Page 50 of Lone Star Protector

Nash kept slightly ahead of Caroline, and he fired glances around them, looking for a shooter. Looking for Bodie and Ruby, too.

He didn’t see either of them.

He also didn’t hear anything. It wasn’t as quiet as a tomb but close enough, what with no birds chirping, wind blowing or people talking. Then again, it was a Wednesday, and most residents probably didn’t come here until the weekend.

Nash motioned for Caroline to follow him to the side of the gate, where there was a metal box to manually key in codes. The wrought iron fence next to it also had thick pylons that he hoped would prevent Caroline and him from being shot from behind. For that to happen though, the shooter would have had to get inside the neighborhood.

A possibility.

But Nash figured there was an easier hiding place. He put his money on either the eight-foot-high limestone sign for the neighborhood or one of the deep ditches on the sides of the private road. There were some trees, but they weren’t nearly tall or thick enough for a sniper to perch in one and send a hail of bullets their way.

“Time’s up,” he heard Bodie say.

His brother stepped out from behind the limestone sign, and he had Ruby positioned in front of him in a chokehold. Bodie had used duct tape on both her wrists and ankles.

But she was alive.

For now.

However, Bodie had the tip of a skinning knife pressed to her neck, no doubt right on the carotid artery. One jab and Ruby would bleed out long before the EMTs could arrive.

Behind him, Nash felt Caroline move, and for a second he thought she might bolt out to get to her mother. She didn’t. She stayed put, but Nash could hear her now labored breathing.

“Ah, you came dressed up just for me,” Bodie purred. “All that gear. But, you know, darlin’, there are still plenty of places to put a knife.” He laughed. “Then again, you have personal experience with that, don’t you?”

Nash skipped asking Ruby if she was all right. Clearly, she wasn’t. So, he went with another question. “How did Bodie get to you?” And while she answered, Nash would take the time to assess if he had a clean shot to end Bodie’s miserable life.

It wasn’t Ruby who answered though. But rather Bodie.

“In the parking lot of the county sheriff’s office,” Bodie spelled out. “Ruby must not have thought I’d be ballsy enough to hang out there, what with all those badges around. But since being ballsy is my forte, I aimed a gun at her before she could draw hers. Then, I asked her something. Something real important. I said: Are you willing to die to save your baby girl?”

“Hell,” he heard Caroline mutter.

That was very mild profanity compared to what Nash spat out.

“FYI,” Bodie went on. “She told me yes, she’d be willing to die if I left Caroline alone. I swore to her on my own mama’s grave that I would, that it’d be enough for me to have Caroline suffering and grieving over her mother’s death.” He paused. Grinned. “But, of course, I lied. Suffering and grieving aren’t enough.” Bodie licked Ruby’s cheek, causing her to grimace. “Never trust a convicted felon.”

“I didn’t trust you,” Ruby said. “I just hoped Caroline wouldn’t come, that she’d see it for the trap that it was.”

“It’s not a trap unless it works,” Nash countered, and he aimed a hard stare at Bodie. “Are you here to talk us to death? To bore us with your bullshit? Which, by the way, makes you sound like… I’ll borrow a phrase from Caroline. A limp dick loser.”

Maybe that would goad Bodie into moving just enough for that kill shot. Something that at the moment Nash didn’t have.

Bodie glared at him. But didn’t move.

“Sorry to bore you,” Bodie growled. “However, it’s not you that I want dead. I want the suffering and grief for you as a survivor to this payback mission. Same for Ruby, too. The only person who needs to die today is Caroline.” He shifted his attention to her. “So, are you woman enough to take what’s coming to you, or are you going to risk the lives of your lover boy and your mama?”

“I’m woman enough,” Caroline verified with absolutely no hesitation. “By the way, a wise man once told me, ‘Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight.’”

Amused or at least pretending to be anyway, Bodie chuckled. “This isn’t a gunfight.”

“You’re wrong about that,” Caroline said like a challenge.

And she stepped to Nash’s side, causing him to do a whole lot of silent cursing. He was ready to jump in front of her if she tried to take another step. But she didn’t get the chance.

The sound of the approaching car had Bodie quickly ducking back behind the sign.

Obviously, this visitor wasn’t part of his plan, and Nash knew it was way too soon for Slade to arrive.

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