.
Two men in camouflage came in the door, sidearms holstered, and approached Sari and Paul. But they did a double take when they saw Ren.
Sari gaped as Rogers and Barton came to a stop and saluted the Wyoming rancher.
He chuckled, returning the salute. “What the hell are you two doing here?” he asked them after they’d shaken hands.
“Working for them,” Barton said, pointing toward Sari and Paul. “We’ve been watching the house.”
“Never occurred to us that some fool would try to run over a limo with a pickup truck,” Rogers added miserably.
“Nobody could have predicted it,” Paul told them. “How do you know him?” he asked, jerking a thumb toward Ren.
“He was our company commander in Iraq,” Rogers said.
“Best damned commanding officer we ever had,” Barton added.
“I wasn’t, but thanks,” Ren replied. He looked over their shoulders. “Damn!” he said, his lips compressed. “It’s old home week.”
They all turned as Mikey came walking toward them. He saw Ren and slowed just a little. He grimaced.
“Now, Captain,” Mikey began. “It was just a little lumber and a few nails...”
“You walked off with half the lumber in the supply shed to build a canteen at base camp,” he said gruffly. “And you installed two women of decidedly odd morals...”
“They were lonely,” Mikey protested. “The local cathouse had just closed and they didn’t have enough money to make it back to Spain.”
“What a bunch of bull,” Ren muttered.
Mikey grinned. “You have to admit, sir, that morale went up eighty percent.”
“So did STDs,” Ren shot back.
“Hey, that’s what they have doctors for, right?” Mikey said, his eyes twinkling. He glanced at Sari’s red eyes. “What’s going on? Something happen to baby doll?” he asked worriedly.
“They took her to ICU,” Paul said. “The doctor didn’t say much, but she’s not responding as well as he wants her to.”
“Damn!” Mikey swore.
“They have a first-rate hospital in San Antonio,” Ren began.
“We have the best surgeon in two states right here in Comanche Wells,” Sari replied. “Dr. Coltrain won’t lose her. I know he won’t.”
Ren nodded. “Okay.”
His face was a study in guilt and worry. Mikey frowned. “You know the family?”
“I know Meredith,” Ren said heavily. “She was staying with me in Wyoming.”
“You’re the Wyoming rancher,” Mikey said, nodding. “Guess who’s camping on your property with an MSR?” he added.
“What’s an MSR?” Sari asked.
“Remington Modular Sniper Rifle,” Mikey replied. “Accurate up to a thousand yards. Our boy likes it. A lot.”
“How did he get onto your property?” Sari asked Ren.
“He does a pretty good impression of a truck driver,” Ren replied. “He bribed a neighbor to swear he had a delivery there so he had an excuse to pretend he was lost on my land.”
“He started out driving semis when he was just out of high school,” Mikey said.