Page 58 of Easton’s Claim

His heart pumped hard as he ran, concern for her driving him to run faster, faster. She’d taken a path he hadn’t noticed before. He turned up it and charged after her, praying he got between her and the last shooter in time to protect her.

“I see him. He’s heading for the road.”

Her words floated back to him through the trees, and his gut tightened. “Stay there and don’t move,” he ordered, slapping branches out of his way with one hand, the rifle Wyatt had given him in the other.

He didn’t make it in time.

A second after he caught sight of Charlie up ahead, he spotted the shooter, who was whirling to fire. Before he could shout at her to get down, she raised her own rifle, aimed and fired two shots in rapid succession.

Her target, partially hidden from his view by the trees, grunted and hit the ground with a solid thud. Weapon up and ready, Jamie charged past Charlie and straight for him.

When he cleared the last of the trees in the way, the guy was on his back, groaning, not moving. Blood glistened on his chest, streamed out of his mouth. Shot through the lung.

Jamie kicked the dying man’s rifle out of reach and knelt to search him. He found a wallet and a backup weapon. When he placed two fingers beneath the angle of the man’s jaw, he wasn’t surprised there was no pulse.

“Is he dead?” Charlie asked softly from behind him.

“Yeah.” He didn’t know if she’d ever seen a dead body before or not, but he was pretty damn sure she’d never shot anyone before. Fuck.

Pushing to his feet, he slid the wallet into the front pocket of his jeans and turned to stand between her and the body so she wouldn’t have to see it. She still had the rifle in her hands but it was too dark for him to see her expression. Probably better that way.

“Come on,” he said in a low voice, reaching out to catch her hand. Her fingers were cold and he rubbed his thumb over them to help warm them.

She followed without a word, docile as a lamb. That and her icy hands told him everything he needed to know about her true emotional state. She was in shock, no matter how much she didn’t want to admit it.

As he led her back through the woods, he pulled out his cell to call Easton and let him know the last shooter was down, and that he and Charlie were about to emerge from the trees.

“Copy that,” Easton said. “Perimeter’s secure and the cops are moving to your position now. We’ll meet you at the house.”

Jamie put his phone back into his pocket and kept moving. The entire property was going to be crawling with cops and Feds in a matter of minutes.

By then he wanted Charlie back safe inside the house with a mug of something hot and a blanket around her shoulders. Her home had just been hit and she’d killed one of the attackers, and he wished like hell none of it had ever happened. They were all in for a long night while they gave statements and answered questions.

A patch of bloody grass glistened at the edge of the west pasture. Jamie changed course and blocked her view as he led her back toward the house, relief that it was over warring with irritation.

The threat might be over now but he was amped up on adrenaline and the sight of Charlie standing there aiming her rifle at the shooter only reminded him of what could have happened to her tonight. He was impressed as hell, but that didn’t matter.

She was trouble. He’d known it from the first time they’d met, and it turned out she had a wild, stubborn streak in her just like Easton.

When the house came into view, he could see the cops already fanning out across the yard. He stopped, turned to face her, struggling to sort out his emotions. Her hand was still cold in his. She stirred him up more than any other woman ever had.

He didn’t like the way she threatened his control. Didn’twantto want her, especially since she was Easton’s sister but there was no way he could keep his distance right now.

“You okay?” he murmured.

“Fine.” The word was soft but curt.

He sighed, fighting the urge to wrap his arms around her. She wasn’t okay, but he respected her need to pretend she was. “He would have shot you if you hadn’t pulled the trigger.” Dammit, he couldn’t get that thought out of his head.

She nodded, jaw tight. “I know.” A tremor snaked through her, and he couldn’t take it anymore.

Without a word he tugged her close and wrapped his arms around her. She was stiff at first, but when all he did was hold her, she relaxed. “Cold?”

“A little.”

He stood there for a few minutes, running his hands up and down her back, keeping her tight to his chest to warm her. Her sweet scent teased him, her firm curves molding to his body in a way that made him bite back a growl.

He squeezed her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Better?”

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