Always a Lawman

by Delores Fossen

  But Kevlar wasn’t going to help him if the wounded gunman shot him in the head. And that’s what Gabriel thought he had in mind when the gunman whipped out another weapon from an ankle holster. When he took aim at Hector, Gabriel took aim at him.

  And fired.

  He went for the kill shot, two bullets to the head, since an injured hired gun could still do plenty of damage. The man fell back, his head smacking onto the ground. It gave Hector time to get into the ditch before the next shot came.

  The second gunman was somewhere in the trees near the road. The very road where the cruiser would be arriving soon, so Gabriel fired off a quick text to let Jameson know to stay back until Jodi and he could figure a way to draw him out. Then, they could get an ambulance for Hector in case he was hurt.

  “Watch out!” Gabriel heard Jace yell.

  That’s when Gabriel also heard something else. A car engine.

  Gabriel pivoted, whipping around in Jace’s direction, and saw a black car driving up the road. It was coming from the opposite direction of the cruiser, and the driver was speeding. He considered shooting into it, but it’s possible this was someone who was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  It wasn’t.

  When the car reached the treed area where Jameson was, it veered off the road, and the driver, who was wearing a ski mask, jumped out. The car, however, continued to come right toward Gabriel.

  “Run!” Gabriel shouted to Jodi. He hurried to her, caught on to her arm and got them moving toward the back of the house.

  Not a second too soon.

  The car rammed into the porch, and it wasn’t just a simple crash. No.

  The car exploded into a fireball.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Because of where she’d been standing, Jodi hadn’t seen the car until she glanced back over her shoulder while Gabriel and she were running. It was an older model vehicle and obviously loaded with some kind of explosives for it to go up in flames like that.

  Those flames could easily make it into the house.

  Gabriel led her to the kitchen. No sign of any trouble here, but the smoke was already starting to make its way through the house. It reeked of gasoline, so maybe it hadn’t actually been a real bomb. The person could have just filled the car with open containers of gas, and the impact could have triggered a spark.

  “Who did this?” she asked, keeping her voice at a whisper.

  What she wasn’t able to do was tamp down all the fear and panic that was starting to roar through her. Gabriel’s front porch was on fire. A fire that would no doubt spread—fast. And his brother, Jace and Hector were out there, maybe under attack right now. Since Gabriel and she could no longer see them, they couldn’t help them. Not from the back of the house anyway.

  “I don’t know,” Gabriel said, answering her question. He hooked his arm around her waist and moved her to the side of the fridge while he hurried to the back door to look out. “He was wearing a ski mask and jumped from the car.”

  Mercy. That meant the guy was still out there, and he had at least one hired gun to help him because there’d been the shot fired at Hector from the other end of the road. If Hector was innocent, she hoped he had managed to find some cover, because it was obvious things had gone from bad to worse.

  “Keep watch behind us,” Gabriel instructed. He opened the back door several inches.

  Jodi did as he said, but she wouldn’t be able to keep watch for long because of the smoke. It was getting thicker with every passing second, and soon they wouldn’t be able to stay put. That meant going outside.

  Where gunmen could be waiting for them.

  What they needed was to get a better look at what was going on. Unfortunately, a better look came with risks. Because the moment they left the house, it could put them right in the line of fire.

  “Call Jace,” he said, passing her his phone. “Ask if he’s got eyes on the driver of that car.”

  While she volleyed glances all around them, Jodi found his number and pressed it. She wasn’t sure if the deputy would even be in a position to answer, but he did.

  “Gabriel,” Jace said. His voice was barely audible.

  “It’s me, Jodi. Are you okay?”

  “For now.” Jace whispered, as well. “The guy who was driving that car has to be nearby.”

  “Any idea where the other shooter or Hector is?” she asked.

  “No. But you and Gabriel should get out of the house right now. The fire’s spreading, and the fire department won’t be able to get out here until we’ve rounded up these two thugs.”

  Jace was being optimistic that there were only two of them. There could be a dozen. She cursed the person who’d put all of this together.

  “If Gabriel and you run out the back, I’ll try to cover you,” Jace said, ending the call.

  There was no need for her to relay that to Gabriel since he’d been standing close enough to hear. He looked back at her, making eye contact, and he seemed to be saying he was sorry about all of this. Well, she was sorry, too, but only because she was probably the reason so many people were in danger right now.

  Gabriel tipped his head to his truck that was parked out back. “That’s where we’re heading.” And he pressed the remote on his keys to unlock the doors.

  He didn’t remind her to keep watch or be careful because he knew that she would be. As careful as she could be anyway.

  Gabriel used his shoulder to open the door wider, and he stepped out onto the porch. He took a quick look around before he motioned for them to get moving. She did. Gabriel barreled down the porch steps, and Jodi was right behind him. They made a beeline for the truck.

  But didn’t get far.

  Jace fired, his bullets going well over their heads. But one shot slammed into his truck, right into the engine. Judging from the angle, this bullet had almost certainly come from the driver of the car that was up in flames. She doubted that a single shot had disabled it, but the gunman fired again.

  And again.

  These didn’t go into the truck, though.

  They came right at Gabriel and her.

  They immediately dropped to the ground, both of them rolling to the side of the porch. It wasn’t much protection, especially considering this new position possibly put them in the direct sight of Hector and the other gunman, but at least the driver’s shots were no longer an immediate threat. Not to them anyway. The goon could turn that gun on Jace.

  “We can’t stay here,” Gabriel said, but it sounded as if he were talking more to himself than to her.

  But Jodi agreed. Eventually, the fire would make it back here, and the flames and smoke could kill them. Running to the truck was out, too, since it was obvious the shooter had a good angle on that.

  “The barn,” Gabriel added.

  It was to the side of the truck, and while it would indeed provide some cover, they still had to get to it. There were some trees and shrubs dotting the way, but it was possible Gabriel and she could get caught in the cross fire.

  Gabriel’s phone dinged with a text message, and since she still had his cell, she read Jameson’s text aloud. “Approaching on foot. Don’t fire in our direction.”

  However, the words had no sooner left her mouth when someone did fire. Not the driver or Jace this time. The shot had come from the area where she’d last spotted Hector. Of course, that was the same general direction as Jameson and the other shooter, so it could be one of them. She prayed that Jameson was all right.

  She put Gabriel’s phone back in her pocket, so her hands would be free when they ran. Which she didn’t have to wait long for. Almost immediately, Gabriel got them moving, but they didn’t make it far before the shots came. Not a single bullet, either. But a hail of them. They had no choice but to get back on the ground behind one of the
trees.

  Jodi automatically maneuvered into a position that would allow her to keep watch behind them, and she hated that her pulse kicked up when she realized her area to watch was the very trail where she’d nearly died.

  The sun had fully set now, but there was enough illumination coming from the fire that she could see it. At least she could see the trail itself. However, it was impossible to tell if anyone was hiding in those tall shrubs. The very ones her attacker had used ten years ago.

  “See anything?” Gabriel whispered.

  Before she could answer, the phone dinged, but this time, it wasn’t Gabriel’s. It was hers. Keeping watch, Jodi took it from her pocket. Not a text but rather a call, and it wasn’t from Jace.

  It was from Hector.

  Gabriel mumbled some profanity under his breath when she showed him the name on the screen. Jodi pressed the answer button, but she didn’t say anything. That’s because this might not be Hector. The gunman could have finished him off, taken Hector’s phone and could be using this call to pinpoint her location by listening for the sound of her voice.

  “Jodi?” someone said from the other end of the line. She couldn’t tell if it was Hector or not because the voice was a hoarse whisper. “Please,” he said. “I need your help.”

  It was Hector all right.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked as softly as she could manage.

  “I’ve been shot, and I’m bleeding out fast.” Hector cursed. “I’m pinned down.”

  And then Jodi heard something she didn’t want to hear. Another gunshot. Followed by Hector’s sharp sound of pain.

  * * *

  GABRIEL HEARD THE sound that Hector made. And he got a glimpse of the stark expression on Jodi’s face, too. She was no doubt torn between getting to her boss but balancing that with the real possibility that this could be a trap that could get her killed.

  Especially since it would mean going on that trail between his and his parents’ houses.

  “I can’t go out there,” she whispered. Maybe to herself. Maybe to Hector.

  She then hit the End Call button so she could text for an ambulance. One was almost certainly on the way. Jameson would have called for it, but the medics wouldn’t come closer as long as there was gunfire.

  And there was plenty of that.

  Shots came from Jace’s direction. From Hector’s, too, and Gabriel couldn’t tell who was doing the shooting. It was possible that Jameson was in on this by now, since he would have had a chance to at least reach the area where Hector was. Maybe his brother had managed to take out the gunman. Gabriel didn’t have to remind Jameson to be mindful of Hector, too, since his brother already knew Hector was a suspect.

  Perhaps a dead one, though.

  “Should we try to make it to the barn or truck again?” she asked.

  It was tempting—especially the truck since they could possibly use it to escape. But Gabriel shook his head, and he tried to pick through the sounds to make sure no one was sneaking up on them. He could hear...something, but it was hard to tell what it was exactly, thanks to the fire now snapping and eating through his house.

  His home, he mentally corrected.

  It twisted at his gut to see it being damaged like this, but there was nothing he could do to save it. Right now, his priority had to be keeping everyone alive.

  “I’m sorry,” someone called out.

  Jace.

  Gabriel pivoted in that direction and saw something he didn’t want to see. Jace being held at gunpoint. It was almost identical to what had happened to Hector just minutes earlier with a ski-masked thug behind him. The guy had jammed a gun to Jace’s head.

  “I didn’t see him before it was too late,” Jace added.

  Gabriel hated that Jace felt the need to apologize for something like that, but it did put them in a really bad position. Because Gabriel figured he knew what was coming next, and he didn’t have to wait long for it.

  “Start running down the trail,” the gunman said. “Or I’ll shoot him where he stands.”

  Gabriel had obviously figured wrong. He’d expected the thug to tell Jodi and him to put down their guns. What kind of sick plan was this?

  A bad answer immediately came to mind.

  The same person who’d attacked Jodi ten years ago wanted a chance to finish her off in the same spot.

  “And if we don’t run?” Gabriel challenged.

  The gunman fired a shot. Not into Jace’s head. But rather his shoulder. At the same time, there was another shot—it came from Hector’s direction—and Gabriel heard what was another loud groan of pain. Maybe Hector had been shot again. Maybe it was a ruse, but the ruse definitely didn’t apply to Jace.

  Jace dropped to his knees, the pain etched all over his face, and the gunman dropped with him, staying behind him so he could continue to use Jace as cover. Gabriel didn’t have a clean shot, and he figured Jodi didn’t, either.

  “Run or I’ll shoot him in his other shoulder,” the gunman warned them. “The third shot will go in his gut. I’m thinking if you hadn’t obeyed by the fourth shot, then your deputy will be a goner.”

  Hell, Jace might not survive the second, much less a third and fourth, shot. With the angle the clown was holding that gun, the bullet could go down Jace’s shoulder and straight into his heart.

  “Run!” the gunman shouted to them.

  “We have no choice,” Jodi said. Her voice was trembling a little, but that didn’t stop her from turning in the direction of the trail.

  Where someone was no doubt waiting to kill her.

  “I can’t let Jace die because of me,” she added.

  Gabriel couldn’t let that happen, either, but he could take some precautions. “Stay low. I don’t want this idiot gunning us down, and he might do that if we stand up. Crawl. And stay close to me.”

  Of course, that wouldn’t stop anyone on that trail from shooting at them, too, but Gabriel figured the monster who was waiting there wanted to use a knife.

  On Jodi.

  Maybe that’s why she pulled her own knife from her boot and clamped it between her teeth. The moment she did that, they started moving. Of course, there was no guarantee that the gunman holding Jace wouldn’t just go ahead and shoot him, but at least this way, the deputy had a fighting chance. Plus, there was the possibility that Jameson would be able to help since the gunman was out in the open with Jace.

  “I need to listen for footsteps,” Jodi said under her breath. “I’ll recognize the sound of his steps.”

  Maybe. But he wasn’t sure how she would manage that. Her heart had to be beating a mile a minute right now, and added to that, there was still the occasional gunshot near Hector.

  The very direction where they were going.

  They crawled, stopping every few feet, and when they reached the first curve in the trail, Gabriel and she got to crouching positions. It still wasn’t ideal, but it might give them a fighting chance.

  Just ahead were the thickest shrubs. It was also the place where Jodi had been attacked. She knew that, of course, and it was probably why he heard her breath hitch in her throat. Yes, she was a trained security specialist, but she was also the woman who’d nearly died here. No way to erase that from her mind.

  “If he gets his hands on me,” she said, “kill him.”

  That was the plan, but Gabriel preferred to do the killing before this monster touched her.

  They inched their way up the trail, and Gabriel heard another sound. One that caused him to curse. Not footsteps. Not gunshots. But it was something he instantly recognized.

  A rattler.

  Hell. They didn’t need this now.

  It wasn’t unusual for rattlesnakes to be out among all the underbrush, but Gabriel figured it could be something that their attacker had planted. S
omething to get them moving so fast that it’d be easier to kill them.

  “Freeze,” Gabriel whispered to her.

  In the darkness it was going to be pretty much impossible to see the snake, so he followed the sound of it. It was definitely agitated because the rattler was going practically nonstop. A warning to get them to back off. Gabriel wished they could do just that, but instead they had to crouch there and wait it out. That was the plan anyway.

  But it didn’t happen.

  There was some movement to their left. Definitely footsteps this time, and Gabriel got just a glimpse of a hand that reached out from the shrub. The moonlight was just at the right angle for it to glint off the shiny blade.

  As the knife plunged right into Jodi.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The pain shot through Jodi’s shoulder. Familiar pain. It brought all the memories crashing back. The nightmare.

  He was killing her again.

  And she felt the warm blood start to slip down her back.

  She took her own knife from her mouth and slashed it at him. Jodi thought maybe she connected with some part of him, but she couldn’t tell for sure. That’s because he was in the bushes, and she couldn’t see him. However, she could see his knife, and he sliced it at her again. She ducked out of the way, barely in time.

  If the rattler was still there, it had stopped making that god-awful sound. That was something at least, but it was also possible that it had been a recording. Her attacker probably wouldn’t have wanted to risk being bitten by one of his “pets.”

  From the corner of her eye, she could see Gabriel. He lunged toward her, taking aim at her attacker, but he didn’t get a chance to shoot. That’s because the man latched onto her hair and dragged her into the shrubs with him. Gabriel wouldn’t have risked shooting because he could have hit her.

  She felt another cut from the knife. This time on her arm, and he knocked her blade from her hand. More pain came. Not just from her physical wounds but because once again she was that nineteen-year-old girl. The one who this monster—or maybe the monster who’d hired him—had put in a shallow grave.