Guardian Ranger (Shadow Agents #2)(31)
Author: Cynthia Eden

A muscle jerked in Jasper’s jaw.

Then they all heard it…the growling of an engine, coming closer. Wyatt? Coming to help them? Or the shooter, coming to finish them?

She glanced back at Cale. He didn’t have a weapon in his hands. Jasper was the only one with the gun, and he was pointing the weapon at the wrong people.

Veronica looked at Jasper once more. “Y-you were supposed to help me find Cale,” she said, trying to get through to him. “Why are y-you doing this?”

“Because he’s not here to find me.” The instant response burst from Cale. “The EOD sent him to capture me.”

The EOD? She didn’t even know what that was, but—but the growling of that car’s engine was growing louder.

Company was coming.

“That could be the shooter,” she whispered as she stepped toward Jasper. Instantly, Cale’s hands clamped down on her shoulders like a vise. She tried to shake him off. Not happening.

“Get. Away. From. Her,” Jasper gritted.

“You’re not going to shoot.” Cale was confident. “You’d hurt her. You’ve never hurt a civilian in your life.”

Was that all she was to Jasper? A civilian?

“I’ll be back,” Cale whispered in Veronica’s ear. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave you on your own.” Then he was pulling away, turning, running back for the brush that would give him cover until he reached the stream.

And Jasper was trying to follow him. No, Jasper was raising his weapon to shoot him.

“Stop!” she screamed. She leaped forward and placed her body directly in front of the gun. “Don’t do it.”

Jasper wrapped his hand around her wrist and jerked her to his side. She turned her head, desperate to see Cale.

But her brother hadn’t made it to the brush. The woman with short blond hair—the woman Veronica had seen with the tech team at Last Chance—had just burst from that covering. She had her weapon up and dead-aimed on Cale. The federal agent, Gunner, was right by her side.

They’d stopped her brother. And they were…cuffing him?

“Jasper?” He’d finally lowered his weapon. He stared at her with a carefully shielded gaze, one that she couldn’t read no matter how hard she tried.

“I’m sorry,” he told her.

“Don’t be sorry! Tell me what’s happening!” If he weren’t wounded, she’d be shaking him.

The woman ran toward them. “Hell, Jasper, that looks bad.” She had her phone out and was calling for backup and an EMT right away. Her gaze swept to Veronica. “You hurt?”

Yes. It felt as if someone were clawing out her heart. “Why is Cale in cuffs? He didn’t shoot at us.” She waved her hand in the air, pointing up toward the ridge. “You need to check up there for the shooter. We’re all in danger out here. We’ve got to stop him and—”

“We checked the ridge. Right after we heard the crash. No one’s there.” The woman moved closer to Jasper. Is she an agent, too? “Figured you’d get shot. You always have to prove that you can take a bullet, don’t you?”

“Bullet…in and out of my shoulder…it’s my head that feels like it’s…tearing apart.”

Because his head had slammed into the steering wheel or the windshield. Veronica wasn’t sure which. She wanted to comfort him, but the other woman was checking his wounds and Veronica wasn’t sure what was happening. Jasper pulled a gun on Cale. Her gaze snapped toward her brother. Gunner was leading him away.

She was standing there, lost, and the full knowledge of what had happened slowly sank in for her.

The way the woman was talking to Jasper…

The reference Cale had made to the EOD…

The presence of the agents and their readiness to arrest Cale.

Her body trembled. Nausea rolled in her belly.

From the beginning, it had been a setup. Jasper had been hunting Cale, but not because he wanted to help her find her brother.

But because he wanted to arrest him.

“What’s the charge?” Veronica whispered.

Jasper glanced over at her. His eyes glinted. “Veronica…”

“Multiple counts of murder,” the blonde woman said, voice flat. “I’m sorry, Ms. Lane, but your brother is a killer, and we’re taking him in.”

That was the moment when her world came crashing down around her.

* * *

A LOCAL DOC, a lady with bright red hair, glowering eyes and tough hands, stitched Jasper up. It was the same doc who’d taken care of the kid who’d tried to abduct Veronica. Jasper railed the whole time she patched him up. He could feel a sledgehammer hitting his brain, but he didn’t care about that pain or the burn of the bullet wound and stitches.

He wanted to get to Veronica.

He had to explain to her.

Back at the accident scene, she’d stared at him as if he were a stranger. Hell, to her, he was. A stranger that she’d taken to her bed, only to discover that he’d been lying to her all along. Using her.

I’m so damn sorry, Veronica.

Once the doc was through with him, Jasper headed over to meet up with the rest of his team. Even before the sheriff’s station had been reduced to ashes and a few skeleton walls, the EOD agents had already scouted the area for their own headquarters. Now the EOD was set up in an old building, one that would serve as their base until the mission was over. When he entered their temporary headquarters, Jasper saw Logan sitting behind a desk in the main room. Sydney paced near him.

“That was close,” Logan said, glancing at the bandage on Jasper’s forehead and the covered wound on his shoulder. “I’m starting to wonder who has the bigger death wish, you or Gunner.”

Jasper’s jaw clenched. “Where’s Veronica?”

“That’s your question?” Logan’s blue gaze narrowed. “We brought in our suspect. We even held off interrogation until you dragged your sorry hide out of the doc’s office, and the first thing you ask about is the girl?” He gave a soundless whistle. “Interesting.”

Jasper thought about punching Logan. Sure, Logan was their leader, the guy with the code name of Alpha One, but leader or not, he was still close to getting hit.

Logan rose from his chair and slowly came around the desk. “You didn’t get emotionally involved in this one, did you?”

Hell, yes.

“Because we both know just how dangerous that can be,” Logan said, memories flashing in his own eyes.