Page 83 of The Promise
"Is he one of ours?" Cara's voice was soft, reverent.
"Yeah. A friend." Michael ground his teeth together, his eyes locked on Arless' body. Amos Striker had a lot to answer for.
Cara laid an soothing hand on his arm. "The shooting came from there." She jerked her head in the direction of the stable.
Michael frowned, turning to view the building. "Where?"
She nodded. "Up there." She pointed to the loft.
"You're sure?"
"Positive. When the shooting started, the door up there swung open a little wider and I'd swear I saw the barrel of a gun."
He studied the upper story of the stable, visualizing the inside. It was nothing but a crude storage platform for hay. It ran along the west side of the stable, opening out onto the stalls below. There was a door in the wall they used to get hay bales in and out. At the moment, that door stood about halfway open.
He looked up at the shadowy opening. He had to admit it was an ideal set-up. A man could pretty much hit anything that moved in the ranch yard from that vantage point. Anyone pinned in the house wouldn't have a prayer of escaping as long as the assailant didn't run out of ammunition. All he had to dowas wait. Sooner or later, they'd have to make a break for it. And when they did…
"I'm going to try and get to the back of the barn."
Cara looked up at him, her eyes wide. "You're going in there?"
"I don't see any other way. Besides, the odds are in my favor. He won't be expecting me. So, with a little luck, I'll manage to sneak up on him, and goodbye Amos Striker." He smiled at her, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt.
"But, what if he sees you and picks you off before you get the chance to surprise him?"
"Well, my sweet little crack shot, that's where you come in."
Her eyebrows arched upward. "And…"
"You need to create a diversion. Keep his attention focused on the ranch yard."
She nodded, her hand tightening around her rifle. "I think I can manage that."
"Listen to me, Cara, draw his fire if necessary, but don't take any chances."
"I'll handle it." She tipped back her head, her eyes lit with determination.
He leaned forward and gave her a hard kiss, the contact making him long to pull her closer, lose himself in her sweetness. He ruthlessly pushed the thoughts aside.
It was time for Amos Striker to pay for his sins.
Cara watched and waited.Surely he'd had enough time to get into place, but there was no signal. She strained her ears, listening for his whistle.
Nothing.
She fingered the trigger of the rifle. It had sounded easy in principle, but now she wondered if she was truly up to the task. The little door was only a couple hundred feet away. She'd certainly hit a lot smaller targets, from a lot farther distances, but there'd never been as much at stake.
She shook her head and worked to bolster her confidence. This was a piece of cake, a walk in the park. Oh God, who was she kidding, it was a life and death situation. She steadied her arm and gave one last cursory survey of the area. Everything was so quiet. So peaceful. A stand of pines, just behind the corral, danced in the wind. The breeze was picking up and she could feel its cool touch against her face and hands. It would change the trajectory slightly.
Her mind had automatically started to make the adjustments when her eyes froze, sending a frantic signal to her brain. A sparkle in the trees grabbed her attention. More than a sparkle really, a bright flash.
Light against metal. Sunlight bouncing off a gun barrel.
Her blood ran cold.
There was someone out there. Someone else.
There were two of them.
