Hidden Prey

by Cheyenne McCray

  Horror filled her and she thought she might stop breathing. He’d been shot. Was he dead?

  He groaned and moved.

  A measure of relief went through her as she frantically tried to think what to do. She glanced up and saw nothing but the fire. No men coming after them with guns. No one anywhere.

  She had to bind Landon’s wound. She wore only the long T-shirt she slept in and the jeans she’d managed to get on before climbing down the trellis. She hadn’t even had time to put on her panties. She tore at the bottom half of her shirt and managed to rip apart one seam.

  Panicked, she searched for something to help her, then spotted a knife on his belt, next to his phone holster. She jerked the knife out and cut the shirt enough to get it started and tore off as much of the material as she could.

  Heat from the fire ravaging what was left of the house warmed her skin. She coughed from the smoke and ashes floated around her.

  Sirens blared in the distance.

  She had to shift Landon’s body to wrap the T-shirt under his armpit and up around his shoulder where one of the cartel bastards had shot him. Who else could have attacked the safe house but the cartel?

  Landon groaned with obvious pain. She tied the cloth as tightly as she could and it grew wet with blood almost at once.

  “Come on.” She grasped his good arm. “You’ve got to get up. They might find us.”

  He held his hand to his forehead as his eyes opened and she tugged at his arm. He sat up and shook his head as if trying to rattle his thoughts back in place.

  “What are you doing here, damn it?” His words were a little slurred and she thought he probably had a concussion. “I told you to run.”

  “I had to come back for you.”

  “How the fuck did they find us?” He tried to stand. “It shouldn’t have been possible.”

  Somehow she managed to tug him to his feet. He stumbled. He weighed so much more than her that he almost took her down to the ground with him. “I hear sirens, Landon.” She glanced over her shoulder at the burning house. “We can go to the police.”

  “No.” He steadied himself. “We don’t know who’s been compromised or if we’ve been set up and the cartel managed to get their hands on law enforcement vehicles.” He spotted something and she looked to see his weapon. She scooped it up before he could attempt to, and managed to slide it into the holster on his belt.

  “If we can’t trust anyone, let’s get out of here.” She grasped his hand and started toward the darkness of the tree line, the gateway to the forest.

  He seemed to gain his bearings then moved faster, keeping up with her. They entered the forest just as red and blue lights flashed in the street behind them. The blare of a fire truck’s horn and sirens came on the heels of the police.

  Landon dropped to one knee. The light from the fire blazed high enough to illuminate him and she saw so much blood coating his side. Her pulse thumped in her throat. It had to be bad.

  “I’m going to see if I can find something to cover your wound.” She started to get up. “Maybe at a neighbor’s house. I’ll be right back.”

  He grabbed her hand using his good arm. “We stay together.”

  “But you’re hurt.” She hesitated. “Shouldn’t you be still?”

  “Just stay with me.” He took her hand and they ran within the tree line. More houses were along the street. “There.” He pointed to one of the houses. “An old truck in the driveway.”

  This time he pulled her. She didn’t know where he got his strength from, but he looked like a fierce warrior as they hurried.

  A porch light illuminated the front door of the home, but the light didn’t reach the truck. The windows were dark and she hoped they would stay that way. Although with the loud explosion, she didn’t know how anyone could still be asleep.

  When they reached the older-model truck, Tori tried to open the door. Locked. She whirled around, searching for something heavy but not too heavy. After a moment she spied a brick paver along a walkway. She snatched it up and smashed the driver’s-side window with a loud crash and knocked out the glass.

  Down the street came shouts and yells as firefighters fought the blaze and the police cordoned off the area.

  Landon reached into the truck, unlocked the door, and jerked it open before taking the paver from Tori and busting the steering column with it. He brushed some of the safety glass off the seat, climbed in, and hotwired the old truck. With his injured arm he struggled and it probably took him longer than it would have if he hadn’t been shot.

  In moments the engine revved and he scooted over to the passenger side. “I hope you can drive stick.”

  “I hope so too.” She gave him a concerned look. “It’s been quite a few years.”

  “Like getting on a horse.” His strained smile seemed more like a grimace. “Just don’t kill the engine.”

  “Easier said than done.”

  He gave her a few quick directions, including releasing the parking brake first. Her blood still rushed in her ears as she did what he told her. She stepped on the clutch, released the parking brake, and eased the clutch out, praying the whole time the truck wouldn’t stall. Fortunately, the truck faced the street, so she didn’t have to back out.

  Just as she drove out of the driveway, the lights came on in the house. She didn’t turn back as she stomped on the gas and tore out onto the street, tires squealing.

  Behind them the fire reached for the sky, the light flickering and illuminating everything around it.

  She looked at Landon who had found a dirty rag on the floorboard and held it to his shoulder. Thank God part of her T-shirt covered the wound or the rag would likely cause an infection. Still, he would require antibiotics.

  “I need to get you to a hospital.” She swallowed as she glanced at the road. “It’s been so long since I’ve been to Sierra Vista I don’t know where one is.”

  “We can’t go to a hospital.” He sounded as if he tried to talk through gritted teeth. “I have a friend who’s a doctor.”

  “Okay.” Tori let out her breath. “Then that’s where we’re going.”

  Chapter 19

  Tori followed Landon’s directions to a neighborhood across town from where the safe house had been. “How did the cartel find me?”

  “I’m not sure.” Landon’s expression remained grim as he pressed the cloth to his shoulder. “Damn, I hate to think any DHS agent could be working for the cartel.”

  When Tori glanced at Landon, he appeared even paler and sweat beaded his forehead. He didn’t seem as though he would be able to hold up much longer.

  “Turn here.” He gestured to a street on their left. “Last house on the right.”

  She sped down the street and came to a hard stop in front of a large house. At first glance, it appeared to be a beautiful home in a very nice neighborhood.

  The truck jerked and the engine died as she forgot to put in the clutch.

  Tori scrambled out of the truck and barely made it to the passenger side before Landon started to tumble onto the sidewalk. She helped him balance then climb out and they hobbled up to the house. He had to lean on her. With his size and height, she worried she wouldn’t be able to keep him from falling without going down with him.

  He came to a stop. “Wait.”

  “Landon, we have to hurry.”

  He shook his head and dug in his jeans pocket. He pulled out Tori’s cell phone and the battery. His hands were surprisingly steady as he examined the phone in the glow of a streetlight.

  “Shit.” Landon growled the word.

  “What?” Tori felt utterly confused.

  “Damn.” He indicated something small and metallic that glinted in the light near where the battery would normally be. “Considering you’d had nothing to do with the cartel prior to witnessing the murder, I would never have guessed.”

  Perplexed, she watched him drop the phone and the battery on the ground. “Guessed what?”

  “Grab that rock.�
� He pointed to a good-sized rock serving as a part of the desert landscaping. When she returned with it, he said, “Now smash the hell out of that phone, especially what I just showed you, then pick up the pieces.”

  She frowned but did as he’d told her and smashed and smashed the phone and battery until he approved and said nothing could have survived what she’d just done to it. Every bit of fear, pain, and frustration had gone into each swing she’d made.

  When she had decimated it, she scooped up the tiny pieces like he’d instructed and pushed them into her pocket. “Why did we just murder my phone?”

  “I showed you a small, sophisticated tracking device.” Landon looked both weak and grim. “Someone planted it there. It doesn’t make sense, but it could have been someone close to you, like your ex-boyfriend.”

  She stared at Landon. “Gregory. He used to show up at places I went and I’d always wonder how he found me.”

  Landon’s features tightened. “He must have given the information to the cartel.”

  She felt lightheaded from thoughts of Gregory, what he’d done, and his death. She shook it off. “We’ve got to get you inside.”

  Thankfully, he didn’t argue. With his good arm over her shoulders, they made it up to the door and she pressed the doorbell. A frantic feeling caused her skin to prickle and she pressed the doorbell again and again until she heard the bolt lock being disengaged and the door opened.

  An alert-looking woman wearing a white bathrobe opened the door. The tall woman managed to appear beautiful even though she wore no make-up and had sleep-tousled hair.

  She must be the doctor’s wife, Tori thought.

  “Hi, Beth.” Landon looked exhausted and pained and it sounded as though he could barely speak. “Dr. Fallon, this is Tori. Tori, meet Dr. Bethany Fallon.”

  How did he even have the presence of mind to introduce them in his condition?

  “We need your help.” The frantic feeling inside Tori ramped up. “He’s not doing well.”

  “I can see that.” Dr. Fallon turned to Landon. Concern laced the woman’s voice as she looked him over. “This way.” Dr. Fallon turned and hurried into the house.

  Supporting Landon, Tori ignored everything but the woman she followed.

  Tori helped Landon into the house and closed the door behind them before heading after the doctor.

  They followed the doctor at a slower pace, Landon grimacing with every step. When they reached the hallway, Dr. Fallon stood beside the first door on the left. “Gunshot wound?”

  Tori nodded. “Yes.”

  “Come on in.”

  Tori helped Landon hobble into what appeared to be a game room. A billiards table took up the center, a built-in wet bar to the side.

  “Help me get him up,” Dr. Fallon spoke to Tori in a no-nonsense tone.

  Even though blood covered him, the woman didn’t flinch at having him on what looked like a very expensive billiards table. When he lay flat on his back, Beth told Tori where to find clean bar towels behind the wet bar.

  Once Tori left to do as instructed, Dr. Fallon hurried from the room. Tori grabbed a stack of towels, went to Landon, and pressed a bar towel against the wound. Moments later the doctor returned with a medical bag. She pulled on surgical gloves and started attending to Landon.

  “It doesn’t look good.” She narrowed her gaze, examining his shoulder. “No exit wound. It’s going to require surgery and we need to get you to a hospital. I’m not fully equipped here.”

  “Can’t.” Landon set his jaw and spoke in short staccato sentences. “Tori’s a protected witness. Security breached. Can’t go to a hospital. Might be found.”

  Dr. Fallon’s gaze flicked from Landon to Tori and back. She frowned. “I suppose we’ll just have to make do. But I’m afraid you’ve lost a lot of blood.”

  “Not as bad as it looks.” He grimaced. “I trust you to patch me up just fine.”

  The doctor shook her head. “What’s your blood type?”

  Landon shifted and winced. “AB positive.”

  “What’s yours?” she asked Tori.

  “A positive.” Tori couldn’t remember if A could give to AB or if AB could only take AB.

  “Thank God George is type O positive. It’s why I married him.” Dr. Fallon started cleaning and sterilizing the wound. She spoke to Tori. “Go upstairs to the last room on the right and wake my husband. Tell him I need him in the billiards room now.”

  Tori hurried, her bare feet pounding on the carpeted wood staircase. She went to the room she’d been instructed to go to and knocked. Moments later, a man of about sixty, wearing pajamas, opened the door. Tori gave a very brief explanation and the man grabbed his bathrobe and tugged it on while they hurried down the stairs.

  As Mr. Fallon pulled up a stool to sit on next to the billiards table, the doctor set up an IV between the two men and gave Tori instructions on how she could help.

  Dr. Fallon told Landon she would give him an anesthetic strong enough to knock him out but he refused. “I need to be fully alert. I’ve got to protect Tori.”

  “You’re in no condition to do anything right now.” The doctor searched through her medical bag. “She’s safe here.”

  “We can’t stay long.” Landon bared his teeth as if more pain slammed into him. “We have a stolen truck in front of your house that clearly does not belong in this neighborhood.”

  Dr. Fallon looked down at Landon. “I’ll use a local anesthetic then, but it won’t relieve all the pain. It’s going to hurt like hell.”

  Landon’s mouth tightened. “Do it.”

  She gave him the local and prepped him for her impromptu surgery, including administering heavy antibiotics. When she had fully prepared for the procedure, she started working on his shoulder. Landon clenched his jaw and his face screwed up as he tried to hold back a cry. His now pale skin glistened with sweat and droplets rolled down his forehead. His face morphed into a mask of agony, but he refused to make more than a grunt.

  Tori used one of the cloths to mop the sweat from Landon’s brow. She gripped his biceps with her other hand, trying to give him some comfort.

  As the doctor continued to work to dig out the bullet, Landon’s body suddenly went limp and his eyelids fluttered and closed. Tori caught her breath and her eyes widened.

  Dr. Fallon noticed Tori’s reaction and paused. Her gloves were bloody so she asked Tori to raise Landon’s eyelid and also to check his pulse, which beat sure and strong beneath her fingers.

  When Tori relayed the information, Dr. Fallon nodded. “He passed out, which is the best thing for the stubborn ass. He should be fine.”

  The entire time the doctor worked on Landon, Tori’s whole body buzzed. Landon’s blood covered her gloved hands. Dr. Fallon focused intently on her task.

  It seemed to take forever before Dr. Fallon finally removed the slug. “Here’s the little bastard.”

  When she raised the slug with the tweezers, Tori flinched. The small piece of lead had come so close to Landon’s heart.

  By the time Dr. Fallon had patched up Landon, pale sunlight lit the game room. Mr. Fallon relaxed in a stuffed chair after the doctor disconnected the IV between him and Landon. Still out cold, Landon lay on the billiards table, but the doctor had given Tori a pillow to put beneath his head.

  “He’ll be fine.” The doctor seemed to notice Tori’s apprehension. “He likely has a concussion too, so you’ll need to keep an eye on him.”

  Tori scrubbed away blood from her skin in the stainless steel sink in the kitchen, then washed out the sink. When she finished, she found crackers, cheese, and a glass of juice for the doctor’s husband like she’d been asked to.

  Dr. Fallon went upstairs. When she left, Tori gave Landon a sponge bath, wiping away blood from his torso until none remained. He did have a six-pack, she thought idly as she moved the sponge over the expanse of his muscular chest.

  He’d saved her life again. God, how she wanted them to survive and she hoped maybe they could h
ave a chance at something.

  She mentally shook her head. It was no place for her mind to be going now.

  Her thoughts turned to the tracker on her phone. All this time, Gregory had been spying on her. She couldn’t say it surprised her. He’d always been so jealous of her that even when she’d gone out with her girlfriends, he would show up.

  The doctor returned a short while later with her hair damp, smelling of soap with a light flowery scent. She had changed out of her bloodstained robe and wore a T-shirt and capris.

  Landon hadn’t woken during the time the doctor had been gone. She touched his uninjured shoulder. “He looks as though he can use the sleep.”

  She directed her attention at Tori who still wore bloody jeans and a T-shirt. The shirt now resembled a crop top thanks to her having torn off most of the cloth to make a bandage for Landon. The doctor cocked her head to the side. “Does he have any clothes? Do you?”

  Tori shook her head. “Everything was blown up. We have nothing with us.”

  “Blown up?” Dr. Fallon glanced at her husband and back to Tori. “Maybe you should explain what happened now that things have settled.”

  “I’ll check the news.” Mr. Fallon pointed a remote at a large flat-screen TV in the corner of the game room. He muted the TV as a commercial came on. “Anything newsworthy will show up on this channel.”

  Tori had no doubt the adrenaline high she’d been on had kept her from going into shock. That and the fact that so much had happened made her almost numb from it all. When would it stop?

  Her gut clenched and she felt queasy. In truth, it might never end.

  Another thought came to her she hadn’t had time to think about.

  Were O’Donnell and Danson dead? They’d been in the house with Landon and Tori.

  Oh my God.

  Dr. Fallon returned her attention from the muted TV to Tori. “I’d really like to know what happened.”

  “We owe you that much.” Tori swallowed and launched into a brief explanation but avoided mentioning why they both happened to be barefoot and why Landon didn’t have a shirt on.

  “I don’t think I can tell you everything, but it comes down to the fact I witnessed something I shouldn’t have and now the cartel is after me. They’ve managed to track me down twice. Landon saved my life both times.”