Guardian Ranger (Shadow Agents #2)(44)
Author: Cynthia Eden

Logan glanced between them.

Her hand brushed against Jasper. “This is your job. You make sure that Jimmy comes in alive—he can come back and clear my brother.”

Because proving her brother’s innocence was the one thing that mattered most to Veronica.

“Logan has backup,” Jasper said, still not willing to leave her. “Sydney’s damn good at her job and—”

“It’s a whole lot of land. It’s a guy who knows the area,” Veronica said, “and you’re tracking him through a storm. If Sydney’s found a link to him out at my ranch, you can’t waste time. Go find him.”

Because it was what she wanted, he nodded.

“We leave in five,” Logan said as he stepped back.

Five minutes. Not long. Jasper shut the door. Pulled Veronica against him. “When I come back, you and I are gonna finalize some things.”

She frowned up at him.

“The EOD.” Jasper heaved out a breath as he tried to find the right words. “It doesn’t have to be the only thing for me.” He’d had another dream, one that had whispered through his mind for years.

The picket fence. A family.

Someone he loved.

“Finish this job,” she whispered to him. “Come back, and we start fresh.”

Sounded like one fine idea to him.

He kissed her and knew that he wouldn’t, couldn’t fail on this hunt.

* * *

HE WATCHED THE EOD agents leave. They thought they were so smart. Tracking him. Closing in. They didn’t realize their mistake.

He’d been the one to turn on the cell phone so they could do their GPS tracking. He wanted them out on that ranch.

Because while the EOD was away, it gave him plenty of time to play.

He smiled and checked his weapon. Perfect.

They could search that ranch all night if they wanted. It would give him the chance he needed to take care of business.

He glanced down at his chest. At the stupid star near his heart. People acted as if that star was supposed to mean something to him.

It didn’t mean a damn thing.

Money mattered. Getting paid for the jobs that he did. He’d been poor. He’d been pitied.

He’d never be that way again.

He’d found a way to get a whole new life, and to get that life, he’d just needed to become someone new. Cale wasn’t so special. Not “Cale Lane,” anyway. But “Striker”…he was special. People asked specifically for that mercenary when they went to Reed Montgomery.

Cale had balked at the jobs that weren’t straight rescues. He’d never taken the hits. Even though those jobs paid the most cash.

So someone had taken the jobs for him. Reed had been down with the switch. Morality hadn’t been big with the guy, so Reed sure hadn’t balked at lying about which mercenary actually took a job. People wanted Striker? Then they were told Striker handled the cases, even if someone else was actually doing the job. It had been the perfect situation.

But when Veronica just wouldn’t give up on her hunt and those federal agents came to town, well, he hadn’t been able to trust that Reed wouldn’t turn on him.

So he’d eliminated Reed, just as he had the others.

For now…now it was time for the next step. Time to take over the “Striker” name once more and finish the job he’d started.

He’d been paid very, very well to take out EOD agents. Two more agents were on his hit list.

Gunner Ortez.

Sydney Sloan.

It seemed someone down in South America wanted those two out of the picture. The same someone who’d paid to have the other EOD agents eliminated. When he finished this job, he’d have a cool two million waiting in his Cayman Islands account.

There was a lot that a man could do with two million dollars. Hell, two million dollars could wash away so much blood.

He rubbed the star on his chest, checked his weapon once more and got ready to finish the job.

Chapter Twelve

Inside the EOD team’s headquarters, Veronica paced along the narrow hallway. She didn’t see Gunner, but she knew he was just a short scream away. Not that she planned to scream.

Jimmy? How could it have been Jimmy? The idea still seemed wrong to her. Jimmy had been such a sweet guy. Lost, sad, hurt by his mother’s abandonment, but he’d cared about Whiskey Ridge. He’d cared about her and Cale.

Hadn’t he?

A man of the law, now being hunted. Soon enough, they’d find out what was happening with Jimmy. Soon—

Gunfire erupted, bursting from near the entrance of the headquarters. She tensed, then saw Wyatt rushing down the hallway to her. “It’s Jimmy!” Sweat glistened on his forehead. “He took a shot at me when I got close to the front window! Saw him…” He huffed out a breath. “For just a second… Fired back…” His fingers clenched around hers. “I think I hit him.”

Footsteps thundered behind her. She looked over her shoulder. Gunner was there, with his gun out, and his face was a hard mask. “What’s happening?” he demanded.

“Jimmy’s outside,” she said. “Wyatt thinks that he shot the deputy.”

Gunner’s hold tightened on his weapon. “Take her to the back. I’ll check it out.”

Wyatt’s fingers were trembling. How must he feel? To have shot Jimmy.

“I nearly raised him…” Wyatt whispered as he shook his head. “That boy…how could he do this?” He pulled her down the hallway. “How?” Pain deepened his voice.

More stumbling steps and they were near the end of the hallway. The room that housed Cale was to the right.

“Go on in there,” Wyatt said with a nod toward the door. “Stay with Cale until we make sure Jimmy is…” Wyatt’s breath blew out on a rough sigh. “Just stay with him.” Then he was gone. Rushing back down the hallway.

She opened the door. The handle turned easily beneath her fingers. She would have thought that Gunner had locked the room, but maybe her brother had—

The room was empty. Cale was gone. The slats of wood had been pried off the window.

Gunfire blasted once more.

* * *

JASPER AND LOGAN HAD their weapons out. They were scanning the area around Veronica’s ranch. So far, there were no signs of Jimmy.

Not yet.

“The front door’s open,” Logan whispered.

Jasper nodded to show he’d heard. Then he gave a quick gesture with his hand. He’d go in first, and Logan could follow for cover.

One, two…

By three, he was in the house. And the house had most definitely been searched. Ransacked. Not just Veronica’s room this time. Not just Cale’s room.