LITMIR.BIZ

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protected on either side. Then she curled her body around him. The fact that she would risk herself to protect Ben gave Isaac a funny feeling in the center of his chest.

      Leah’s actions were humbling. He hadn’t been attracted to a woman in a long time, not since his wife had left him for a guy who turned out to be mentally unstable. A man who’d shot Becky, Jeremy and then himself in a fit of depressed anger.

      But this wasn’t the time to ruminate over the past. Isaac’s ex-wife and son were gone and nothing in the world would bring them back. So Isaac would do the next best thing—protect Leah and Ben with his life if necessary.

      Isaac hadn’t replaced the bulb in the dome light, so he wasn’t too worried about broadcasting his movements. He pushed open the driver’s-side door and used it as a shield as he swept his gaze around, searching for any sign of danger. The country road he’d taken was deserted, which wasn’t at all reassuring. He had to assume that someone had hidden in the trees along the opposite side of the road, waiting for his Jeep to show up so they could take a shot at him. The last thing he wanted to do was sit here and wait for yet another gunman to show up.

      He was positive he hadn’t been followed, which left only one option. The masked man must have known he was a sheriff’s deputy, maybe by recognizing the uniform, and he’d come this way hoping to ambush him, since this was the main road leading to the sheriff’s-department headquarters.

      How much time did they have before there was another attempt to take Leah and Ben? Probably not much.

      Isaac had to decide right now if they’d be safer outside or waiting in the Jeep. Normally he didn’t have trouble making decisions.

      But for some reason, he couldn’t seem to get the image of the gunman holding Leah hostage out of his mind. The personal responsibility gnawed at him.

      Outside the Jeep, he abruptly decided. For sure, they needed to get outside to hide, so they weren’t sitting ducks.

      He climbed back in and closed the door. “We’re going to get out on the passenger side, okay? I’ll go first and then you and Ben will follow.”

      Leah lifted her tearstained face and nodded. Her silent tears made him feel bad for her, but he forced himself to concentrate. Awkwardly, he climbed over the gearshift and then pushed open the passenger door. Staying behind the protection of the car, he opened the door to the back, taking the booster seat out first, to give Leah and Ben room to maneuver.

      “Come on out,” he said in a low voice.

      Leah lifted Ben and handed him over. Isaac moved to the side, keeping the boy in front of him so that Ben was sandwiched between him and the car. Leah climbed out, too, and immediately reached for her son.

      “Stay down,” Isaac said, moving so that he was directly behind her.

      “Where are we going?” she asked in a whisper.

      Good question. There weren’t streetlights, but the scant amount of lingering snow on the ground reflected the moonlight, making it brighter than he was comfortable with. “See that small cluster of trees?” He indicated an area directly behind him. “We’re going to hide there.”

      Fear shimmered in her eyes, but she gave a jerky nod of agreement.

      “You and Ben first. I’ll protect you from behind. Ready? Let’s go.”

      Leah clutched her son close and ran up the slippery embankment toward the trees, moving faster than he’d anticipated. Then again, adrenaline had a way of giving the body a boost when needed the most. He held his weapon ready and kept pace behind her.

      When Leah and Ben were safe in the grove, Isaac gave a little sigh of relief. He was about to join them when his foot slipped on a patch of melting snow. He fell to his knees and felt something whiz past his head.

      A bullet?

      “Get down,” he ordered hoarsely, practically throwing himself on top of Leah.

      “What happened?” she asked in a muffled tone.

      He didn’t want to scare her, but he couldn’t lie to her, either. “I’m pretty sure someone is shooting at us. Sit down at the base of this big tree and hold Ben in your lap. My backup will be here soon.”

      Leah did as he asked, sliding to the ground and hugging her boy close. Isaac could hear her murmuring something, and he leaned down, trying to hear what she was saying.

      It was then he realized she was praying.

       Dear Lord, keep us safe in Your care! Give Isaac the strength and the courage to defeat our enemy. We ask this in Christ the Lord. Amen.

      Normally he wasn’t the praying type, but right now, Isaac couldn’t deny they needed all the help they could get. And if that meant praying, he was all for it.

      * * *

      Leah cuddled Ben close, whispering prayers as a way to keep them both calm. She felt terrible about how he had been crying on and off, clearly not understanding what was going on. To be fair, she didn’t really understand, either.

      Why would someone come after her and Ben? Not just once tonight, but twice? She was very grateful she was here with Isaac rather than being alone.

      “There, do you hear that?” her brother’s friend asked softly.

      She couldn’t hear anything beyond the thundering of her heart. She was about to shake her head when she heard the faint wail of a siren.

       Help is on the way!

      “Maybe you should call them and let them know where we are,” she suggested.

      “No, the light from my phone would be a beacon showing our location to the shooter. As it is, he already knows we’re on the move. But from the angle of the bullet, he must still be up in the trees somewhere, which is good for us, as that means he isn’t in the process of making his way over here on foot. Unless he has a partner.”

      “But why is he shooting at all? I don’t understand.”

      Isaac scowled. “He was probably trying to take me out of the picture so that he had a clear path to get to you.”

      She swallowed hard, wishing she hadn’t asked.

      The radio on Isaac’s lapel crackled and he quickly muffled the sound with his gloved hands. “ETA?” he whispered.

      “Less than five.”

      “Shooter in the tree line on the south side of the street,” he murmured. “Stay down.”

      “Ten-four.”

      Leah began reciting the Lord’s Prayer. She could feel Isaac’s gaze on her and she couldn’t help wondering if he wasn’t a Christian. Not that she should be surprised, because her brother went to church only when she forced the issue. And even then he mostly attended for Ben’s sake.

      “We’re not beat yet,” Isaac said when she’d finished her prayer. “We’re going to be fine as soon as my teammates Caleb and Deck get here.”

      “I know. But praying keeps me calm. I take it you don’t have the same experience?”

      He gave a brief shake of his head and averted his gaze. “Nope. The only times I go to church are for weddings or funerals. And truth be told, in my line of work it’s more of the latter.”

      She knew very well what he meant. Hadn’t she learned that firsthand? Her father had died in the line of duty, as had one of his colleagues. And on top of that, she’d lost her husband to a drunk driver on his third DUI offense.

      Too much loss for one person to handle.

      Since the last thing she wanted to think about was the dangers associated with Shane’s and Isaac’s respective jobs, she twisted around so she could see the road.

      “Red lights in the distance,” Isaac murmured in his low, reassuring tone.

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