Ranger Faith (Texas Ranger Heroes #4) - Lynn Shannon Page 0,1
Derrick had injected her with were taking their toll.
“I…I don’t feel…I’m hurt…” She pressed a hand to her arm, but the blood rushed around her fingers. The cut was too big. Too deep. And she was so cold. Her teeth chattered.
“Hold on, Emilia. I’m coming. Just hold on.”
A branch snapped. Emilia whirled as a figure slammed into her. The cell phone flew from her hand as she tumbled to the ground. The attacker landed on top of Emilia. The air whooshed from her lungs and stars danced in front of her eyes.
“There you are, my pet.” A gloved hand caressed her hair. “You escaped.”
Bile rose in the back of her throat. Had Derrick seen the cell phone? Did he know she’d been talking to someone? Emilia didn’t think so. Otherwise, she’d be dead now. Derrick wouldn’t waste time torturing her if he knew police were on the way.
“I underestimated you.” Derrick leaned down and whispered in her ear. His breath was hot on her cheek. “You’re better than the others.”
The others. The three women he’d killed. Their faces flashed in succession before her eyes—and those were ones she knew about. There was little doubt Derrick had been killing for a long time. There were more victims.
He was a monster. And those women deserved justice.
A wave of rage mixed with the fresh course of adrenaline pumping through her veins. Emilia jabbed with her elbow, nailing her attacker in the ribs. His hold loosened. Relying on years of karate practice, she twisted away before kicking out with her good foot. The hit landed square in his gut. He fell back with a groan.
Emilia scrambled to her feet. She ran blindly as sheer survival instinct took over. Footsteps pounded behind her. It seemed the killer’s breath was on her neck. Branches slapped her face and roots threatened to trip her already unsteady gait.
Suddenly the trees were gone, and the lake loomed large. She bolted, seeking cover. Somewhere. Anywhere.
The bare soles of her feet slapped against wood. Too late, Emilia realized she’d diverted onto a dock extending into the lake. The water yawned like a black hole beyond the wooden railing.
It was a dead end.
She spun. A man dressed in black stood at the end of the dock. His face was in shadows, but Emilia didn’t need to see it to know he was smiling. Derrick enjoyed the fight and her fear.
He ambled closer. “We’re going to have so much fun together.”
Derrick lifted his hand. Moonlight bounced off the sharp blade.
Emilia’s heart thundered. She glanced at the lake. The water would be icy, cold enough to cause hypothermia. That is, if she didn’t drown first. A likely outcome given her weakened state.
Boots thumped against the dock as Derrick came closer.
There was no choice.
Emilia scrambled up the wooden railing. Behind her, Derrick yelled, his feet pounding harder on the dock. She felt the brush of his hand on her arm as he grabbed for her.
He missed.
She dove into the inky water.
Two
One year later
Texas Ranger Bennett Knox hauled the Christmas tree up the porch steps. Afternoon sunshine warmed his back and the needles on the Douglas fir tickled his cheeks.
“Why do you have to be so stubborn?” Bennett’s sister, Sage, marched ahead of him and opened the front door. She was dressed for the holiday season in a reindeer sweater. “It’s one date.”
Bennett smothered a groan of annoyance. He should’ve known better than to invite
Sage along to collect the Christmas tree. She’d taken the opportunity to bug him about his love life. Or rather, the lack of one. He gripped the tree trunk with his gloved hands. “For the thousandth time, I’m not interested. Stop trying to set me up with your friends.”
“It’s been four years since your divorce. Don’t you think it’s time to get back into the saddle?”
He rolled his eyes. “Dating is not the same as being thrown from a horse, Sage.”
“Sure it is. You try it and get hurt. The second time is more fearful because you know
what can happen when things go wrong.”
Bennett maneuvered the tree through his parents’ living room before carefully placing it in the waiting stand. “In my case, horribly wrong.”
His ex-wife—the woman who’d promised to love, honor, and cherish him—decided two days before their one-year anniversary that marriage wasn’t for her. Bennett went to work Monday morning completely unaware of the trouble in their relationship. He came home that night to find the house devoid of furniture. All she left behind was her wedding ring and an