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“Juliette. It’s okay, baby. You’re safe now.” I glanced over my shoulder toward the man she’d shot. He wasn’t moving. I lowered my weapon to keep from terrifying her even more than she was.

She hadn’t looked at me, her targeted gaze on the man she’d shot. I moved closer, making certain to keep my movements deliberate. The woman was in a mild state of shock. That happened to a lot of people the first time they shot anyone. For all her bravado, she wasn’t cut out to be a killer.

Nah. The job should be left to me.

Only I felt like I’d failed her. As I had everyone else.

Reaching out, I placed my hand on the weapon. Her arms were stiff, her body still swaying back and forth. “Juliette. Look at me. Come on, baby. Look at me.”

As she slowly started to turn her head, her fingers loosened on the gun and I was able to take it from her hand. The ache that had formed a full hour before slowly began to fade.

“Kage?” she asked, her voice so soft and pitiful.

“It’s me. Come on. Let’s get you home.”

The sirens drew closer, the shrill noise blocking out the rapid beating of my heart.

Tank whined, remaining where he was a couple of feet away.

She took several short breaths and I could tell she was ready to crack.

The moment she started to stand, I caught a slight glint in her eyes, something almost everyone else would have missed.

Not a trained soldier.

And not a dog worth his weight in gold.

I twisted around, catching sight of Tank with all four paws off the ground as he lunged toward her.

The aggressor had lived.

Not for long.

The single shot was all I needed to end the asshole’s life once and for all.

But not before the monster squeezed off a shot of his own.

Tank squealed in pain. Juliette yelped.

Rage breached the surface and I shot him again.

As he dropped to his knees, falling face first into the dirt, the sound of multiple footsteps vibrated the ground beneath my feet.

I spun to face the only two beings that mattered to me on the face of the earth.

And I threw my head back and roared.

“I think we have everything we need, Lieutenant Rollins. At least for now.” Two officers remained inside the house while two others and at least one detective were still combing the surrounding area searching for any additional clues.

I had no clue what they thought they’d find. It had been a pretty straightforward attack. There were two vehicles parked a half mile down the road, mostly hidden from view given the wooded areas. The plates had been registered a rental, although my guess was the police would discover the plates were stolen.

Understandably they’d been unwilling to provide too many details since it was an active investigation. It wasn’t every day they were forced to handle a crime of this magnitude.

At least by my count, seven of the bastards had been killed. But who was counting? One was too many. The fact an entire force had been sent clearly meant the perpetrator knew what his men would be in store for in dealing with me.

There was no glory in the acknowledgement.

“Thank you, Officer Campbell. You have my number,” I told the man. The last thing I wanted or that Juliette needed was for the initial investigation to drag on any longer. Hours had passed, the darkness adding an oppressive feeling to the tattered crime scene. The area around the house and close to the edge of the property leading to the sanctuary looked like a fucking war zone.