* * *
“Cecelia says we can watch the arrest from in here,” Sara told Adam. She preceded him to the plate-glass window facing the street. There was a latticework of wrought iron protecting the exterior from anyone who might want illegal access to the offices and files, not to mention the holding cells in the rear.
He cupped her shoulders from behind. “Don’t get too close to the glass, just in case he can see in.”
“I’m not going to miss this. Not for anything.”
“Fair enough. I guess you’re entitled.”
Officers appeared on the far side of the courthouse lawn and began to spread out behind the burly stalker. He fidgeted, making Sara afraid he might sense his own peril and perhaps turn around. If he saw his captors coming she knew he’d make a run for it. Above all, he must not escape. She had to know whether or not Vicki had been murdered.
Hector shifted his position, clearly uneasy. Sara ducked out from under Adam’s hands and hurried to the main entrance, determined to be in position to make her move, if necessary, before anyone had a chance to intervene.
I am not being foolish, she insisted. I can peek out the door and distract Hector if he starts to leave. As far as she was concerned, her impromptu plan was perfect as well as being relatively safe.
Her fingers closed on the handle. Ignoring everything else she leaned to push the door open a crack.
Behind her, Adam shouted, “No!”
Already on edge, Sara let out a staccato yip. That caused the startled gang member to jump to his feet and bolt, apparently not even noticing her. For a huge man he moved well. Too well.
The deputies across the lawn began to pursue him on foot shouting, “Stop! Police!” A patrol car’s lights and siren came on as the unmarked car burned rubber and paralleled the courthouse.
All that mayhem turbocharged Hector’s flight. He was headed for the narrow alley between the police and fire stations. If he reached it and got through before the officers overtook him, Sara knew he’d have access to the firefighters and their vehicles. It didn’t take a criminologist to figure he was armed and dangerous.
Adam burst out past her, letting the door swing free. His trajectory was obviously meant to intercept the fleeing man but she could tell he was going to be late. Then he’d probably follow Hector into the alley and become a sitting duck. Sara didn’t have time to reason. She simply acted.
Stepping out onto the sidewalk and shading her eyes from bright sunlight with one hand, she waved the other in the air. “Hey! Hector! Over here.”
Hearing his name must have broken through his fight-or-flight reaction because he skidded to a stop, turned and stared at her. That was exactly the result she’d hoped for. The cops were closing on him from the rear, the patrol car was rounding the final corner in the square, and Adam was only a dozen heartbeats from success.
Time seemed to drag, suspended for the moments while Sara faced her stalker. She was already panting. When he began to leer at her she lost all capacity to breathe. Frozen in place on the sidewalk, she saw him pull a shiny object from his belt!
His arm came up, pointing a pistol straight at her. His other hand clasped the first. He widened his stance.
Run! her mind screamed. Run!
Muscles tight, she crouched and pivoted. Leaned away. Felt as if she were trying to swim through a vat of molasses.
If she’d had breath to spare she’d have screamed. Instead, she staggered forward in a desperate attempt to outrun a bullet. There was no time for thought, no time to chastise herself. And no way to go back and make different choices. All she did have time for was a single word prayer, “Jesus!”
The toe of her shoe caught in a tiny crack on the sidewalk. She lost her balance. Surged forward and landed on her hands and knees on the concrete. Momentum continued to push her forward. Her arms folded at the elbows, planting her chin on the ground with a whack that jarred her teeth.
At that same instant Hector fired.
The pain in Sara’s jaw convinced her she’d been shot. Had she saved everybody else? She certainly hoped so. If Adam was all right he’d be standing in line behind the police chief, ready to give her a lecture, but she didn’t care. As long as she was the only casualty and the others had captured Hector, she had accomplished her purpose.
Random thoughts swam in and out of her consciousness, most of them self-deprecating. Where had such idiotic bravado come from? As a kid she’d climbed trees, gone canoeing or jumped bikes with her friends, but she’d thought she had outgrown such risky behavior. So why had she hollered to distract a gunman when she’d have been safe if she’d kept quiet?
Because I think this is all my fault? Sara asked herself. Do I? That was the most logical excuse she could come up with and even that one made less sense than she’d have liked.
“Who cares?” she muttered, rolling onto her back. Her jaw hurt, her head was throbbing, her knees smarted and her elbows and palms were issuing their own complaints.
A din surrounded her. Men were shouting. Car engines were racing. The bright sun blinded her, made her eyes sting and water.
She started to sit up. Flashes of colored lights burst at the edges of her field of vision. Was she falling? Floating? Did she care? Nope. Finally she’d found peace and quiet and she intended to lie there and enjoy it.
FIFTEEN
Adam had been in midair, diving for the gunman’s knees, when the pistol fired. He felt the bullet whiz past his left ear and instinctively threw himself the opposite way. If Sara had stayed where he’d last seen her she was the intended target!
Recovering and pivoting in a crouch, he had nanoseconds to see for himself. She was down! His heart clenched as if caught in the grip of a giant’s fist. Peripheral vision warned too late that the gun was swinging his way. Hard steel slammed into the side of his head.
Stunned, Adam rolled away and landed on all fours, finding his feet and charging at Hector with a gut-wrenching roar that embodied all of Sara’s pain as well as his own. This was a battle unlike any he’d fought before. More than honor and duty drove him. This man had hurt his Sara. He deserved the worst punishment possible.
Adam dove straight into Hector’s broad chest, knocked him backward, wrestled away the gun and began to drive punches at his face until he was pulled off by law enforcement officers.
They held him firm while he struggled. “Let me go! He shot Sara.”
“No, he didn’t,” one of them shouted. “She just fell.”
“He shot her. I saw!”
It took two burly deputies to hold him back while others tended to Hector, quickly cuffing him and searching him for additional weapons. The gun was bagged as evidence.
Adam saw a crowd gathering on the sidewalk across the street. Sara! He wrenched loose and took off running, calling, “Sara!” over and over. Ragged breaths tore from him as his heart and mind struggled to come to grips with what he saw.
Paramedics from the nearby fire station cleared the area just as Adam burst through the line of onlookers. He blinked, unbelieving. She was moving! Sara was alive! Not only that, she almost looked pleased with herself.
Angst turned to anger, fondness to fury. He dropped to his knees beside her. “I thought you were shot.”
“So did I, for a second.”
Adam was still gasping. “How—how did he miss?”
“I tripped. I think God pushed me out of the way.”
Levering himself to his feet he stepped back to give the medics room to conduct their patient assessment. He was fuming. His gut was tied in a knot and his heart about to pound out of his chest. How was it possible to be so glad to see her and yet feel so angry he wanted to yell at the top of his lungs?
This was the wrong time to express himself but somebody had to do something to get her to start thinking before she acted.
The instant she looked up at him a
nd asked, “Did they get him? Did they arrest Hector?” Adam lost it.
“Do you have any idea how crazy it was to show yourself like that? You put everybody else in danger when your Texas buddy could have been captured without violence.”
Sara didn’t seem to be listening. She started to get to her feet despite the medics’ warnings to stay still. Adam grasped her upper arms to steady her.
She struggled. “Let me go. I have to see.”
Practically nose to nose, Adam stared her down. “They got him, okay. No thanks to you.”
“You’re mad at me?”
“Oh, yeah. Good and mad.”
“Why?”
Was she serious? Words were totally insufficient and Adam knew the ones he might choose at that moment were unacceptable, so he struggled to tame his temper.
Sara tilted her head. “Your ear is bleeding. What happened?”
Touching the injury and seeing red on his fingertips reminded him he’d felt a bullet’s graze. He huffed. “I got hurt trying to take care of you again. You’d think I’d have better sense by this time.” That got her full attention.
Her expression began with astonishment, passed through guilt and ended apologetic, contrite and teary-eyed. “Oh, Adam, I’m so sorry. I was just trying to keep Hector from getting away. You have to understand that.”
Seeing her new awareness helped him calm down enough to accompany her and the medics to the nearby ambulance so they could both be treated.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Sara asked.
Meeting her misty gaze he shook his head. “Not if you expect me to tell you I’m happy you risked your life.”
* * *
One of the ambulance attendants handed her a cool, damp cloth and Sara pressed it to her injured chin. Smiling was painful but that wasn’t what kept her somber. Watching the paramedic bandaging Adam’s ear hurt her more than it did him. Contrite, she finally made eye contact with him. “You said they arrested Hector, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Maybe this is the end of it.”
“Did you really trip over nothing? That sidewalk looks smooth.”
“I know. But I managed to stumble at the right time so don’t knock it.”
Adam raised his hands. “Hey, I’m good with whatever saved you. If God gave you a shove, like you said, it’s fine with me.”
“That’s the first thing that popped into my head. I know it sounds silly.”
“Not to me.” He froze as she reached up and touched the small bandage on his left ear.
“What happened?”
“It’s just a scratch.”
“Scratches don’t leave the groove I saw. Bullets do.”
“Does it matter, Sara? We’re both relatively sound and Hector is in jail. Life is good. Okay?”
“Okay.” She knew he was right about counting blessings. Still, there were loose ends to tie up. “I want to go back to the police station so we’ll know as soon as he talks.”
“Do you really think he will? He’s in deep trouble and he knows it. If I were him I’d keep my mouth shut and ask for a lawyer.”
Sighing, she tried to hide her disappointment. “I suppose you’re right. This has been such a trying day I hardly know what to do with myself.”
“I can tell. So, what’ll it be? Your place or mine?”
“Very funny.”
“But a sensible question. Are you ready to move into the house behind the co-op or would you rather go back to the ranch with me?”
Shrugging, she said, “I wish I knew what was best.”
“Tell you what.” He looped an arm lightly around her shoulders. “Since we aren’t sure if the cops are through inspecting your new place and I have work to do out at the ranch, why don’t you follow me home for one more night and start fresh in the morning?”
“And use my own car? I see what you mean. If I drive myself I’ll be able to go straight to the hospital to go over my schedule with my supervisor. She’s probably tearing her hair out wondering if I’ll show up for my shift tomorrow evening.”
Sara noted a sobering of Adam’s expression. “Are you sure you want to do that? I mean, we’re not positive your problems are over yet.”
“I’m sure enough,” she countered. “If Hector talks, fine. If he doesn’t, there’s not a thing I can do about it. I may as well go on with my everyday life and make the best of it.” She managed a demure smile, hoping it would lift his mood. “Besides, we have guards at the hospital and closed-circuit cameras in all the hallways. Nobody is going to try anything there.”
“Maybe you could borrow a protective vest from the police.”
“Oh, sure. That would inspire a lot of confidence from my patients.” She rolled her eyes at him. “And don’t bother to try convincing me I need to be armed. It’s not allowed where I work.”
“You do have a concealed-carry permit, right?”
“Only because my dad insisted. I see no reason to run around like a posse of one when we have such great law enforcement people in Paradise.” Another sigh. “Besides, I obviously don’t know how to tell bad guys from good guys.”
It was not flattering to her ego when Adam nodded sagely and said, “You’re right about that.”
Adam never took his eyes off Sara’s car as he followed her out to his ranch. She was driving slowly, cautiously, so much so that his nerves were on edge more than ever. He smacked the steering wheel with an open hand.
“What am I going to do with you, Sara?” he asked the empty air. That question had no perfect answer. Since he had foolishly kissed her, his emotions were in such a turmoil he hardly knew his own name, let alone what plans he should be making in regard to the woman who was driving him crazy.
Did she have feelings for him? That answer came from the sweet memory of her kissing him so ardently. So now what? Pursue her? Give her time to grieve the loss of Vicki so he’d be sure she wasn’t just looking for solace? Above all, Adam didn’t want to ruin a possible good thing by being too pushy. This Sara wasn’t the same lighthearted young woman he’d had innocent fun with when they were teens. This Sara was strong. Decisive.
His jaw clenched as he pictured the scene on the courthouse lawn and in front of the police station. This Sara was also too brave, too quick to jump in without testing the depth of the proverbial ocean—and in her case the water was filled with hungry sharks.
By the time their vehicles reached Kane Ranch, Adam had mentally explored every possibility and rejected them all. Until they had more information on Sara’s attacker or attackers there was no way to logically plan an offense. Playing defense was his only option and he wasn’t thrilled.
She parked in front of the main house and Adam pulled close behind her, noting the familiar pillowcase she’d been using as luggage. “I forgot you never unpacked.”
“Never had the time or opportunity,” she replied.
“Right. I took the liberty of asking Chief Magill to keep an eye on your new place.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
Adam couldn’t tell whether or not she was upset so he dropped the subject. As far as he was concerned, he’d do and say whatever he deemed necessary in order to safeguard Sara, even if that made her mad.
He gestured toward the front door. “I suggest we go in and crash. I don’t know about you but I’ve had it.”
He couldn’t miss her cynical expression and pointed glance at his injured ear. “I’ll want to check that bandage.”
“The paramedics know what they’re doing.”
“Yes, but what’s the use of having a nurse in residence if you don’t use her? I worry about infection.”
“My tetanus shots are up to date,” Adam said with a slight smile. “I’ll be fine.”
She preceded him onto the porch, insisting she could tote her own m
akeshift baggage. “I know you’ll be okay because I intend to see to it.”
“Did anybody ever tell you you’re stubborn as a mule?”
“Takes one to know one.”
He laughed. “You’ve got that right, lady. Ask my brothers.”
“I expected to find them home.” Sara hesitated on her way to the kitchen. “Where is everybody?”
“A ranch takes lots of work. We don’t just fence in a herd of cattle and let them graze. They have to be cared for. So do the horses and chickens, not to mention a wife and children, in Carter’s case.”
“Twins must be hard on Missy,” Sara remarked, continuing into the kitchen after plopping her bag of clothing on the sofa.
“Beats me. I plan to start acting like an uncle when they get old enough to walk and talk. Right now they kinda scare me.”
“I know what you mean.” She scooted onto a stool and propped her elbows on the kitchen bar. “I never babysat like Vicki did. She was the one who was good with toddlers.”
Keeping his back to her on purpose, Adam opened the refrigerator and took inventory. “I suppose you’d learn if you had kids of your own. Want a cold soda?”
He paused, waiting for her to either make a joke about children or take him seriously. She did neither. When he straightened and turned to face her, she looked pale. At least he thought she did. When it came to Sara Southerland he may as well be a stranger facing some kind of beautiful alien and trying to make sense of a foreign language.
Putting a can of soda on the bar in front of her he said, “Here you go. Want a snack, too?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You didn’t have a big lunch. Let me get you something now.” He struggled to sound casual. “You know you need fuel to make your brain work well. We both have to be at the top of our game.”
“That’s what this is, isn’t it? A game. A cruel, evil game that somebody is playing with me—and I don’t even know the rules.”
“Maybe not, but you and I have our faith.” He took one of her hands across the narrow breakfast bar. “I admit I wasn’t as good at trusting the Lord as I should have been when I was in tough situations overseas, but I’m starting to see that He’s with us, with you, here in Paradise.”
Fatal Threat Page 13
