Page 19 of Ranger’s Justice (Lone Star Wolf Rangers #1)

CHAPTER 18

RUSH

C assidy runs beside me, her new form sleek and fast, her silver-gray fur rippling under the moonlight. She’s unsteady at first, her movements tentative, but then instinct takes over, and she lets go and embraces her inner wolf. The hesitation vanishes.

She surges forward, her muscles stretching, paws kicking up soft earth as she gives in to the primal force inside her. The night air hums with electricity, our bond pulsing between us with every step. I match her pace easily, running alongside her, watching the way she moves—graceful, untamed, perfect.

I should have expected this. Should have known that the moment she shifted, the moment she let herself fully embrace this life, something fundamental between us would snap into place, but I didn’t expect it to feel like this.

This is more than just a run. More than just her first shift. This is a claiming—a joining—of another kind.

Cassidy lets out an exhilarated yip, her wolf reveling in the freedom, in the power of her new form. She glances sideways at me, those sharp eyes glowing in the moonlight, challenging me.

I bare my teeth in response, and then—she takes off. I chase her, letting her push herself, letting her test her speed, her strength. She’s fast. Not just for a new wolf—fast for any wolf. Her scent mingles with the night air, the bond between us humming stronger than before, deepening in ways I can feel in my bones.

She doesn’t need to fight this. She never did. Her destiny was to do this. It’s as if her inner wolf has been waiting for her all along.

When I close the distance, I nip at her hind leg, teasing. She growls playfully, snapping at me in return, her fangs flashing. I bark out a low, rumbling laugh, but before I can press the advantage, she dodges left, cutting through the trees with a burst of unexpected agility.

Damn, she’s good.

We run for miles, moving together, breathing together, two predators intertwined under the stars. I feel the heat of her body beside me, the raw energy pouring off her, feeding something deep inside me—something that has nothing to do with logic or planning or strategy.

It’s just her.

When she finally slows, I slow with her, leading us to the clearing near the edge of the ranch’s property where we’d left our clothes when we shifted. The moon hangs heavy above us, bathing us in silver light. I shift first, the familiar crackle of energy surging through me as my body reshapes, mist curling around my skin like a second breath.

Cassidy watches me, her wolf’s head tilting slightly, her eyes still glowing with the remnants of the shift. She hesitates, then the air around her shimmers, and a second later, she’s back in her human form—flushed, glowing, beautiful.

She’s breathing hard, her body still humming from the change, from the run, from everything. I step toward her, unable to resist reaching for her, cupping her face, my thumb skimming over her cheek.

“How do you feel?” I murmur.

She exhales a breathless laugh. “Like I could take on the world.”

I grin, leaning in, brushing my lips against hers, slow and deep. She melts into me, her arms sliding around my neck, her bare body pressing into mine. The bond hums, alive, undeniable.

I trail my fingers down her spine, grounding her. “You did good, Marlow.”

She looks up at me, her expression unreadable for a moment, then she grins. “Better than good.”

I laugh, my forehead pressing against hers. “Cocky already. You’re definitely mine.”

She nips at my bottom lip in response, and damn if my wolf doesn’t want to take her all over again, right here, under the moon. But then a sharp howl splits the air in the distance.

Cassidy stiffens against me, instantly on edge. “What was that?”

I curse under my breath, recognizing the tone. That wasn’t a call for a hunt. That was a warning.

Something’s wrong.

“Get dressed,” I say quickly, stepping back.

Cassidy doesn’t argue, grabbing her clothes from where we stashed them earlier and pulling them on in record time. I do the same, my mind already pivoting into mission mode, every instinct screaming at me to move. I take her hand, pulling her into a run as we cut through the trees, heading back toward the ranch.

The second we break the tree line, I see them—Gideon, Dalton, Gage, and Deacon standing on the front porch, their expressions grim.

Gideon meets my gaze first. “We’ve got a problem.”

I already knew that.

Cassidy tenses beside me, but her voice is steady. “What happened?”

Gage blows out a slow breath. “Hollister knows.”

The air goes still.

A slow, cold burn settles in my gut, the kind that comes before bloodshed. “How?”

Deacon shakes his head. “No idea. We only just confirmed the location today, but somehow, someone tipped him off. He’s moving up his meeting.”

Gideon steps forward. “He’ll be at the estate tomorrow night instead of two days from now.”

Tomorrow. Damn it. I clench my jaw. The plan we spent all day forming is already unraveling in my head. We were supposed to have more time. We were supposed to have a clean shot at this.

“Does he know we’re coming?” Cassidy asks.

Dalton snorts. “If he does, he’s not running.” He glances at me, his expression darker than usual. “This isn’t him being cautious, boss. He’s baiting us.”

The words settle heavy between us. Hollister wants us to come. That means he’s planning something worse than a deal with the Del Toro cartel people.

A slow, predatory smile curls at the edge of my mouth. “Good.”

Cassidy’s head snaps toward me. “Good?”

I nod, exhaling slowly, feeling the fire inside me ignite. “Then we don’t have to wait to take the bastard out.”

She swallows, her throat working, but she doesn’t back down. “So what’s the plan?”

I glance at Gideon. “We move up the timeline.”

Gideon nods. “I’ll rework our strategy.”

Gage steps forward. “We should assume he has reinforcements.”

“Assume?” Dalton grins darkly. “We should count on it.”

Cassidy crosses her arms. “Then we take them all out.”

I glance at her, something tightening in my chest. She doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t waver. My warrior. My mate. Damn if I don’t love her all the more for it.

I reach out, brushing my fingers against hers in silent agreement, before looking back at my men. “We end this. Tomorrow night.”

The others nod, determination settling into their features.

Cassidy exhales, squaring her shoulders. “No mistakes.”

I squeeze her hand.

“No survivors.”

The air in the room is thick with tension, every single one of us locked in knowing that we have less time than we thought. Somehow Hollister has caught wind of our plans, which means we have to move fast—before he fortifies his defenses, before he gets another step ahead. He’ll expect us to come tomorrow night, which means we go tomorrow morning.

I stand at the head of the long wooden table in the war room, surrounded by my team—my pack. The dim overhead light illuminates maps, satellite images, and blueprints scattered across the table’s surface. Cassidy stands behind me, her arms wrapped around my waist, leaning her head against my arm.

She has said little since the meeting started, but I can feel her. Feel her pulse through the bond, feel her energy vibrating like a wire pulled too tight. I want to tell her to go lie down, to let us handle this, but we both know she isn’t going to do that.

“Alright,” Gideon says, running a hand over his jaw. “If Hollister’s pushing up the timeline, we need to hit them before they get settled in.”

Gage leans forward, tapping the blueprint of the estate. “We go in just before dawn. Hit them while they’re still scrambling to set up.”

Deacon nods. “We keep to the original plan—three teams. We move faster, but we don’t lose precision. Cassidy—” His gaze flicks toward her, assessing. “You still paired with Rush?”

Before I can answer, she speaks. “Yes.”

Her voice is steady, her chin lifted. I feel a sharp pull in my gut. Damn stubborn woman.

Dalton grins, shaking his head, but he doesn’t argue.

I grip the edge of the table, my mind already running through every scenario. “We cut off every escape route. If they run, we drop them before they make it a hundred yards.”

Gideon crosses his arms. “What about reinforcements? The cartel’s people will not let a failed meeting slide.”

“They won’t get the chance to retaliate,” I say darkly. “We finish this before they even know they’ve lost.”

A heavy silence follows, thick with understanding. No loose ends. No survivors.

I glance at Cassidy, half-expecting hesitation in her eyes. There’s none. Only cold, unwavering resolve. She’s ready for this.

I push back from the table, shaking out my shoulders. “We gear up in three hours. Everyone get what rest they can. We move out at zero four hundred.”

A round of nods. No one argues. We don’t have time for second-guessing.

One by one, they clear out, leaving me alone with Cassidy.

I don’t turn to face her right away, just stare down at the maps, pretending I can find something we missed. Something to keep my mind from what I already know is coming.

The second I open my mouth, she’s going to fight me.

And I can’t let her win this one.

Finally, I exhale, turning toward her. “We need to talk.”

Cassidy raises an eyebrow, arms still crossed. “We just did.”

I shake my head. “Not about the mission.”

A flicker of something in her eyes—wariness, expectation. She knows. She’s been waiting for me to say it. I step closer, until there’s barely space between us, until I can feel the warmth of her body seeping into mine. I reach out, dragging my fingers down her bare arm, tracing the claiming mark just below her collarbone. Her breath hitches, but she doesn’t back away.

“Cassidy,” I murmur, voice rough, “when the fight starts, I need you to hang back.”

Her jaw tightens. “Rush…”

“No.” I cup her chin, tilting her face up so she has to meet my gaze. “This isn’t a damn negotiation.”

Her fingers flex at her sides. “And what exactly do you think I’m going to do? Stand behind the SUV and wait while you go charging in?”

“That’s exactly what you’re going to do.”

She lets out a sharp laugh, stepping back, hands on her hips. “Are you serious?”

I glare. “Dead serious.”

Her eyes flash, her lips parting, but I don’t let her speak.

“Listen to me,” I growl, stepping into her space again, gripping her shoulders. “You want to be there? Fine. You are there. But when the bullets start flying, you stay out of the way.”

She opens her mouth, but I shake her lightly. “You don’t get to fight me on this.”

Cassidy glares up at me, pissed as hell. “I don’t need to be coddled, Rush,” she snaps.

“This isn’t coddling,” I snarl back. “This is keeping you alive. Besides, we’ll need someone with the SUV ready to get us out of there. Think about it, all five of us have been wolves since the day we were born. It’s natural to us, and we have more experience with guns and other munitions.”

Her pulse is thrumming against my fingertips. I know what this means to her. I know she wants to be in the thick of it. And I hate myself for this, but I have to say it, anyway.

“I don’t trust myself if something happens to you,” I admit, voice low, raw. “I won’t finish the mission. I won’t put the job first. I’ll drop everything and come for you.” Her breath catches. I push forward, my grip tightening. “And that means I’m putting everyone in danger, not just you.”

Her lips press into a thin line, her fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt. “You think I don’t feel the same way?” she whispers.

She swallows, something like frustration flickering in her eyes. “If you go down, I’ll come for you. If you bleed, I’ll feel it. You don’t get to ask me to sit on my hands and pretend I’m not connected to you, Rush. That’s not how this works.”

I close my eyes for a second, trying to control the wildfire roaring through my veins. She’s right.

I take her face in my hands, my thumbs brushing over her cheekbones. “Swear it,” I murmur, voice barely above a whisper. “Swear to me that if something goes wrong, if this turns into a bloodbath, you’ll turn your back and get the hell out of there.”

Cassidy stares at me for a long moment, something unreadable flickering across her face.

Then, slowly, she nods. “I swear,” she says.

But we both know it’s a lie.

I press my forehead to hers, breathing her in, committing this moment to memory. This is the calm before the storm. And when the fighting starts? Cassidy is going to do exactly what she always does. She’s going to run straight into the fire.

The darkness stretches over the abandoned estate, thick and absolute, the heavy clouds blotting out the moon like a shroud. Dawn is a couple of hours away. Perfect cover. The trees surrounding the property sway in the cool pre-morning air, and beyond them, the desert sprawls, vast and endless.

We are exactly where we need to be.

I crouch at the tree line with Gideon, Cassidy, and Deacon, my eyes locked on the massive, two-story structure in the distance. The estate is old, but heavily fortified—security cameras, reinforced gates, and at least twenty armed men that we’ve counted so far. More than expected, but not enough to save Hollister.

Dalton’s voice crackles through the comms. “We’re in position at the western perimeter. Gage and I have eyes on three snipers on the balcony.”

“Take them out quietly,” Gideon murmurs back.

“On it.”

Cassidy is beside me, adjusting her weight, her fingers wrapped around the grip of her sidearm. She’s calm, focused, but I feel the tension radiating off her, the electric hum of adrenaline that has her coiled tight.

I should send her back. I should have made her stay behind. But it’s too late for that. She’s here, and no amount of growling or orders would have changed it. I exhale slowly, keeping my focus on the estate.

“Confirmed,” Gage mutters over comms. “Hollister is inside. He arrived twenty minutes ago with two Del Toro enforcers. Deal is still on.”

I nod. Good. Let him think he’s in control. Let him think he’s safe.

Because in a few minutes, we’re going to rip his world apart.

Gideon glances at me. “We’re outnumbered.”

“We’ve been outnumbered before.”

Deacon smiles. “Didn’t end well for them last time.”

Gideon grunts but doesn’t argue. “Dalton, you good?”

“Snipers down.” Dalton’s voice is sharp, lethal. “It’s showtime, boys.”

I move slightly, motioning to Cassidy to stay close. “Once we breach, you stay behind cover,” I murmur, voice low.

She stiffens, already bristling at my tone, but I don’t give her a chance to argue. Not now.

“If something happens,” I continue, my grip tightening on the rifle slung over my chest, “you fall back. You let us do what we do and you and Dalton make sure we have a way out if this goes sideways.”

Gage’s voice cuts through the tension. “Guards rotating. We’ve got a sixty-second window before the next pass.”

I check my watch. Time’s up.

I move in close, grabbing Cassidy by the wrist, yanking her toward me. She gasps, her body colliding with mine, and I don’t hesitate—I take her mouth in a deep, consuming kiss, pouring every ounce of my frustration, my rage, my need into it. “I love you.”

She gasps against me, but she doesn’t resist. Her hands fist in my jacket, her body molding against mine, and fuck, it’s not enough.

I tear away, resting my forehead against hers, my breath hot and ragged. “No matter what happens,” I growl, my fingers tightening at her waist, “you are mine.”

Her chest rises and falls, her breath unsteady, her lips swollen from my kiss. She doesn’t say a word, but she doesn’t have to. Her eyes tell me everything.

A gunshot cracks through the night, followed by a scream.