Guardian Ranger (Shadow Agents #2)(62)

“Because I know a trap when I walk into one,” Cale muttered with a sad shake of his head.

“But when you vanished—” Now Sydney was talking. Gunner stood, still and silent, behind her. “—Wyatt knew he’d have to find you and kill you in order to tie up all the loose ends. He left evidence at his kill scenes, evidence to tie you to the crimes.”

“The guy picked up a lot of crime-scene knowledge from his time in the Dallas P.D.,” Logan said, tapping his fingers against a nearby file. “Seems he was even dating an M.E. for a while. I’m guessing she shared some tools of the trade with him.”

And Wyatt had used that knowledge to plant evidence against her brother.

“If the EOD caught Cale, Wyatt was counting on the evidence he’d left behind to send you to jail,” Sydney said. Her gaze was on Cale. “And if that didn’t work...” Now Sydney’s green stare drifted to Veronica. “Well, Wyatt knew that there was one thing that would always bring you back to Whiskey Ridge.”

Veronica hated being bait.

“Wyatt just had to bide his time and watch Veronica.” Jasper’s jaw tightened as he gritted the words.

“I don’t understand. Why’d he send those men after me at Last Chance?” Veronica asked. “If he was just biding his time...”

“Because he knew you weren’t going to stop looking for your brother,” Sydney said, her voice soft. “He wanted to move the game along. If you vanished, Wyatt must have thought that would sure grab Cale’s attention.”

“It would’ve grabbed it, all right,” Cale muttered, eyes glinting.

Logan delivered the next bit of news, saying, “Then when Wyatt found out that federal agents were in town, he started to cover his tracks.”

But she’d already figured that part out. The explosion at the sheriff’s station...the men who’d been killed. Wyatt had done it all. He hadn’t gone into the back in order to rescue Jimmy. He’d been getting an extra weapon, planning his kills, triggering the explosion.

Veronica glanced to the right. Jimmy stood, with his shoulders hunched and his chin down. The star on his chest gleamed dully. Jimmy wasn’t speaking. He looked so dazed that she wasn’t even sure he was hearing much of the conversation.

Jimmy’s best friend had tried to kill him, had set him up for murder. The guy just didn’t seem to have anyone he could rely on.

Veronica edged closer to Jimmy. When her fingers brushed against his arm, he flinched. His head snapped up, and he stared straight at her. “I didn’t run you off the road, Ms. Veronica. That wasn’t me!”

She nodded. “I know, Jimmy.”

“I realized it was Wyatt. He brought my car in...had his gun... I asked him...asked if he’d hurt anyone...”

All eyes were on her and Jimmy.

“He said...he said he’d try again for you. That I could...could help him...” Jimmy shook his head. “That’s not what I do. I don’t hurt people, especially not good folks like you....”

She blinked away the tears that wanted to fill her eyes. Jimmy had always been so good, to everyone. “I know you don’t do that, Jimmy.”

His lips trembled. “You...you shouldn’t have run to the car and tried to get me out. You should have left me.”

Now Veronica was the one to shake her head. “That’s not what I do,” she said, giving him the same words back. “Especially not to good folks like you.”

Some of the darkness seemed to leave Jimmy’s eyes. He offered her a faint smile.

We’re going to be okay, Jimmy. They’d both made it through the nightmare. They’d survived.

She felt a light touch on her shoulder. She turned and found Jasper staring at her with his stark gaze. “You knew that Wyatt was going to take a shot at either me or Cale, didn’t you?”

A frown pulled down her brows. “I knew he was going to shoot you both. First you, then Cale.”

Jasper searched her eyes. “How’d you know who he’d go for first? Did he tell—”

“He knew that Cale loved me, so he trusted that my brother would never shoot, not when he thought I might be hurt.” She was her brother’s weakness. One that Wyatt had used. “And as for you...”

“He thought I didn’t love you?” Jasper’s words were flat.

She wasn’t sure what to make of that sudden lack of emotion. Clearing her throat, Veronica said, “He wasn’t sure if you’d hesitate as long. I wasn’t sure so—”

His hands tightened on her. “Let me make you sure. I would never do anything to hurt you. For the rest of my life, I swear, I’ll always protect you.”

“And I’ll always protect you,” she told him quietly. “Why do you think I ran toward you?” To cover him, while her brother took the shot.

“You ran to me.” He exhaled slowly. “Because you love me.”

“Hell,” Cale muttered. “This is it...my sister’s about to—”

“And you love me,” Veronica told him, lifting her chin and staring at him with all of the certainty she felt. “I didn’t doubt that. Wyatt did. His mistake.” A mistake that had cost the man his life.

Jasper pulled her closer against him. He acted as if no one else were in the room with them. Maybe to him, there wasn’t anyone. She’d never had a man focus so completely on her that way before.