Page 57 of Lone Star Rescue

“No,” Tessa shouted. “I won’t let—”

Then, Tessa screamed. A blood-curdling cry of terror. Maybe even pain.

Bree maneuvered toward that scream, listening for anything else Tessa might say. But nothing. Bree only heard the slapping of the helicopter blades.

Had Tessa run to the chopper?

Maybe.

She must have seen on the security screens when Buckner had arrived in it. It was possible she’d gone straight to him, to hand herself over so she could try to save Rafe and Bree, her blood friends. But Bree knew that was a sacrifice that would be all for nothing because Buckner wanted all three of them.

There was another thud to her right. But this wasn’t another smoke bomb. This was the sound of a fight. Fists hitting muscle and bone.

Rafe.

He was probably in a fight for his life with those hired gunmen. She wanted to believe all his training would be enough to save him, but he was seriously outnumbered. Added to that, Rafe would have basically been moving blind, just as she was. He could have walked right into an ambush.

Bree debated whether to go to him or Tessa. It was a damned if she did, damned if she didn’t situation, so she tried to think of what Rafe would want, and she could practically hear him saying two words.

Save Tessa.

So, that’s what Bree did. She followed the direction of Tessa’s scream, the sound of it still echoing in her head. She needed to get to Tessa before Buckner killed her and then hurry back to help Rafe.

She picked up the pace, running now, and even though she could barely see her hand in front of her face, Bree thoughtshe was heading in the right direction. If Buckner had Tessa, he was likely getting her on the helicopter. Then, he could take her heaven knew where to kill her.

If he hadn’t already.

But Bree shoved that aside. Buckner would want to torment Tessa first. That was the kind of man he was. After all, he could have just started launching grenades at the house, ripping it apart and killing them all while they were inside. He hadn’t. So, that meant Tessa was still alive.

Bree came out into a clearing that confused her at first before she realized the blades of the chopper had whipped back the smoke. The chopper was still on the ground. So were Tessa and Buckner. Buckner had Tessa in a chokehold, and Bree caught a glimpse of Tessa’s terrified face.

Just a glimpse.

Before something shot into her.

The pain was instant, and she touched the point of impact. Not a bullet. Some kind of dart.

“A tranquilizer,” she managed to say.

Before the world around her went dark, and she collapsed on the ground.

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Chapter Fifteen

Get to her now!

Those were the words repeating in Rafe’s head like gunfire. The images were repeating, too. Flashes of the nightmare when he’d failed to save his protégé. All of it was mixed together with new images.

Of Tessa.

Of Bree.

The smoke had gobbled both of them up. Him, too. And then the men had come after him. Fists flying. Fighting dirty.

Someone had punched him in the kidney. But he’d held his own and had broken enough bones to incapacitate three of them. The fourth, however, had shot him with a tranquilizer.

Yes, he remembered that.

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