Quickly and methodically, she released latches and guided the paint horses toward the proper exit. Twelve stalls later, she’d removed all the animals, along with a barn cat that had been hiding high up in the wood beams. She’d managed to coax it down after some trying and all the horses were out. The stubborn kitty had been too scared to jump down, so Audrey climbed up to meet it halfway.
By the time she turned back to Duke, the last bits of flame were extinguished. Thank heaven for small miracles.
“Nash,” she said to Duke, struggling to be able to speak. She could barely hear herself, and apparently, Duke was in the same boat. He gestured toward his ear.
Audrey motioned toward the exit where she’d dragged Nash a few moments before. At this point, she could only pray the horses were all right. The foal had followed her mother. They’d all been spooked.
Duke nodded before turning toward the ranch foreman, who hadn’t moved. If anything happened to him because of Audrey, she would never forgive herself. Duke made a beeline for Nash before dropping down to his knees at his side. He was careful to scan the area first.
“Is he breathing?” she asked Duke as she came up beside him, phone at the ready. It dawned on her they were extremely vulnerable right now. She turned so that they would be back to back as Duke performed emergency lifesaving measures on Nash and she called 911.
Was any of it working?
DUKE PUMPED NASH’S CHEST, careful not to break the older man’s ribs. He stopped, cleared Nash’s airway, pinched his nose and tilted his head. As Duke lowered his face to perform CPR, he saw his eyelids flutter.
Nash gasped in a breath and coughed. He almost immediately turned to his side. The ranch foreman shook his head like a dog shakes off water, and then blinked up at Duke.
“Were you trying to kiss me, big boy?” Nash’s serious expression broke into a smile.
The joke meant that Nash was going to be fine. Duke returned the smile and sat back on his heels. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“Big sucker jumped me from behind,” Nash shouted. His hearing must be compromised from the blast, too.
He turned around to check on Audrey, who’d been right behind him, only to realize she was gone. Duke bit out a curse. He scanned as far as he could see, which wasn’t much. It was too dark outside to see very far. Did she go after Trey?
After fishing out his cell phone, he hit the numbers 911. He wouldn’t be able to hear Dispatch, but the person on the other end of the line would be able to hear him. So, he shouted out for the sheriff and fire department, stated his name and location and asked for medical aid.
In these parts, help could take half an hour to arrive, so he didn’t get his hopes up the cavalry would show up anytime soon. He was still angry with himself for being ambushed in his grandparents’ barn.
Nash could use a bed at the same hospital even though he was able to force himself to sit up. A pack of Pall Mall cigarettes fell out of the front pocket of his shirt. He’d quit smoking five years ago, but carrying around a pack was habit and reminded Duke that old habits died hard.
Where the hell was Audrey?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Running off half-cocked and without backup wasn’t something Audrey would normally do. This was an emergency. Trey was getting away and would kill again. She came around the back of the barn to check on the horses, turning the corner with caution so as not to be taken by surprise again. She was still frustrated with herself for letting Trey get the drop on her earlier.
The horses were spooked but doing better than expected. Heads high, ears back, they were on full alert. It always struck her how intuitive these majestic animals were. There was such a thing called horse sense. It was real. She’d witnessed it.
Her hearing hadn’t returned to normal. It still felt like her head was underwater. She checked behind her. Creeping up from behind would be even easier now. Was that part of the perp’s plan? Maybe he thought he would wipe all three of them out with the bomb.
Guess what? Audrey wasn’t going down like that. She intended to fight tooth and nail until only one of them was left standing if that was what it took to nail this bastard. She didn’t want to kill him. No. That would be too easy of an out. Work Boots needed to spend the rest of his life behind bars with plenty of time to think about his actions and feel their repercussions. The man had killed five officers and attempted to murder one more. He couldn’t be allowed to run free. He wouldn’t stop now.
The tiny hairs on the back of her neck pricked. She got the feeling someone was watching her.
Where are you, sonofabitch?
Audrey rounded the corner to a concerned Duke. He jumped to his feet and ran over to her, bringing her into an embrace.
“I thought I lost you again,” he said to her, making eye contact and ensuring she could read his lips as he spoke. This close, she could hear him okay.
“I’m here,” she said. “I’m okay. I told you I was checking on the horses.”
“I called 911.” Duke’s gaze shifted to a spot behind her and to the right. He locked on like a missile to a target.
“I did the same,” she said. Two calls were even better than one.
“Stay here with Nash,” he said.
She shook her head vigorously. “I’m not letting you go after him without backup.” This perp might not be superhuman, but he sure seemed that way. Besides, it was good law enforcement practice to go in with reinforcements. She realized, however, Duke was most likely used to going after felony perps alone.
In her world, backup was essential. Neither one of them was armed.
Duke hesitated for a second before giving a quick nod. He took off in the direction he’d been staring at a moment ago. Audrey’s heart rate kicked up a few notches. At least Nash was sitting up on his own. Help was on the way.
Audrey ran behind Duke. She realized he put his body in between her and the threat. At least, he must believe there was a threat because he’d spotted something on the other side of the pen. She trusted his judgment as they crouched down low to stay under the top fence railing.
At this point, she wouldn’t argue, but she took a lot of pride in pulling her own weight at work. Since she and Duke didn’t work together and his protectiveness was personal, she would see it for what it was, a compliment rather than a message that she couldn’t handle her own.
Moving as stealthily as they could manage without grunting from pain with every step, they rounded the back end of the pen, making a circle.
Duke slowed down considerably. Were they getting close to whatever he had seen?
Audrey thought about how this perp liked to watch from the trees. If she and Duke stayed near the pen, they might end up right where the bastard wanted them. She put a hand on Duke’s shoulder, urging him to stop.
He did. Then he craned his neck around to see her.
She motioned with two of her fingers on her right hand to indicate eyes might be on them from the trees.
