Eddie. Oh, no. The car door must have not shut all the way. And the cat carrier door must have unlatched itself with all the bumps. How had I not checked? How—

I jerked my attention away, not wanting Skyler to see. Keep away, I said, once again trying mental telepathy. Stay up there!

“Maybe you’re right,” Ryan said. “But that still leaves you with a big problem.”

“Only one?” Skyler sounded amused. “Tell me.”

Ryan spoke quietly, and I marveled at his calm. “There are two of us and only one of you.”

“That’s not a problem,” Skyler said. “All I have to do is make sure you’re far enough apart and—”

“Mrr!!!”

Three things happened at the same time.

Ryan hit Skyler’s wrist, pushing the gun down and away. It clattered to the ground.

I hurled myself at Skyler, jumping onto his back and looping my arms around his neck, clasping my hands around my wrists, hauling back as hard as I could.

Eddie dropped out of the tree, panther-like. He landed on Skyler’s head and dug his claws deep into his long, thick hair, all the while howling at the top of his lungs.

“Hang on, Minnie!” Ryan shouted.

That was my intention, but it was hard, as Skyler was turning in circles and grabbing at my arms, at my wrists, at my hands. I put my knees against his back and pulled harder. This man was not going to kill Ryan, not going to kill me, and certainly wasn’t going to harm a hair on Eddie’s furry head.

“Mrr!!”

“What I said,” I panted out, holding on for all I was worth.

Ryan put his head down and rammed Skyler’s solar plexus. Skyler’s breath went out in a whoosh! and he staggered. I shifted my weight, trying to tip him off balance, and he staggered a second time.

“MRR!”

Ryan cannoned into Skyler again.

He went down to one knee. I gave him a hip check and sent him to both knees. As he fell, I spotted the fallen branch, grabbed it, and whirled around, whacking Skyler with it just as he was starting to stand, sending him back to the ground.

Ryan, scrabbling around in the gravel, jumped to his feet, holding the gun at the ready. “Don’t move,” he said. “Move and I’ll—”

“Get that mangy ball of fur off me!” Skyler roared.

Eddie, of course, ignored him, and I was sure I saw him flex his claws. Skyler moaned with pain, which in any other circumstance would have concerned me, but this time absolutely didn’t.

I released my grip on Skyler, got to my feet, and was starting to take my jacket off to tie his wrists together, when a car roared into the parking lot. Then another. It was Rafe. And Ash.