Page 31 of Lethal Danger

She’d learned when they were in service together to hit the deck and ask questions later. Good thing.

She glanced up at the bullet holes in the side door. Those first shots would’ve hit their target. Her.

No time to figure out why she was being shot at. Just another question that could wait until later.

Right now, she and Flash had to get these guys. Maybe keep them in play until police arrived. If people in the apartments heard the shots and called for help.

The shooters—two of them, she deduced—were using suppressors. But no silencer was actually silent. Hopefully, the noise would be enough to make someone wonder.

Flash had gone quiet without Jazz telling him to. His training kicking in, since any noise could help the shooters find their target.

More shots pierced the night air.

Jazz turned and moved toward the front of her SUV, staying squatted.

Flash inched forward behind her as they rounded the vehicle and darted in front of the neighboring sedan.

They silently crept along the far side of the car until they reached the rear tire. Thanks to the very few lampposts in this farther section of the parking lot, they must not have been seen.

The shooters still fired at where she’d been. Her poor SUV was going to look like Swiss cheese.

She watched for muzzle flashes—very slight, thanks to the suppressors. But enough.

Jazz aimed her Sig Saur pistol and returned fire.

A brief pause. Like they were surprised. Then they fired back, angling their trajectory to her new position.

She shot again. If only they’d shift slightly so she could see what she was aiming at and get a clear hit. But darkness covered where they hid by a big SUV.

More bullets answered her fire.

Sirens wailed. Probably several miles off yet.

The shots stopped. Doors swung open, slammed.

Headlights flared white, almost blinding as the SUV started up and peeled away, tires screeching.

“Guess we scared ’em off, bud.” Jazz scratched Flash’s ears and stood, pulling out her phone as she headed for where the shooters’ SUV had been parked.

She’d have to call Nev this time. Nev would kill her if she found out someone was targeting Jazz and she hadn’t shared that info.

Nev picked up quickly, before Jazz and Flash had even made it to the shooters’ parking spot. “Hey, girl. Just thinking about you. And your hunky author.”

“Hilarious.”

“What’s wrong?”

Jazz smirked. Even though she felt as relaxed as ever, Nev could read something in her tone. Must come from knowing each other since they were seven years old. “Nothing, really. I’m fine. Flash is fine. But…” Jazz slowed as she reached the empty parking stall.

“I knew it.” Nev’s voice tensed. “What happened?”

“Couple jokers decided to take shots at us.”

A sharp intake of breath came across the line. “You mean somebody randomly started shooting at you? Where?”

Jazz squatted to see what Flash was smelling. “The apartment. The parking lot. I just came back from my run, and they started firing when I got out of my SUV.”

Spent shell casings lay on the blacktop.

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