Page 99 of Snowbound Threat

The words had barely cleared his lips when a sharp crack had Ryan jumping back. Shattered glass spilled all over the floor. A heartbeat later, something was tossed through the broken window.

The bottle that landed inside exploded around them in a firebomb.

Ryan removed his coat and tried to put the fire out. Charlie and Will helped but the fuel used to create the explosion had caught the curtains and the dry wood. There was no stopping it.

“The bedroom. There’s a window.” Ryan yelled over the flames. They raced toward the bedroom. A single window faced out to the right.

Ryan struggled to get the warped window up. When it wouldn’t budge, he took the butt of his handgun and broke the glass.

He cleared the leftover shards away. “Let me go first. He could be expecting us to use the window.”

Charlie’s heart leapt into her throat as Ryan climbed through. Over the crackle of the fire gobbling up more of the cabin, the terrifying sound of gunfire. Ryan had been right. The killer had expected them to leave through the window.

“Wait here for a second. Cover your nose and mouth.” Will jumped through the window to assist.

Charlie glanced over her shoulder at the fire closing in. She couldn’t stay here much longer.

While she prepared to bail through the window, Ryan appeared in the open frame. Charlie suppressed a scream.

He held out his hand. “We’ve got to go. Boone’s almost here but the shooter is still out there.”

She swung her legs through the window and let him pull her out while the perp and Will exchanged fire.

Will spotted them and fired again before racing after Charlie and Ryan around the front of the burning house.

“Don’t stop.” Ryan yelled over the noise. They raced past the fire. Charlie’s heart thundered. Their vehicle was completely engulfed in flames, eliminating their means of escape. “Keep going. We’ll meet Boone down the road.”

She half expected to be picked off by the shooter as they rounded the bend in the road and stumbled over the icy terrain.

Around the next bend, the best sight ever. A string of police vehicles led by Boone.

Charlie’s knees went weak. Ryan held her up as they reached the sheriff.

Boone’s gaze shot from them to the plume of smoke above the trees. “What on earth is going on here?”

In between gasps for oxygen, Ryan told him about the Molotov cocktail tossed into the cabin. “We managed to get out through the bedroom window, but the shooter was expecting us. He’s back there somewhere.”

“Get in.” Boone waited while they piled inside before punching the gas.

Charlie leaned back against the headrest and tried to understand what had happened to them. They’d almost died. Again. How many more attempts before the man who killed her uncle succeeded?

When they reached the cabin, the fire was out of control. “We’ll never get the fire department here in time,” Boone told them. “We’ll have to let it burn.”

He got out along with Ryan and Will. Ryan opened her door. “Wait here where it's safe.”

She didn’t argue. He closed the door. She watched him and Boone and Will ease toward the side of the house along with the rest of the officers.

Where was the shooter? Her gaze skittered around. What if he expected them to come after him. It was Charlie he wanted. If he got her alone. . .

Before she could lock the doors, someone opened the door next to her. She jumped and bit back a scream.

Ryan scooted in next to her. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. There are enough officers hunting the shooter. I wanted to be with you.”

Those words sent her heart soaring. She clasped his hand. “Thank you.”

He turned his head toward her and smiled. “Always. I can’t believe this happened.”

Charlie leaned her head against his shoulder. “Me, either. I was so afraid he’d shoot us.” But in a weird way, part of her was glad this was happening. Too many years had passed without justice for Abby, and it had cost her uncle his life. The killer needed to be brought to justice before he claimed another life.