Page 57 of Unlikely Guardian

The words had hardly left his mouth when the car behind them sped up. But it didn’t just involve speed. It was a lurching motion, and the vehicle rammed into them, jolting their SUV forward so that Jason had to fight to maintain control.

His adrenaline level was already high, but that sent it soaring. He went into combat mode and hoped his training and blind luck would be enough to get them through this.

There was another ram. Harder than the first. Then another. Jason cursed. His SUV jerked to the right when he strayed onto the rim of the sidewalk. He corrected and then corrected again so that he wouldn’t broadside a car parked on the otherwise empty residential street.

He forced himself to stay focused. Forced himself to rely on his training. Especially since it might be minutes or even longer before backup arrived. He scanned the area to make sure there were no more immediate threats or innocent bystanders who could be hurt. It was as clear as it possibly could be: no bystanders, which also meant no witnesses. Whoever was in that car behind them probably knew that.

“Should I try to drive so you can shoot at him?” Lilly asked.

He didn’t have to think about that. “Too risky.” Jason wasn’t just referring to discharging his firearm in a residential area, either. He was referring to Lilly. Her body probably wasn’t strong enough to make the switch to the driver’s seat, much less keep control of the SUV.

And speaking of keeping control, Jason latched on to the steering wheel to brace himself for the next slam. It wasn’t a moment too soon. The car behind them crashed into the back bumper, and Jason let the forward momentum careen him into a side street. Fighting with the steering wheel, he spun his vehicle around, screeched to a stop and drew his weapon.

“Get down on the floor!” he shouted to Lilly.

Thankfully, she listened, though by getting onto the floor, it didn’t mean she was safe. Not even close. Bullets could easily penetrate the metal and glass, and she could be hurt.

Or worse.

Jason was counting heavily on that worse not happening.

Using the meager cover of the steering wheel and the dash, he ducked down just slightly in the seat and slid his finger over the trigger. He was ready to fire.

Ready to kill, if necessary.

But he didn’t get a chance to make that kind of life-and-death decision. The other vehicle didn’t wait. The driver slammed on the accelerator and sped away.

Jason threw off his seat belt and jumped from his SUV. He aimed his weapon and got off one shot. The bullet hit the back tire, but the driver kept on going.

He re-aimed and was ready to deliver a second shot when he saw a female jogger move onto the sidewalk right next to the escaping car.

Cursing, Jason lowered his weapon. He wasn’t finished. He was going after the SOB responsible, and one way or another, this would end now.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Lilly had no doubt about what she would see when she walked into Jason’s office.

Yep. No surprises.

His jacket was slung over the back of his chair. His black T-shirt was now tucked. His hair mussed, no doubt from where he kept plowing his hand through it in frustration. And he was still on the phone, barking out orders to one of his fellow officers and sprinkling those orders with demands and profanity.

With the phone squashed between his shoulder and his ear, he was pacing. Like a riled tiger ready to strike. He was also checking the magazine of ammunition in his backup gun. His primary weapon, his Glock, had been sent to headquarters, because he’d discharged it in the line of duty. There’d be reports to do. Questions and more questions. An investigation. All necessary because of that one futile shot Jason had fired into the tire of their attacker’s vehicle.

She stood there, using the door frame as support, and waited for him to finish his latest call. Every muscle in his body was iron-stiff, and she could practically see flames in his eyes. Lilly understood the pacing and even the ammunition check. However, while she was feeling the same emotions as Jason, he obviously had her beat in the intensity department.

Lilly could thank a hefty amount of fatigue and Megan for the semicalmness she was now experiencing. She’d just fed her daughter a bottle and settled Megan into the playroom/panic room. That brief time with her child had lowered Lilly’s anxiety level enough for her to try to help Jason lower some of his.

A huge undertaking, no doubt.

He’d already done her a favor just by staying put. She knew how hard it’d been for him to do that. His every instinct had probably demanded that he go in pursuit of the car that’d rammed them.

But he hadn’t.

After a fierce battle with himself, and with her not-so-gentle coaxing, Jason had taken them back to his house so he could make an initial report of the incident. And so he could sequester himself in his office to make phone calls. Unfortunately, both the initial report and the phone calls had only made the tension in him worse.

“Is something wrong?” Jason asked the moment he ended his call.

“Everything’s fine. Megan’s playing with Detective O’Reilly,” Lilly told him. “She’s discovered the joys of pulling off her socks and tossing them into the air.” She hoped the news about Megan’s cutesy milestone would cause him to relax a bit.

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