Under Threat by B.J. Daniels (reading the story of the .TXT) 📕

situation presented itself, she’d sacrifice herself for both the people she loved.

Chapter 15

Vaughn didn’t know what to do with the searing rage inside him. She was lying. How dare she lie about something so important? How could she be willing to sacrifice herself with so many unknowns and so much at stake? She didn’t even know for sure if her sister was alive or with The Stallion. All they had were hunches and possibilities, and Vaughn was beyond livid that she would take such a chance with her life.

It didn’t matter that he would do everything in his power to make that impossible for her, because it wasn’t about him. It wasn’t about what he could do. It wasn’t about how well he could keep her safe. It was about the fact that she was willing. It was about the fact that...

She should’ve cared more about herself. She should’ve cared more about her future.

Which does not include you, so maybe calm down.

Frustrated with himself, more than frustrated with the situation, he pushed them forward at a punishing pace, doing his best to keep them behind things that would keep them out of sight and safe from bullets.

But even as they hurried and zigzagged and did their best to stay low, Vaughn could hear the sound of an engine getting closer and closer. He swore, because no matter how good he was, no matter how strong he was, no matter how smart he was, he could not outrun a vehicle. He couldn’t outrun whatever was coming after them.

They’d made it around one of the craggy desert mountains, and whatever was coming for them would have to come around one of the sides. Vaughn kept his weapon drawn and his eyes alert. “We’re going to find somewhere to hide you.”

“But—”

“No but. You will listen to me. You will follow my directions. If I tell you to hide, you will damn well hide.” He didn’t have time to see how she was taking that harsh order. He didn’t have time to look at her and make sure she was okay. He was a little afraid if he did take that time, he’d fall apart.

He’d been in some dangerous, uncomfortable, scary situations, and he’d never been scared that he might fall apart. It poked and ate at him. Hell, it just about killed him that she’d become that important. Which meant the only choice was to keep going.

He found a very small opening, more crevice than cave, in the base of the mountain. With less finesse than he might have had otherwise, he gave her a little push into the crevice. She fit, though barely. But it would keep her out of sight.

He looked around to make sure he couldn’t see a car anywhere. He could hear that engine, so they were close, but not close enough to see him just yet.

“Stay here. No matter what. You do not come out of here until I come to get you. Someone tries to get you out, you shoot him wherever will do the most damage.” He didn’t even have time to ask if she understood. He gave her one meaningful look and tried not to let those big, soulful brown eyes undo him.

He didn’t have time for that, or to ascertain whether she would listen to his order. He could only keep moving. Because if he stayed there and the vehicle came around one of those bends, they would know exactly where to find Natalie.

Vaughn took off running as fast as he could, ignoring the screaming pain in his shoulder. His heart was pounding and his breath was scorching his lungs, and he had the sinking suspicion it had more to do with the fact that he’d left Natalie alone than with the fact that he was running.

He slowed his pace, took a quick look at his surroundings. He could still see the crevice where he’d pushed Natalie, but he couldn’t see her. He was far enough away that it would take a lot of searching for anyone to find her.

Now he had to figure out which direction he wanted to go to, and—

The sound of a gunshot made Vaughn skid to a halt. He glanced around, trying to ascertain where the sound had come from. There were little craggy outcrops all over the desert. There were cacti and other plants that a stealthy person might be able to hide behind. Vaughn searched and searched, but he didn’t see anyone, or anything.

The sound of the engine had stopped, and he did his best to keep his gaze everywhere rather than always on where Natalie was. He didn’t want to give it away, because who knew what these men had. They could be watching him with binoculars, they could have an army of cars. They could have anything, and he didn’t know.

He couldn’t think about the what-if. He had to think about the right now.

“Ranger Cooper.”

Vaughn whirled to see a man walk out from behind the opposite curve of the little mountain. He appeared to be alone, but Vaughn wasn’t stupid enough to think that was true. Any number of people could come pouring from the other side of the mountain. There could be an army of men behind the curve, and that was daunting, but it couldn’t stop what Vaughn had to do.

“Mr. Callihan, I assume?”

The man laughed and spread his hands wide, though Vaughn noticed that the gun he carried was pointed directly at Vaughn’s chest regardless of the gesture.

“It took you only how many years to figure that out?”

“A lot fewer years than it will take me to kill you.”

The man kept walking closer and closer, and Vaughn’s hands tensed on his gun. He could shoot the man and be done with it, and there was a very large part of him that wanted to. But he resisted, because his mission wasn’t to kill every bad guy who roamed the earth; it was to bring them to justice.

He believed in justice, and