Page 4 of Vanishing Legacy

Alana caught her by the waist, trying to keep her steady.

“Take your hands off me!” The redhead jerked her arm away and glared at Alana.

The color of her green eyes seemed off. Too…vibrant.

Bethany Gould.

She’d changed her hair. Appeared taller somehow. Lifts in her shoes? The facial features were different too. Possibly a prosthetic nose. If Alana hadn’t been standing within inches of the woman, she wouldn’t have recognized her.

“It’s Gould. Get the principal off the X. Execute Beta Plan.” Alana issued the command to shield Warren and immediately withdraw to their safety vehicle.

“Copy,” came the voices in her earbud.

Now she had to distract the woman and keep her from making a scene. “Take it easy, Ms. Gould. I know you’d love to visit with Ms. Warren, so how ’bout we step into the shade and have a chat?”

Red raced up Gould’s neck. “I’m not going nowhere with you!”

Alana stepped closer. “Look, there’s no need for?—”

“Guuuunnnn!” Gould pointed at the weapon at Alana’s waist. “She’s got a gun!”

Screams erupted from the crowd.

“Everyone calm down. I’m security.” Alana shouted over the chaos, but her words died in the air.

People pushed and shoved. Exactly what Alana didn’t want. A panicked mess. Worse were those who pressed in, jockeying to get closer. Phones held up to record the whole thing.

Alana flicked her gaze toward the dais. Noelle and Juliette were rushing Warren around the concrete fountain, using it as protection. From there, it was just shy of fifty yards to the armored personnel vehicle where Rose Lawson, a contract bodyguard, waited behind the wheel, ready to whisk Warren away. Savannah PD could handle the rest.

Gould’s eyes darted past Alana. “No! She can’t leave!”

Alana stepped in front of Gould and blocked her view. “I need to inform you that you’re currently under a restraining order, which legally prohibits you from being in close proximity to Ms. Warren. I strongly advise you respect the terms?—”

“I don’t give a spit about your terms!” Gould launched her fist at Alana.

She blocked the punch with one hand and grabbed Gould’s wrist with the other. She twisted Gould’s arm behind her back.

The woman howled in pain, but it didn’t seem to slow her down. She spun out of Alana’s grip and took off running.

Alana groaned and sprinted after her. Why did they always have to run? There were few things she despised more than running. “Gould evaded. She’s on the move.”

“Copy,” Juliette said.

The woman was fast, but Alana was in better shape. She lengthened her strides and closed the distance. She reached to grab Gould, but the woman dodged left and slipped through her grasp. Alana growled and pushed herself harder, sidestepping innocent bystanders.

Gould ran to the wrought-iron fence surrounding the fountain and rolled over the rail. She landed hard on her shoulder but scrambled to her feet. Alana hurdled the fence and landed in stride, eyes fixed on the woman’s back. Arms outstretched, Alana launched herself forward and tackled Gould from behind. The momentum propelled them forward, and they crashed into the fountain pool.

The icy water stole Alana’s breath, but she quickly slipped a forearm under Gould’s chin and rolled to her back. The woman came up coughing and spurting.

Alana dragged Gould to her feet as two uniformed police officers jogged up.

A stocky female cop put her hands on her duty belt. “Hey, you two! There’s no swimming in the fountain!”

“Yeah, yeah. I know.” Alana used one hand to pin Gould in an arm lock and drew her other arm over her mouth. She wiped the disgusting water off her lips. She was soaked head to toe. “I’m with the Elite Guardians. This woman is violating a protection order.”

Even as Gould was being handcuffed, she swore at Alana for getting in between her and Warren. “You stupid woman! You ruined everything!” She writhed and tried to escape the officer’s grip. “You haven’t seen the last of me!”

Alana followed the officers out through the gate. The crowd had dispersed. Warren’s assistants righted the overturned book table. What a mess.

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