dried blood visible on the front of his shirt. “Daddy,” she choked. “What happened to you?” Her tears fell hotly as she raised his hand and cradled it against her cheek.
“Found him for you, Callie.” Triumph lit his eyes before fading as he grimaced. “Found him, should have killed him. Bastard had a gun. Shot me before I could shoot him. Kept—kept me locked up. Not sure how many men, counted four, possibly five. Managed to get away—escape.” He gave a hacking cough, fighting for breath for several seconds.
“Oh God…! Lijah?” She looked across at him, desperation in her voice and face as she appealed to him to do something.
Lijah turned away from that appeal. He had seen plenty of injured and dying men during his years in the army, and since. Unless he was mistaken, that wound to Peter’s chest would prove fatal.
“Peter, who shot you?” he prompted softly. “Tell me who did this to you—”
“Look after Callie.” Peter turned to him, eyes dull with pain. “Make sure Callie is safe, and then get the bastard. Get them all. Promise me, Lijah.” He reached up to grasp the front of Lijah’s T-shirt with his free hand. “Promise me she’ll be safe!”
“I promise you no one is going to get anywhere near Callie,” Lijah assured him grimly. “But you have to tell me—”
“Love you, Callie.” Satisfied with Lijah’s promise, Peter turned to smile up at her. “Always so—so proud of you.” His face twisted with pain. “Take care of my baby, Renegade…” His eyes widened before fluttering closed as he gave a soft gasp, his chest slowly deflating as he gave his last breath.
“No…!” Callie heard herself scream as if through a thick fog as she fell forward onto her father’s unmoving chest. “Daddy, no!” she screamed again.
And again.
And again.
“Callie, stop.” Lijah felt for a pulse in Peter’s neck but couldn’t find one. He stood to move round to where she lay collapsed across her father, grasping hold of her arms and attempting to pull her up and away. “Callie, look at me. Look at me , damn it!” he rasped harshly as she finally stopped screaming but refused to release her grip of her father’s bloodstained shirt. “I said look at me!” Lijah wrenched her chin round, forcing her to face him rather than her father. “He’s gone, and we need to get out of here—”
“No!” Fury gleamed in her eyes as she glared at him accusingly.
Lijah knew that look would haunt him in the future. The look of a daughter’s love for her father. The father she refused to believe was now dead. The father whose body she couldn’t just leave lying here on the floor.
“Yes, Callie,” Lijah told her gently but firmly as he loosened and removed her fingers from the front of her father’s shirt, knowing she was going to hate him for this, but also knowing he had no choice. “There’s nothing more we can do here, and we have to leave.”
From the little Peter had said, there was a strong possibility that the older man’s captors had followed him here, and Lijah knew he wasn’t going to be able to deal with four or five men on his own, not when he had keeping Callie safe to think about too. He also couldn’t afford for them to get caught up in a police investigation into Peter’s death. His priority now had to be to get Callie out of here, and then find the men who had killed Peter. In that order.
“He’s gone, Callie,” he repeated evenly as he pulled her up onto her feet. “But the man who shot him and the ones who held him prisoner aren’t. They’ll be following whatever trail Peter left behind.” He knew the other man had been too badly injured to be able to cover that trail successfully. “It will lead those men straight here—”
“Then we’ll wait here for them and kill them all!” Her eyes gleamed wildly.
He winced at her vehemence. “There are too many of them. We need to find somewhere safe so I can come up with a plan—”
“I’m
“Found him for you, Callie.” Triumph lit his eyes before fading as he grimaced. “Found him, should have killed him. Bastard had a gun. Shot me before I could shoot him. Kept—kept me locked up. Not sure how many men, counted four, possibly five. Managed to get away—escape.” He gave a hacking cough, fighting for breath for several seconds.
“Oh God…! Lijah?” She looked across at him, desperation in her voice and face as she appealed to him to do something.
Lijah turned away from that appeal. He had seen plenty of injured and dying men during his years in the army, and since. Unless he was mistaken, that wound to Peter’s chest would prove fatal.
“Peter, who shot you?” he prompted softly. “Tell me who did this to you—”
“Look after Callie.” Peter turned to him, eyes dull with pain. “Make sure Callie is safe, and then get the bastard. Get them all. Promise me, Lijah.” He reached up to grasp the front of Lijah’s T-shirt with his free hand. “Promise me she’ll be safe!”
“I promise you no one is going to get anywhere near Callie,” Lijah assured him grimly. “But you have to tell me—”
“Love you, Callie.” Satisfied with Lijah’s promise, Peter turned to smile up at her. “Always so—so proud of you.” His face twisted with pain. “Take care of my baby, Renegade…” His eyes widened before fluttering closed as he gave a soft gasp, his chest slowly deflating as he gave his last breath.
“No…!” Callie heard herself scream as if through a thick fog as she fell forward onto her father’s unmoving chest. “Daddy, no!” she screamed again.
And again.
And again.
“Callie, stop.” Lijah felt for a pulse in Peter’s neck but couldn’t find one. He stood to move round to where she lay collapsed across her father, grasping hold of her arms and attempting to pull her up and away. “Callie, look at me. Look at me , damn it!” he rasped harshly as she finally stopped screaming but refused to release her grip of her father’s bloodstained shirt. “I said look at me!” Lijah wrenched her chin round, forcing her to face him rather than her father. “He’s gone, and we need to get out of here—”
“No!” Fury gleamed in her eyes as she glared at him accusingly.
Lijah knew that look would haunt him in the future. The look of a daughter’s love for her father. The father she refused to believe was now dead. The father whose body she couldn’t just leave lying here on the floor.
“Yes, Callie,” Lijah told her gently but firmly as he loosened and removed her fingers from the front of her father’s shirt, knowing she was going to hate him for this, but also knowing he had no choice. “There’s nothing more we can do here, and we have to leave.”
From the little Peter had said, there was a strong possibility that the older man’s captors had followed him here, and Lijah knew he wasn’t going to be able to deal with four or five men on his own, not when he had keeping Callie safe to think about too. He also couldn’t afford for them to get caught up in a police investigation into Peter’s death. His priority now had to be to get Callie out of here, and then find the men who had killed Peter. In that order.
“He’s gone, Callie,” he repeated evenly as he pulled her up onto her feet. “But the man who shot him and the ones who held him prisoner aren’t. They’ll be following whatever trail Peter left behind.” He knew the other man had been too badly injured to be able to cover that trail successfully. “It will lead those men straight here—”
“Then we’ll wait here for them and kill them all!” Her eyes gleamed wildly.
He winced at her vehemence. “There are too many of them. We need to find somewhere safe so I can come up with a plan—”
“I’m
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