Hunter (Stud Ranch 2)

The kid took the money with wide eyes. “That’s way more than she gave me.”

“Who?” Hunter and the other two asked at the same time.

“Her.” The waiter pointed at Catrina. “She just said she wanted everything to be special for the lady’s birthday. So I should make sure to give her the piece of pie as soon as she came in the door. Then she gave me the plate of pie and a hundred bucks.” He held up his hands. “And she said it was a surprise so not to say who it was from.”

“You fucking idiot,” Mack muttered.

“The pie was dosed with something,” Hunter said. “You helped drug that woman.”

The waiter’s eyes went wide as saucer’s. “I didn’t have anything to do with that.”

“Then you better go tell the sheriff everything you just told us,” Jeremiah said, leading the guy by the arm toward Marie, who was still fending off reporters at the door.

“Sheriff!” the radio at Marie’s hip erupted loud enough to be heard across the bar. “Suspect is out of her cuffs. Attempting to apprehend now.”

The bar went completely silent for a second.

And then Marie bolted for the door, the reporters and cameramen right on her tail. Hunter was right behind them.

“Get out of my way.” He shoved at the people bottlenecked at the door. Shit. He yanked a skinny guy with a huge camera around his neck out of the way and finally made it outside.

Just in time to see Isobel sprinting down the center of Main Street. A fat deputy trailed her, huffing and losing distance with every step. Isobel was screaming words he couldn’t make out. He immediately took off after her, noting with disgust that the fucking cameraman had set up his tripod and was recording the whole thing.

Isobel was more than half a block ahead of him and his heart all but stopped when she ran straight to her car.

“No!” he shouted. “No. Bel. Isobel!”

But like a nightmare doomed to repeat itself, he watched the woman he loved get into her car and then—

“Isobel. Stop!”

Her door slammed.

It was supposed to happen in slow motion. That was what he’d always heard about moments like this.

But Christ, no, it was just a blink of an eye and then it was over.

The engine rumbled to life.

Then the car jumped forward like she’d stomped the gas. Maybe thinking it was reverse? But it wasn’t. It was in drive.

The car jumped the curb and ran straight into the front of the diner.

Glass shattered. All around, people shouted.

And Hunter ran harder and faster than he ever had in his life.

Chapter 26

HUNTER

They’d had to airlift Isobel to the hospital in Casper. Her injuries had been that severe.

In her altered state, she hadn’t been clearheaded enough to put on a seatbelt.

PCP. They found fucking PCP in her bloodwork. Not just a little bit, either. Her stepmother had poisoned her. With her birthday apple pie.

And it had fucked Isobel up so much that she’d broken the bones in her left hand to get out of the cuffs without feeling a thing.