Settling an Old Score - Delores Fossen Page 0,45

could be close to me.”

Eli tried to think of a reason why Remy wouldn’t admit to stealing records when he’d just confessed to much worse, but he couldn’t come up with anything. Well, unless Remy was just so upset that he had no idea what he was saying.

Ashlyn nudged Eli’s arm again and showed him Garcia’s latest text. Remy’s walking toward a small barn that’s off the backyard. You think he’s in danger from himself?

Eli had to shrug. He had no idea what was going on in Remy’s mind right now. “Tell Garcia to keep watching,” he mouthed. “When I get there, we’ll go inside the barn and arrest Remy.”

And that would be just the start.

He’d need to do a tough interrogation with Remy and put in a call to Gus to let him know what was going on. Oh, and arrange for the body to be exhumed. Judging from Remy’s extreme reaction and his confession, Eli figured this time they would indeed find Marta.

“Remy?” Eli asked.

No answer. And a moment later, Remy ended the call.

“We’re almost there,” Gunnar whispered as he took a turn off the main road. “We’re only a couple of minutes out.”

Good, because if Remy truly was suicidal, they needed to stop him. Maybe they would get there in time.

Gunnar’s phone rang. Not a text this time, but a call from Garcia. Eli took the cell from Ashlyn and put the call on speaker.

“We’ve got a problem,” Garcia immediately said. “Some guy just came out from the trees that aren’t too far from the barn. He’s got a gun.”

Hell.

Eli had no trouble hearing what Garcia had said, and he felt the immediate slash of fresh adrenaline. Not again. Not another attack.

“Gunnar, turn off your headlights,” Eli instructed. “When you reach Garcia’s car, pull in behind him.”

Eli looked ahead and spotted the unmarked sedan, and Gunnar came to a stop behind it. He saw the deputy crouched behind his door, and he had night goggles pressed to his eyes. The house and barn were in the distance, not far at all, but there were no signs of Remy or a gunman.

“I’m sorry,” Eli said to Ashlyn, causing her to look at him. “We have to stay. We have to give Garcia backup.”

“Of course you do.” She kept her shoulders straight, trying to show him that she was a lot stronger than she likely felt. “I know the drill. I’ll stay in the cruiser and will keep down.”

It wasn’t enough. Nowhere near it. But maybe this “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation would end without Ashlyn getting hurt.

“Stay here with Ashlyn and call for backup,” Eli told Gunnar, and Eli brushed a quick kiss on her mouth before he reached for the door.

“Be careful.” Her voice was shaky now, and even in the dim light he saw the fear in her eyes.

“I will be,” he promised her as he hurried out.

He eased the door shut so that it wouldn’t make any noise, and he heard the clicks of Gunnar locking it. Eli trusted the deputy and knew he’d do whatever it took to keep Ashlyn safe, but Eli hated that he couldn’t be in two places at once.

“The guy with the gun is on the left side of the barn,” Garcia told him when Eli reached him, and he passed his goggles to Eli.

Eli didn’t have any trouble spotting the man. Tall, lanky, dressed all in black. And he did indeed have a gun.

“Remy’s still in the barn,” Garcia added.

He hoped Remy wasn’t doing something dangerous in there, but for now Eli had to go with the immediate threat—the gunman. The guy wasn’t moving, but that didn’t mean he soon wouldn’t be. But who was his target?

Remy?

Or had the gunman known that Remy would lead them here?

“I’m going to cut around on foot and try to come up behind the thug,” Eli instructed Garcia. “You move closer to the barn—also on foot—but try to keep an eye on the cruiser. I don’t want them getting ambushed.”

Garcia made a sound of agreement, and keeping low, the deputy started moving—fast. Eli did the same, after he put his phone on vibrate, and he tried to push aside any thoughts of all the things that could go wrong. So far, all the breaks had gone against them, and something had to go their way.

Despite it being past sunset, it was still hot, and it didn’t take long for the sweat to start trickling down Eli’s back. He swiped