Hudson had some explaining to do.“I made a fool out of myself, is what happened.”He exhaled.“I owe you an apology, Cassie.”Given her past, he didn’t want to be seen as an abusive jerk who had no consideration for anyone’s feelings but his own.“That’s not how I normally act.I’d say that I don’t know what came over me, but I’d be lying.I want you to know the truth.I don’t have any designs on you.Even if I did, I’m not normally jealous.When I saw Beau touching you, a switch was flipped.”
Her lips compressed into a frown.
“I’m not that person, Cassie.”
She lifted her gaze to meet his.The pain in those jeweled eyes nearly knocked him back a step.
There was no way he was coming back from his mistake.It was time to face facts.Cassie would never see him in the same light again.
11
Awoman screamed.Cassie whirled toward the sound.It came from inside a vehicle parked near the house.The engine started, and the sedan sped off a few seconds later.As it zoomed away, a shot was fired.
Cassie brought her hand over her mouth to suppress a gasp.In the next second, Hudson was on top of her, guiding her to the ground while covering her with his body.Beau came running out of the barn as the sedan kicked up a dust storm.
“Get down,” Hudson warned.
Another shot fired.Cassie looked back in time to see Beau knocked back a step as blood splattered from his neck.
The kitchen emptied out into the backyard as the sedan disappeared.Kade made a run for his truck.
“No.Stop!”Cassie snapped.Hudson was already on his feet, offering a hand up.She took it as Kade froze.“He’ll kill her.”
“Jarek?”Hudson asked.
“Or someone he sent for me,” she said.“He’s getting desperate to find me and this might be his way of forcing a trade.”
Hudson and a couple of the others ran to Beau, who stood there with a blank stare.He must’ve been in shock.One of the twins shrugged out of his shirt.“Use this to stem the bleeding.”
“I’ll see where Travis is,” Chloe said.
“Involve your husband, and Nikki will die.”Cassie left no room for argument.
“We have to go after him,” Kade said, stabbing his fingers through his hair.
A man who looked too much like the others to be anyone but Conrad came gunning toward them on a beautiful black mare.“What just happened?”He barely got the question out before he threw his legs over the side of the horse and dismounted.
Chloe stepped up and took the reins.“I’ll take care of Magic.”
Panicked eyes darted around, taking in the scene.“Where’s my wife?”
“We need to talk,” Kade said.“But first, Beau needs a doctor.”
The other twin was already on his cell, no doubt calling for emergency services.
“Travis will want to know everything,” Chloe said.“He needs to be in the loop.”
Cassie couldn’t allow that to happen.She couldn’t allow any of this to happen.“This was a bad idea… Coming here.”She glanced around, searching for the quickest escape route.
“Please, don’t—”
“I need to know what happened to my wife,” Conrad interrupted Chloe.
The twin who’d been on the phone came running over.“It’s not as bad as it looks.Beau was nicked at the base of his neck.Based on the amount of blood, the bullet missed the carotid artery.”
“Thank you, Archer,” Chloe said.
He nodded.“Hudson is requesting everyone go back inside until we’re certain it’s safe to be out here.The doc is on his way to tend to Beau, so there’s no need for anyone to leave the property.”