Page 51 of Out of Time (Undaunted Courage #3)

He started to turn away from the cliff route.

Stopped as a glint registered in his peripheral vision.

Using his toe, he pushed the foliage aside. Bent down to inspect the black cylindrical item with a metal clip on the side.

Huh.

What was a flashlight doing here?

And it hadn’t been in that spot long, either. The barrel wasn’t dirty or stained or weather-beaten.

Brad looked up the trail to the cliff. Back down the path to the lake.

A wrong decision could cost him precious time.

If danger was lurking on these premises today, minutes or even seconds could mark the difference between—

He froze.

What was that?

Cocking his ear toward the cliff trail, he tuned in to the skittering noise.

It sounded like rocks slipping and sliding. As if someone was ascending the steep slope.

Decision made.

After texting Larry his location, he veered onto the path and began to climb, doing his best to remain as silent as possible. Announcing his presence to whoever was up there would be a mistake.

But he had to move fast.

Because every instinct in his body was screaming that whatever was happening on the cliff path had nothing to do with a casual afternoon stroll to admire the view.

He picked up his pace, cringing at the rustle of every leaf he stepped on, but the noise coming from above him ought to be sufficient to cover his missteps.

When he rounded a curve near the top and caught sight of who was ahead of him, his pulse stuttered.

Cara was in front of Steven as the two of them emerged onto the clifftop, and when she swung toward the man, he extended his arm.

There was a gun in his hand.

And it was aimed at her heart.

Brad’s heart lurched as icy fingers squeezed his windpipe.

What the ...?

This didn’t make any sense.

Why would Steven be holding her at gunpoint?

Unless she’d stumbled into something he didn’t want anyone to see—as Micah perhaps had.

Brad pulled out his pistol, but there were too many trees between him and Steven to give him a clean line of sight.

And he was only going to get one shot.

He charged ahead.

If Boyer was planning to kill Cara anyway, there was no longer any point in trying to mask his presence.

When his approach registered with the man, Steven glanced over his shoulder.

The instant he did, Cara executed a high kick that connected with the man’s hand. The one holding the pistol.

A shot rang through the quiet air, and Brad’s lungs shut down.

But Cara was still on her feet.

As Steven lunged for the gun lying on the ground a few feet away, Cara dived at his legs.

He twisted toward her. Tried to shake her off as they both fell to the ground.

She held tight.

And as they grappled, they inched closer and closer to the edge of the cliff.

Too close.

One wrong move, and they’d both plunge over the precipice.

Brad surged forward. “Steven—stop! This is over.”

No response.

Brad reached the crest of the trail and dashed for the gun lying near the duo.

“No!” The bellow came from Steven as he kicked free of Cara’s grasp, vaulted to his feet, and yanked her up in front of him. Clamping his arm under her chin, he pulled her back against him. “Stay away from my gun and put yours down or she goes over.”

Cara clutched at Steven’s arm, trying to pull free, but he held on tight, his eyes crazed. Desperate.

And desperate people didn’t think straight.

Brad stopped fifteen feet away, lowered his weapon, and tried to keep his voice calm. An almost impossible task when the woman who he was more and more certain represented his future was literally on the brink of death. “Let her go, Steven.”

“No.”

Stalemate.

Would negotiation work?

“Tell me what you want.”

“Nothing you can give me. Not now.” He eyed his gun again, resting on the ground halfway between them.

That pistol was not getting back into his hands.

Maybe he could coax him away from the edge of the cliff, remove the imminent danger, and then—

All at once, Cara lifted her arm and started banging the side of her fist against Steven’s face.

The blows were enough to cause him to loosen his grip, and she twisted again in his arms. Wrenched free and stumbled back, away from the cliff top.

Steven didn’t recover as well.

Thrown off balance, he lost his footing. Tottered on the edge, arms flailing.

But he couldn’t defy gravity.

A second later he pitched over the edge, his scream echoing ... fading ... as he disappeared from view.

Shock reverberated through the silent air.

Until Cara’s sudden, quiet sob propelled Brad into action.

He erased the distance between them in several long strides and wrapped her in his arms as tremors racked her body.

Or were the tremors his?

Didn’t matter.

She was safe. That was all that counted.

Murmuring comforting words, he held her until she at last eased back within the circle of his arms, the distress in her eyes almost palpable.

“How will we ever tell Natalie about this? Steven was all the family she had.”

Brad stared at her.

After all she’d been through, her first thought was about Natalie rather than her own near-death experience?

If he wasn’t already half in love with her, her incredible unselfishness and compassion would have given him a major push along that road.

“I’ll handle that. But first, I need to check on Steven.” Not that there was much urgency. The odds of surviving a fall from such a height were infinitesimal. “Are you up to walking down the trail with me?”

“Yes. I want off this cliff as fast as possible.”

“I hear you. Let’s go.”

He took the lead on the steep track, calling Larry during the descent with an update and a request that he have an ambulance dispatched. Just in case.

By the time they arrived at the bottom, his chief deputy was striding down the path.

“Ambulance is on the way.” Larry glanced at Cara. Back at him. “You want to stay with the professor while I get a read on the situation?”

“Yes. Thanks. We’ll go back to the house. Text me with whatever you find. The next trail you come to will take you to the cliff base.”

“Got it.”

Larry continued down the path, and Brad folded Cara’s icy hand in his. If anything, her trembling was worse.

Not surprising.

Reaction was setting in.

“Let’s stop at your cottage for a minute. You can get a drink and tell me what happened before I talk to Natalie.”

“He killed Micah, Brad.” Her irises began to shimmer.

Theory confirmed.

“Did he admit that?”

“Yes. After I found him with the bracelet.”

Bracelet?

Apparently there were more pieces to this story than he’d anticipated.

“Let’s go back to the cottage, and you can fill me in.”

She didn’t protest.

They paused only once in their trek, for him to read the text from Larry.

“Is Steven ... did he survive?” Cara gripped his hand tighter.

“No.”

“So he died just like Marie.” A shiver rippled through her. “I think that cliff is cursed.”

He didn’t argue with her.

But there were still answers to find and bad news to share—and telling a caring woman that her beloved cousin was not only dead but a killer would be one of the hardest tasks he’d ever performed during his law enforcement career.