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He removed my sweater from the wound, but replaced it right away.

“Fuck.” He shook his head. “He’s alive, but I think the bullet has punctured his lung. We have to get him to the vet. Can you walk? Run?”

I nodded. “Let’s go.” I was an exhausted wreck and freezing cold from being soaked through, but I’d find a way.

Shep scooped Ranger up and headed the way he’d come. I stayed close on his heels as he set a fast pace.

We reached his truck in a matter of minutes. It was parked in the driveway close to the entrance to his property. How Shep and Ranger knew we were at the river was a mystery. Perhaps Ranger tracked my scent.

He laid Ranger on the rear seat with his wounded side facing down, muttering something about gravity helping to stop his lung from collapsing.

I sat in the back with Ranger. Each of his shallow breaths made a thick, gurgling sound. I ran my hand over his smooth roan coat and kissed the top of his head while whispering words of love, encouragement, and gratitude as we sped to town.

“Shep, they were Franky’s men.” I hadn’t taken the time to contemplate what that meant. Hadn’t even expected to live through what just happened.

“I know who they were.” His eyes connected with mine through the rear vision mirror. “Pauly is one of Franky’s most trusted. It won’t take long for their absence to be noted.”

Jesus H. Christ.How did this all go so wrong so fast?

“How did they know where to find you? I thought you said no one knew about this place?”

“Franky’s crew doesn’t have the skills to find me here, but Ben does.” He flicked his eyes to mine in the mirror. They looked murderous. “I think he’s screwed me over.”

My stomach dropped and a pained cry escaped me. Ben had Justin. If he’d betrayed Shep, what did that mean for my brother?

“Did they seem surprised you were here?” he asked, perhaps to distract me from where my thoughts had headed.

“They were looking for you. They didn’t realize who I was until we reached the river and they got a close look at me.”

“That’s good. Means Franky still doesn’t know about you. But he must be suspicious to send his guys up here. It was a risk on his part. He wouldn’t have expected them to receive a warm welcome. And when they don’t report back, he’ll assume the worst.”

The muscles along Shep’s forearms bunched as he gripped the steering wheel. I didn’t need to see his face to know how concerned he was.

We might have won this battle, but there was a war coming our way.