Guardian Ranger (Shadow Agents #2)(8)

That revelation had both of Wyatt’s brows rising. “Did he now.”

That news had just led to even more suspicion in his gaze. Not what she’d wanted to happen. “I was just... I’d been going through some old photographs of Cale’s recently, hoping to find something that might help me locate him.” That was one hundred percent true. She’d dug out every photograph she could find, desperate for any clue, no matter how small. “I saw Jasper in some of the photos, and I remembered how close he and Jasper used to be.” Again, all true. She’d seen Jasper’s photograph, remembered just how deadly Cale had said that the ex-ranger had been, and she’d known that she needed a man like Jasper to help her. A bit of checking on her computer, and she’d realized fate was on her side.

Jasper had been in the area.

“So she called me up,” Jasper said, interrupting easily and just taking up the story now. “We got to talking, I came here...” His fingers slid down her arm. “One thing led to another. I’m sure you know how that can be.”

Wyatt’s jaw locked. “But what brought you out on that road tonight? When you were supposed to meet your friend at Last Chance?”

There wasn’t a whole lot of privacy to be found in the sheriff’s station, but they’d moved far enough away from the prisoners so that the jailed men couldn’t hear their quiet words. Veronica was glad to be away from those men. The intensity of their stares unnerved her. They tried to kidnap me.

She’d never come that close to violence like that before. Never had violence actually directed at her. Cale had always protected her from everything and everyone.

Cale wasn’t there anymore.

“Even though my friend was coming, I didn’t want Veronica driving home alone. I figured Gunner could wait a bit.” Jasper reached for her hand. Shocked her when he lifted her fingers to his mouth and brushed a light kiss over her knuckles. “So I followed her, and I’m damn glad that I did.”

Her heart had slammed into her chest. I’m glad, too.

“I want to talk with these prisoners,” Gunner suddenly said. “Alone.”

Wyatt tensed, then glanced over at the deputy who was on duty that night, a young guy with pale skin and wide eyes. She knew the deputy well, as well as she knew Wyatt. Deputy Jimmy Jones had lived in Whiskey Ridge his whole life. Quiet, shy, but the twenty-two-year-old was fierce about protecting those in his county.

When she’d first met Jimmy, she’d felt much sympathy for him because the boy he’d been...well, his life had been a nightmare. But Jimmy had pulled himself out of that darkness, and now he was fighting to be better, stronger.

“Why are you wanting to talk to my prisoners without me present?” Wyatt asked. “That’s not what I’d call regular—”

Gunner lifted out his ID again. “I want to talk to them because I think they might fit it on my case.” A brief pause, then, “They fit the profile of some men I’ve been tracking with the FBI.”

They did? That was news to Veronica.

Jasper’s fingers tightened around hers.

“Let me talk to them and see if we need to take over jurisdiction here.” Gunner shrugged and walked toward the glaring men in the cell. “If I can tie them to the other abductions...” He said this part loudly, deliberately so, or at least that was what Veronica thought.

The injured man, a wiry guy with light blue eyes and sandy hair, seemed to pale even more. Then, for the first time, he spoke, shouting, “We didn’t take anyone!”

“Anyone else, you mean,” Gunner corrected. Then he glanced over his shoulder at Wyatt. “Give me some time with them, alone. I’ll find out everything I need to know in my interrogation.”

Jasper nodded, as if granting his permission. Veronica frowned, but Jasper said, “You take care of them, Gunner, and I’ll take Veronica home.”

Home?

But Wyatt was nodding now, too. Well, wasn’t it great that they were all in agreement? She was breaking apart on the inside, and they’d formed some sort of guys’ club.

“You do need to head home, Veronica,” Wyatt told her. “We’ll take care of these men.”

She didn’t move. Her gaze had turned back to the two men. Their faces were now etched in her memory. They were young, younger than she’d suspected when their car had first slammed into hers. They barely looked twenty. One still had acne.

And they were sweating. More so than Wyatt. They looked afraid and as she swept a fast glance at the man called Gunner, she realized that they should be afraid.

Jasper was danger wrapped up in a handsome package. Gunner...he was just lethal. An icy intensity burned in his dark eyes, and his hard features hinted at the hell he must have seen over the years. This was a man well acquainted with death and darkness. This was a man who scared her.

Her breath eased out slowly. Despite the fact that both Jasper and Wyatt wanted her to head home, Veronica wanted to stay. She wanted to face these men and find out just why they’d tried to take her.

“You can’t hide from the dark.” Another rule from her brother. “The night comes whether you want it to or not.” He’d first spouted that one when she was seven and terrified of monsters. She’d wanted to hide in her closet.

Now she knew that hiding did no good. The monsters, the real ones, could find you no matter where you went.