Chapter 32

32

The truth hit Caleb while he reversed Grace's car into Wyatt's garage.

He was falling for her, falling hard and fast, with no safety net to catch him. And God help him, but he didn't want to stop.

He understood why Grace had kept the truth from him. She was scared. Well, that stopped now. Grace needed him and he would move mountains or die trying.

His woman would not live her life in fear.

He parked her car next to Wyatt's sleek steel-gray Volvo T8, then maneuvered the T8 out of the garage.

"Never thought I'd see you behind the wheel of a car that cost more than your entire wardrobe." Wyatt's eyebrows jogged skyward.

"Just because you get your guns and shirts in the same store." Caleb killed the engine. Grace had gone into the house for some water.

"You sure about this, Caleb? Hudson's men could be anywhere," Wyatt asked.

Caleb nodded. "I'll call once we're out of state. We can find somewhere to lie low in northern Canada till her trial."

Wyatt's expression sobered. "Be careful. From what you've told me, these guys play for keeps."

"I will." He skimmed his hand over his holstered gun. Grace was in danger and he would move heaven and earth to keep her safe. But deep down, he knew he wasn't just going to protect Grace. He would stop Hudson. Somehow.

Come hell or high water, no one would lay a hand on Grace ever again.

A sharp bark from Dolly drew his attention. Grace jogged down the steps, backpack hooked over her shoulders, Dolly at her heels. Caleb didn't miss the devotion on Dolly's face. And despite the stress of the past few days, there was a new brightness in Grace's eyes, a luminous glow to her skin that radiated from within, as if she had shed the oppressive weight of Hudson's control.

Caleb met his brother's gaze, a silent understanding passing between them in the space of a heartbeat. "I'll call when we find somewhere for the night."

Wyatt inclined his head in agreement.

Caleb took Grace's backpack and placed it in the immaculate trunk with the rest of their supplies. Hell, it was going to be fun keeping the SUV as pristine as Wyatt did. He slammed the trunk closed while Grace took hold of Wyatt's hands and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. For everything."

Caleb could have sworn Wyatt pinked with pleasure at the contact, a rare display of emotion from his usually stoic brother. But maybe it was a trick of the light, the setting sun painting the world in shades of gold and pink.

"This is for you." Caleb handed Grace the activated PLB.

She turned it over in her hand. "What is it?"

"Personal locator beacon."

For an instant, he thought she would protest, but she remained silent.

"So I can find you if you get lost." He closed her fingers around it and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Keep it with you. Make me happy?"

"Sure." She smiled and tucked it into her jeans pocket.

"Dolly?" Caleb held open the Volvo's rear passenger door. "Time to go, girl." He waited a beat, expecting to hear the familiar jingle of her collar as she bounded toward him. But there was only the low moan of the wind.

Where was she? Damn dog had been here less than five seconds ago. He whistled and in reply, a tortured animal scream tore through the air like a knife.

Caleb jerked around, his heart skittering, his mind reeling with the sudden, sickening realization. It had come from the forest.

Dolly.

Ahead of him, the trees stirred, restless, as if moved by an unseen malevolent force.

Grace crossed to the leaf strewn grass. She looked back over her shoulder at him, her complexion waxy, her eyes troubled. "It's him."

And then, without warning, she took off, running toward the edge of the forest with a speed and urgency that bordered on crazy.

"Fuck." Caleb sprinted after her, his heart hammering in his chest like a war drum.

"Right behind you. I'll take the north road and establish a blocking position." Wyatt called out, already moving like a dark wraith to the rear of the grounds, his body melding with the shadows as if he were a part of them.

Caleb heard his brother, but his entire being was focused on the woman he cared for more than he'd ever thought possible. He plunged after her into the creaking woods, pine needles and branches whipping his face, oblivious to everything but the primal need to get to her. Thundering through the underbrush, fueled by volcanic fury, Caleb zeroed in on a second fading animal scream. Dolly. The sound ripped through him like a jagged blade, forcing him to hurl himself deeper into the woods.

Damn, Grace was fast. He'd lost sight of her, relying on snapped branches, flattened grass to show him her path.

He tried not to think. To just run.

His girls were alone and unprotected, at the mercy of a madman who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. The thought was a vise around his heart, squeezing the air from his lungs.

I'm coming, Grace.

He would not lose her now, not after everything they had been through, not when he had imagined a future that included her by his side. Caleb pushed himself harder, faster, his legs pumping like pistons, his lungs heaving with the effort.

He would bring them both back safe.

And heaven help anyone who stood in his way.