01 Cade by Paige Tyler

good, sweetheart,” he said softly. Then, still holding onto her, he took a step back to gaze down at her. “Where is he, Riley?”
    She looked up at Cade through her tears. “Somewhere behind me, I think,” she said. “I doubled back, but I think he must have realized it because as I was running, I could still hear him behind me every once in awhile.”
    Cade’s gaze quickly darted to the wooded area around them before going back to her. “Go back to the house,” he told her. “The police are there, so you’ll be safe.”
    Riley frowned up at him. “What are you going to do?”
    His jaw tightened. “I’m going after the guy that tried to kill you.”
    She tightened her grip on his arm. “You can’t!” she protested. “He’s got a gun!”
    “So do I,” Cade told her. “Now, go back to the house.”
    “Cade...” she began, but he cut her off.
    “Dammit, Riley, for once in your life just do as you’re told!” he growled. “Now, go!”
    His tone brooked no argument, and this time, Riley obeyed. Still reluctant to leave Cade alone, however, she took off at a slow trot over the sloppy, uneven ground. She was exhausted and would rather just have waited and walked back with Cade, but she understood his desire both to keep her safe and to catch the guy that had been terrorizing her once and for all.
    But that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried for Cade, and she couldn’t help but stop when heard the sound of footsteps crashing through the forest behind her. The hit man had caught up to her already, she thought. Even though Cade had told her to go back to the house, Riley found herself turning around and heading back toward the clearing where she had left Cade. Heart hammering wildly in her chest, she got there just in time to see the hitman standing in front of Cade, gasping for breath.
    “Drop the gun and put your hands in the air!” Cade ordered, leveling his own weapon at the man.
    Riley held her breath as she waited to see what the man would do. For a moment, he just stood there, his gun still pointed at Cade, and Riley felt fear grip her. Oh God, what if he shot Cade? But to her relief, the hit man tossed the gun onto the ground and slowly lifted his hand above his head.
    Relieved that it was finally over, Riley jogged back over to where Cade was standing. Though it wasn’t her intention to distract him, she did, and in the split-second it took for him to glance her way, the other man charged.
    Riley opened her mouth to warn Cade, but it was too late. The other man had already knocked him to the ground and they were grappling.
    Her eyes wide, Riley watched helplessly while the two men struggled with each other. She had to help Cade, she thought. But how? Not quite sure, she ran toward the men, only to jerk to a halt when she saw Cade’s gun go flying into the bushes. Her first instinct was to go look for it, but she knew it would take forever to find it, so instead, she reached down and scooped up a heavy branch that was lying on the ground.
    Gripping it tightly, she slowly approached the two men. They were rolling around on the ground, each of them struggling furiously to gain the upper hand. She had to be careful, she told herself; she didn’t want to end up hitting Cade by mistake.
    Suddenly, the hit man rolled on top of Cade and drew his arm back to punch the Marshal. Knowing she wouldn’t have a better opportunity, Riley swung a vicious blow at the hit man’s head, only to hit Cade across the shoulders instead when he rolled his opponent over.
    “Dammit, Riley, what the hell are you doing?!” he yelled at her while he still grappled with the man.
    “I’m trying to help!” she shouted back.
    “Well, stop it!” he ordered.
    Disregarding what Cade said, Riley tightened her grip on the branch, ready to whack the guy again if she got the chance, but it wasn’t necessary. Within a few moments, Cade had the hit man subdued and cuffed.
    Cade glared at her as he hauled the man to his feet.