couldn’t control her fall and slid right into his arms again.
He peered into her frightened yet determined eyes. This was becoming a habit. A bad one for him. Instead of lowering her to the blanket, he carried her.
“Put me down. What are you doing?”
“Just hold your horses. I’ll let you down when we’re out of the danger zone. You know, the windshield. My boots are better than yours, okay?”
“Now, wait a minute.” But she grinned.
The last thing they needed was to add a bloody injury to this critical situation. They’d been fortunate so far. At the front of his truck, he set her down. She shifted on her feet as if savoring the feel of solid ground.
Liam glanced up at the ledge. A small crowd appeared above.
Then, finally, the sight of a brown uniform worn by Bridger County deputies sent relief whooshing through him. A plain-clothed figure stepped close to the deputy and crouched.
“You okay down there?” Detective Moffett shouted.
“We’re alive,” Liam called. “But we’re going to need help getting up.”
“I’m calling for help. Anyone need medical attention?”
Again, he shouted, “I think we’re good. No medical emergencies, that is. But watch your back up there.”
“Come again?”
“Watch your back. Someone ran us off the road.”
“So I heard. WSP is already on it. It’s going to take a while to get to you.” The investigator turned her attention to her radio. She wasn’t patrol, but she’d come all the same. The squawk echoed all the way down to him, but he couldn’t make out any words.
“That’s just great,” Rae said.
The tension that had coiled in his gut finally eased, if only slightly. Yes, they were alive, but it had been a long day and promised to be even longer.
Liam wrapped his arms around her thick coat. “I’ll keep you warm, Rae. It’ll be okay. You’ll see.”
His words sounded like a desperate attempt to convince himself.
Together they studied his vehicle, resting on its side like an abused horse that had lain down to die. It had partially wedged against the snow, and that had prevented it from rolling all the way over.
“Good thing you had us dress to be prepared for anything. I bet you hadn’t thought of this.”
“No. I never imagined it.”
He and Rae might need to start climbing instead of waiting for help. This place was majestic, but rocky ledges with breathtaking vistas and snow-covered mountains could often exact a terrible price when a traveler made a misstep. Or in this case, was shoved from the road.
Still, they’d been fortunate.
Rae stumbled against him. He was about to let her go and then he hesitated, getting caught up in the emotion dancing in her blue-green eyes. A heartbeat or two and then he could actually breathe, and he released her.
She took a step away from him and glanced at his truck again. “Did this really happen?” she asked, her entire body shuddering.
He regretted releasing her so soon and tugged her back to him. Things could have ended so much worse. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” God, please let it be okay. Let it end.
Liam soaked in the reassurance acquired only through human touch. And maybe even only this particular human’s touch. Because holding Rae against him, holding on for dear life, was more than simple human touch. At this moment, it was everything. “You said it already, Rae. We made it.”
“Was it the masked man again?” she asked.
“I don’t know who he is, but I know what he is.”
“Dangerous. You don’t have to tell me.”
Liam held out no hope for Zoey. Did Rae truly believe her sister-in-law was still alive? One thing was clear, someone didn’t want Rae to continue digging into Zoey’s case and had wanted to finish them both off today.
Why would someone try to kill the two of them in this way and leave themselves so exposed? Regardless of the price their attacker was willing to pay to see them dead, the man’s attempt to kill Liam and Rae had backfired. Perhaps a witness had videoed the murder attempt. That thought gave him hope. If they had footage of the event, they could get a close-up of the person behind the steering wheel of the Hummer.
A ruckus from above broke their connection, and Liam let go of Rae. “Looks like help has arrived.”
“Liam!” Sheriff Taggart stood on the ledge along with a team with climbing gear.
“Mountain climbers. My favorite,” he mumbled.
“Someone will come down to you,” Taggart shouted. “Get you hooked up and then we’ll lift you