That’s how he kept a tight rein on the violent men he led.

“People change, Rafe,” Freddie said.

They did indeed.

Did Freddie know that Rabbit was gone? If he didn’t, Mac certainly wasn’t going to bring up the subject.

“I’m sorry I bothered you.” Mac eased backward.

Freddie flipped the knife into a reverse grip. Mac used his peripheral vision to track the other men in the group. He didn’t recognize any of them. But working for Freddie warranted hazardous duty pay. Membership turned over frequently.

The knife rose into a pre-strike position in front of Mac’s chest.

How long had he been gone?

If he didn’t turn up, Stella would go for help. But what did it matter? By the time she returned with backup, Mac would be dead.

There was no way he was going to talk his way out of this. Nor could he possibly fight off a dozen well-trained, heavily armed men. His heart stammered. A few years ago, the prospect of dying wouldn’t have bothered him that much, but now everything was different. Grant, Hannah, the kids . . .

Stella.

A red dot appeared in the center of Freddie’s chest. He froze. “Looks like you didn’t come alone after all.”

All eyes tracked the laser scope’s trajectory. Something glinted at the top of the fire tower.

Stella?

“You’ll be the first man down,” Mac said to Freddie. Smart girl. She’d picked out the leader from a hundred yards away.

Freddie lowered his knife and took a step back. The red dot followed him. “I suggest you leave town.” Or Freddie’s men would find him, and they would kill him. “You have family here. I’d hate for anything to happen to them.”

The threat to Mac’s family turned fear to fury. This wasn’t over. He backed out of the clearing. Thunder cracked, and lightning streaked across the sky as the storm broke. Once he was out of sight, he turned and sprinted for the car. The downpour soaked his clothes in seconds. Stella was climbing down the tower, her rifle slung across her back. She slipped on a wet rung, recovered, and finished her descent. He jumped into the car and started the engine. As soon as she slid into the passenger seat, he sped away as fast as the rutted lane would allow.

“That was quick thinking.” He steered the sedan around a deep hole in the road. “I’m impressed.” Stella was awesome.

“I added the laser scope after the last shooting, and I told you I wasn’t letting you go in there alone.” She brushed water from her eyes and pulled out her phone. Her hair was plastered to her head. “No signal.”

“You know what?” He couldn’t control the crazy grin that spread across his face. “My father would have loved you.”