For a tense moment, no one moved. Then the leader tried to reach around Luke for Finley.

Luke drew a handgun from his waistband at the exact same time that the man raised his weapon. They pointed the muzzles at each other.

“Wait.” Finley slipped forward, standing beside Luke. Out in the open. “Everything’s all right. You can lower your guns.”

Neither of them lowered their gun.

“Luke.” There was anguish in Finley’s tone.

She didn’t want him to risk himself, but she couldn’t know how little he cared about his own life in this moment. He hadn’t saved his brother. He would die before he failed to save Finley.

“Lower your guns, please,” she said.

They continued to face off.

“You’re welcome to the gold,” she told the leader. “In fact, we’ll help you load it. Just let us go.”

The leader kept his aim on Luke but drew a few inches nearer to Finley.

“Get any closer to her and I’ll kill you,” Luke promised.

“No.” Finley reached toward Luke’s forearm, distracting him for a split second—

The leader charged him, knocking Luke’s gun upward right before Luke pulled the trigger. The sound of his gun firing boomed through the air as the man shoved him. Luke planted his feet to keep his balance, then drove his shoulder into the wall of the man’s chest. A grunt sounded. Luke wedged an uppercut against his jaw. The man’s head snapped back, and he faltered.

Another man collided with Luke from the side. The third wrenched his gun arm up and behind him, twisting the ligaments and tendons in Luke’s shoulder. He lost his grip on the gun.

Luke kicked one man’s knee. Swung and connected with a crunch against the other’s cheek.

Finley cried out. Luke whirled in her direction. The leader had ahold of her waist and was yanking her away. One of her arms stretched toward Luke.

“Let her go,” Luke yelled, pain exploding in his head as a gun struck him on the back of the neck. He stumbled but didn’t go down. He tried to run to Finley, but the others gripped his arms.

She was struggling against her attacker. She reared back, spun, and pulled up his mask. “Ken,” she gasped, then writhed as he dragged her toward the cliff. “No. What are you doing?”

Fury detonated inside of Luke. He headbutted one of the men and pushed him aside. Took a punch to the face from the other that rattled his brain. He buried a fist in the guy’s gut and was free of them both. He grabbed his gun off the ground and aimed. He didn’t have a clear shot. Couldn’t shoot Ken without risking Finley. He sprinted forward.

Ken had forced her close to the edge.

“Stop!” Luke was almost to them.