Cowboy Commando

Cutter’s apprehension swelled. If the driver of the approaching car kept coming at the same angle, he’d swipe the side of Linney’s car—or worse. The car kept coming, but now the barrel of what appeared to be a machine gun jutted from the window.

Son of a bitch. This was a setup. The man was going to gun her down and there was no time to stop him.

In seconds, she’d be dead.

Chapter Three

The adrenaline rush hit the way it had hundreds of times before, producing an instantaneous honing of all Cutter’s instincts and training.

Cutter lay on his horn, then veered to the left, crossing the center line and ramming the right-front fender of the shooter’s car just as the crack of gunfire thundered in the night.

His breath burned in his lungs. His move had been worse than risky. It was damn near suicidal. But better than doing nothing while Linney’s head was blown off at close range.

The shooter’s car raked the side of Linney’s, then sped away. Linney’s sports car skidded out of control. She careened off the right shoulder, kicking up dirt and dry leaves before lurching down an incline and slamming into a ditch. Miraculously, the sports car didn’t flip.

Cutter skidded to a stop on the muddy shoulder, grabbed his flashlight from the glove compartment and raced to Linney’s vehicle.

His heart was racing as he peered through the window. The airbags had inflated and were pushed against Linney’s chest so that all he could really see was her face. Blood trickled down her left cheek but there was no visible gaping wound.

“Were you hit?”

“Cutter?” Her eyes were wide, riveted to his, though even in the moonlight he could see that her flesh was ghostly white. “How did you get here?”

“Lucky move.” His breath scorched his lungs. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I think so. Nothing hurts, but someone just took a potshot at me.”

He gasped huge gulps of air and the burning in his chest eased to the point that he could breathe without searing pain.

Julie started to wail. Cutter opened the back door and slipped into the backseat to check on her. Linney managed to extricate herself from the airbag and tumble over the back of the seat, squeezing in between him and Julie. She cradled Julie’s head in her arms.

“It’s okay, baby. I’m right here with you.”

Cutter did a quick visual scan for injuries while Linney tried to calm her. There was no sign of a bullet wound. “She appears okay,” he said.

“Thank God! Does anything hurt?” Linney cooed.

Julie wrapped her arms around Linney’s neck and clung to her as if she were afraid her protector would disappear into the darkness if she let go. “I want my mommy.”

“I know, sweetheart.”

Linney’s voice dissolved into a quake that felt like shrapnel exploding in Cutter’s gut. Linney had come to him for help and he’d practically kicked her out of the condo.

Chances that the attack was random were slim to none. She’d been ambushed. Was that why Dane hadn’t called? Had he killed his wife and then tried to kill Linney to silence her and her suspicions? If he had, he’d risked killing his own daughter as well.

But then he wasn’t expecting interference from Cutter. A sharpshooting cop would have been able to place the bullet exactly on target at that speed and distance.

Cutter crawled from the car and did a quick assessment of damage to the vehicle. It would require towing and bodywork, but there were no bullet holes. Apparently, the shooter had missed his target altogether. But if Cutter hadn’t been here…

He swore under his breath as fury raced through his veins like a roaring river. He scanned the area. The road was deserted. No sign of headlights. No sign of trouble, but that didn’t mean this was over.

Let down your guard for an instant and the enemy gained the advantage.

This enemy was already armed, while he wasn’t. And the enemy had known exactly where to find Linney, had likely followed her when she left Cutter’s condo. There was only one valid explanation for that.

With the help of his flashlight, Cutter searched every inch of the car, working quickly, and making a call to Goose as he did. He explained the latest developments.

Goose let fly a few expletives Cutter hadn’t heard since leaving the Navy.

“Were you able to get in touch with Dane?” Cutter asked.

“I left a message at the phone number the GHPD gave me. He hasn’t called me back. The clerk on duty said he’s on the scene of a major crime and has been for hours. He promised to let Dane know that his daughter’s with Linney Kingston and that she’s fine.”

“Does that mean there’s not an APB out for Linney?”

“Nope. I’m assuming the day-care center got the word to Dane that Julie was with Linney. He must be okay with it.”

“Then I guess we’re covered on that score.”

“As long as Linney cooperates in reuniting father and daughter at the earliest opportunity.”

“I’ll see that she does.”

“I suggest you all go to bed and try to get some rest for now. I know I am. But be careful.”

“Yeah.”

Cutter finished checking out the car. When he was done, he stuck his head through the open back door. “We need to get out of here. I’ll help you get Julie to my truck.”

“I can’t just leave my car here.”

“You won’t be driving it out of that ditch. It’s practically standing on the front bumper. I’ll call a tow truck.”

“I can’t go to the cops, Cutter. You saw what—” Linney stopped herself before blurting out Dane’s name. She buried her face in Julie’s soft hair, kissing her on top of the head. “You saw what he’s capable of.”

“I saw what someone’s capable of. Now let’s get moving. We can decide on an operational plan later.”

“Forget a plan,” Linney said. “I just need a ride back to my house in Green’s Harbor. I’ll handle things from there.”

Linney stayed entangled with Julie, but turned her face so that she was looking at Cutter. Her disheveled mass of red hair was loose now and bouncing about her shoulders. Arbitrary curls rested against her bloody cheek.

Her chin was jutted at a defiant angle and she had a determined strength in her stare that the more youthful Linney of six years ago would never have been able to pull off. Unfortunately, she was as damn irresistible as ever.

“I’m not leaving you,” Cutter said.

“You saved our lives. You’ve done enough.”

It sounded reasonable, but Cutter knew that the instant he’d spotted that gun pointed at Linney’s head, his choice in this was gone. He could no more walk away now than he could sprout wings and fly or whisper some kind of chant and have his old life as a Navy SEAL back.