Settling an Old Score - Delores Fossen Page 0,54

grounds.

“Eli, this is Jeremy,” the hand said after Eli had answered.

Jeremy Cranston, one of the top hands. Ashlyn knew him, and the last time she’d seen him, he’d been in the front pasture.

“There’s a car that’s stopped just up from the ranch road,” Jeremy went on. “The headlights are on high so I can’t see through the glare to get a glimpse of who’s inside.”

“Can you read the license plate?” Eli asked.

“Sure.” And Jeremy rattled that off to Eli.

“Thanks,” Eli told him. “Hold on just a minute while I have dispatch run the plates—”

“The car’s moving,” Jeremy blurted out, his voice louder now and edged with even more alarm. “Fast...hell! Eli, the car just broke through the fence and is headed right for us.”

Chapter Fifteen

Eli knew in his gut that this wasn’t just some driver who’d gotten turned around. No. This was probably the start of another attack. A stupid one. Because in addition to Gunnar and him, all the hands were armed and ready for something like this.

“Make sure the baby is okay,” Eli told Ashlyn, though he knew that Cora was fine. Still, he wanted Ashlyn to stay put. Best to not have her anywhere near the front of the house until he made sure that she wasn’t in danger. “If you hear anything, go in the room with Cora and Gloria and make sure all of you stay down.”

She gave a shaky nod and didn’t question him as to what he meant about hearing “anything.” Ashlyn knew they’d all be listening for the sound of gunshots.

Because he thought they could both use it, Eli brushed a quick kiss on Ashlyn’s mouth and headed for the front door. “Wake up,” he told Gunnar as he hurried past him.

The deputy did, and he automatically drew his gun. “What’s wrong?”

Eli looked out the small window on the side of the door, and he cursed. There was indeed a car coming across the pasture. A dark sedan. It tore through the section of wood fence and came right toward the house.

“Want me to try to shoot the driver?” Gunnar asked.

Eli considered it. Heck, he wanted to do it himself. But he didn’t know what they were up against.

“Hold off just a second,” Eli told him, and he took aim. Gunnar did the same at the other side window.

The car jolted to a stop about ten yards from the house, but Eli didn’t have any better luck than Jeremy had at seeing inside the vehicle. The high beams were cutting through the darkness, though, and it meant if someone got out, Eli and Gunnar would have no trouble spotting them. However, someone could possibly sneak out of the trunk, so Eli took out his phone to warn Jeremy about that, but before he could do that his phone buzzed again with a call.

Remy.

Eli wanted to let it go to voice mail because he didn’t want the distraction of another round of conversation with the man. But something in his gut told him to answer. The moment he did and put the call on speaker, he heard Remy’s frantic voice pour through the room.

“Don’t shoot me,” Remy said. “I have a hostage.”

Eli hadn’t thought his muscles could go any tighter, but he’d been wrong. “What hostage?” Eli demanded.

There were some muffled sounds. Maybe a struggle going on. “I’ll kill you if you move again,” Remy growled, and Eli was pretty sure the man wasn’t talking to him.

“Who’s your hostage?” Eli ordered Remy, and he tried not to think the worst. That maybe Remy had taken one of the hands or an innocent bystander.

“I’ve got Dominick,” Remy spat out. “And if he keeps trying to get his hands untied or kick me again, he’ll die.”

“Dominick?” Eli heard Ashlyn repeat. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure she had stayed put. She had. Ashlyn was in the hall just outside the door where Cora was sleeping. She looked shaky but confused, too. Eli was on the same page with her. What the hell was going on here?

“Why do you have Dominick?” Eli pressed, and that was just the first of many questions he had for Remy.

Eli turned his attention back to Remy’s vehicle. Or rather to the vehicle that had crashed through the fence. The odds were that Remy was indeed inside. Maybe Dominick, too. But Eli also knew this could be a trap and that Remy’s call could be just a distraction.

There could be gunmen inside that car, and they could be waiting