Page 147 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

He wanted to go to her, to pull her into his arms. He wasn’t going to leave Salcito alone, though. He stood. “Aspen? Are you injured?”

She shifted to look at him. And smiled. “I thought…” The words came out raspy, and she cleared her throat. “Are you really here?”

He wasn’t sure what she meant by that. “Can you walk?”

“Um…” She pushed herself up to sitting and must’ve seen Salcito at his feet. Her eyes widened, and she looked around on the ground. “Where is it?”

“What?”

“This.” Salcito’s voice was cold, angry.

Garrett dove, registering the moment his body hit the snow what Aspen had been looking for. Thank God his instincts had pushed him to act before his mind managed to catch up.

The gunshot was deafening in the silence.

Garrett rolled, didn’t pause to check if he’d been hit.

Salcito scrambled to his feet.

Garrett barreled into him a second time. This time, they crashed into the trunk of a tree.

Salcito’s head bounced off the hard wood, and he pitched sideways.

Garrett took advantage of the blow to the older man’s head. He yanked his opposite arm and twisted his body.

The mayor landed face down in the snow.

Garrett snatched the gun from his limp hand, stuck it in his pocket, and rested one knee on the man’s back.

He fought to catch his breath.

The shifting of bracken, the snap of a twig, told him Aspen was moving.

“Are you all right?” she asked

“I’m fine.” He hoped he was, anyway. He didn’t feel any pain, but he knew enough to know adrenaline could mask it.

He didn’tthinkhe’d been hit.

He looked her way quickly, but he wasn’t going to be dumb enough to take his focus off Salcito again. “Are you?”

“Yeah. A little dizzy, but?—”

“Can you drive?”

“I think so.”

“My truck is parked in the cul-de-sac. Go to your house and tell Cote?—”

“Cote’s at my house?”

“Yeah. In fact…” He pulled the gun out of his pocket and aimed straight up. He squeezed the trigger, then squeezed it again.

The gunshots echoed through the forest.

“Maybe they heard that,” he said. “Maybe not. Either way, head for the road. If the police don’t come, drive down.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

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