Page 71 of Rangers Last Promise
“That’s different.”
“Why?”
“Because Grant asked me to protect you.”
I pull away.
“There it is.”
“What?”
“The promise.”
His expression closes.
“You think my life matters more than yours because Grant asked you to keep me safe.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
I rise before he can stop me.
Doc gets to his feet beside me, one hand pressed to the wound along his ribs.
“You shouldn’t have stepped in front of me,” I say.
“I was already there.”
“You were walking straight into Hampton’s trap.”
“He knew how to get to me.”
“I noticed.”
“I won’t let it happen again.”
“No, you won’t, because I’m not going to stand behind you while you decide which bullets belong to you.”
“Mara—”
“This works both ways, Doc.”
His gaze locks on mine.
“What does?”
“You protect me. I protect you.”
For several seconds, neither of us moves.
The noise around us fades. Deputies shout from the roof. Sheriff Tate speaks into his radio.
All I hear is Doc breathing.
“You don’t owe me that,” he says.
“I’m not doing it because I owe you.”
