Guardian Ranger (Shadow Agents #2)(48)

A whistle slipped from him when he saw the destruction. “What the hell happened?”

She headed toward the laptop—Reed Montgomery’s laptop. The machine had been smashed, again and again, broken into sharp, hard pieces. Keyboard buttons were on the floor. It looked as if the machine’s hard drive had been hit repeatedly with a hammer.

“Someone didn’t want me seeing evidence,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “I don’t know if it was luck or whoever did this knew just what he was doing, but he smashed the platters inside the hard drive.” She looked back at Jasper. “It’s highly unlikely that I’ll be able to recover any information from this machine.”

“When?” A snarl from him.

“I was up here less than two hours ago. Logan wanted that intel on the shrink, so I had to leave before I could start processing the computer.”

Every muscle in his body was on high alert. “Only the EOD agents had access to this building.”

“The agents...” She nodded, but said, “The sheriff. The deputy...and Veronica Lane.”

He was already shaking his head. “It wasn’t her.”

“Maybe she was trying to help her brother, by hiding his guilt.”

“It wasn’t her.” And there it was...blind trust. The same kind of trust Veronica had for Cale. The same kind of trust she’d given to Jasper just twenty-four hours ago. He spun for the door. “Where’s the sheriff?”

“Gone.” Her footsteps rushed after him. “Both Wyatt and the deputy went out to do some patrols. Logan is looking for them now but...”

He glanced back over his shoulder.

“I think you should be the one who brings Veronica in for questioning,” Sydney said, eyes wide.

“It’s not her.” He knew it with every fiber of his being. But if it wasn’t Veronica, and Cale couldn’t have smashed the machine because he’d been in custody, then someone else out there was trying to make sure that Cale Lane wasn’t cleared.

“Someone is setting me up.” Yeah, Jasper was starting to believe Cale’s words.

“As soon as Logan finds the sheriff and deputy, I want to know.” He hurried down the stairs.

“Jasper! What about Veronica—”

“I’ll take care of her.” Sydney could interpret that any way she wanted.

Jasper grabbed his keys and raced out into the night.

*

VERONICA’S SHOULDERS HUNCHED as she walked. She was soaked through, and the wind and rain seemed to slap at her face with every step that she took.

She didn’t have a cell phone. It hadn’t been recovered after the crash at the ranch. And no one was on this road to help her.

People were too smart to be out in the storm.

The flash drive was still in her pocket. She’d been too afraid to leave it behind in the car. It was her only evidence. She had to hold on to it.

She heard the growl of a motor behind her. Yes. Finally someone! Veronica hurried back onto the road. The car was a good distance away now. She waved her arms as soon as the headlights hit her.

The headlights were so bright.

As bright as they’d been before, when the car had come rushing at her.

She froze, with her arms still over her head. The car wasn’t slowing. The driver had to see her, even through the rain, but he wasn’t slowing.

Veronica ran back toward the side of the road. Just as she left the pavement, she slipped in the mud and fell down hard. Mud soaked her clothes, and it felt as if her shoulder slammed into a rock, but she dragged herself forward to the row of trees near the edge of the road.

Behind her, brakes squealed as the car stopped. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears. Maybe the driver had seen her. Maybe he was coming to help her and she was panicking over nothing.

Maybe.

Cautiously, she turned back around. Because of the darkness, she could see very little about the car. The vehicle seemed low to the ground, with a long hood and a stretching trunk, but she couldn’t determine the car’s color or make. Veronica inched a bit closer. “Hello?” she called out. The driver’s door had opened. She’d heard it creak.

And, over the rain and her racing heartbeat, she seemed to hear footsteps.

She pressed her muddy hands against her jeans. “Hello?” Veronica tried again.

But there was no response. She crept forward, just a little, and a sudden blast of gunfire ripped right past her head. Veronica slammed into the earth instantly.

Her breath heaved in her lungs. He shot at me. She remembered the eyes of the men who’d died before her.

Footsteps thudded toward her.

That was no Good Samaritan up there, coming to help a stranded motorist. Her instincts had been right about that.

Whoever it was out there...he was hunting her.

Carefully, she slid back into her cover. The line of trees was thin, and wouldn’t provide her much protection. She glanced to the left, to the right. If she tried to run away from the road, she’d be running straight into the middle of nowhere. And the shooter could just follow her. Then what would she do?

Die.

Her gaze went back to the road even as she began to creep to the left, a path that would take her away from the shooter’s car and—

Another shot blasted. Veronica stopped trying to creep away. He had a lock on her. Creeping wasn’t going to work.