Page 73 of Ranger's Justice

Hollister’s hand moves, too fast for me to process, reaching beneath his bloodstained jacket… Gun!

I barely register the warning scream in my head before I see the glint of steel. Hollister whips a small pistol from inside his jacket, moving with a speed I didn’t think possible. I’m already raising my own gun, my finger on the trigger, but I know—I know I’m not fast enough.

Hollister’s gun swings toward me. Time slows. I see it—the dark gleam in his eyes, the satisfaction, the absolute certainty that he’s about to take me down with him.

Another shot rings out, but it’s not mine.

Hollister jerks violently, his body arching, his mouth opening in shock. Hollister makes a choked, gurgling sound, his hands fluttering to his ruined neck, his face contorting in agony. The gun tumbles from his grip, his fingers twitching as he collapses onto his back. Blood spills over his lips, his body spasming once, twice—then still. I stare at the expanding blood stain and then whirl around to see who fired the fatal shot.

Rush is on him, his teeth bared, his gun smoking. His shot hit dead center, a perfect kill shot right through the bastard’s throat. Rush stands over him, his breath coming hard, his chest heaving, his wolf flickering just beneath the surface. He doesn’t move. Doesn’t speak. He just watches.

And then, after what feels like an eternity, he lifts his gaze to mine.

“It’s done.”

A shuddering breath escapes me. My gun lowers, my arms trembling from the tension of the fight. I stare at Hollister’sbody, the finality of it settling in. The man who destroyed my family. Who stole my father from me. Who would have killed me if Rush hadn’t acted first. Gone.

I should feel relief. Closure. Something. All I feel is exhaustion.

Rush steps closer, his presence wrapping around me like a storm. “Cassidy.” His voice is rough, laced with the remnants of his fury, his adrenaline.

I swallow hard, my throat tight. “It’s really over.”

Rush exhales slowly, dragging a hand through his hair. His eyes don’t leave mine. “Yeah, darlin’. It is.”

I trace my finger along his jawline. “By the way, you didn’t give me a chance to tell you… I love you, too.”

A tremor runs through me, the weight of everything crashing down all at once. The pain, the loss, the rage I’ve carried for so long—it doesn’t just disappear. It doesn’t evaporate with Hollister’s last breath, but it’s lighter.

Rush must see it, because he reaches for me, his fingers brushing against my wrist, his touch warm, grounding. “We should go.”

I nod, but my body doesn’t move. Not yet. Instead, I take one last look at the man who stole so much from me, and then I turn my back on him. For good.

The battle is over, but the work isn’t.

The estate is a graveyard. Bodies lie strewn across the courtyard, the scent of blood thick in the air. The Del Toro enforcers never stood a chance—Rush, Gideon, Deacon, Gage, and Dalton made sure of that.

Dalton wipes his blade on a dead man’s shirt before sheathing it, his lips pulling into a satisfied grin. “That went well.”

Gideon snorts, checking the ammo in his rifle. “You call that ‘well’?”

Dalton grins. “The bad guys are dead. The cartel’s got no leader here, and we’re all still breathing. I call that a win.”

Gage rolls his shoulders, his expression unreadable. “We need to move. The cartel won’t take this lightly.”

Rush nods. “We leave nothing.”

Deacon tilts his head. “That means we’re burning this place to the ground?”

A slow, dark smile spreads across Rush’s face. “Damn right we are.”

Within minutes, the Rangers are moving. Gathering weapons, destroying intel, making sure no evidence remains that could tie back to us.

I watch, my mind still catching up to everything that’s happened.

Hollister is gone. The men who backed him? Gone. His empire? Crippled.

Gage and Gideon move quickly, rigging the estate with explosives while Deacon and Dalton secure the last of our gear. Rush stays close to me, his movements quick, controlled, lethal. Even now, with the fight over, he’s still wired, still on edge, his wolf riding him hard.

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