Page 28 of Operation: Chosen

Eric stopped just outside the door, said a prayer for protection, then ducked into the dark interior. A shot pierced the air, and Eric dropped to the ground as pounding hooves raced over him and out the door.

ChapterTwelve

Blaring sirens brought Ali’s attention away from her notes on how she could handle Cole’s case. She felt slight guilt for neglecting her email for the first week, focusing instead on Eric and getting comfortable at Wayside. She shoved her notebook away in a drawer for a smidgeon of privacy. Even though no one else would go in her cabin, she couldn’t leave notes sitting out.

She rushed outside to see what was going on as two police cruisers pulled into the parking area in front of the main house. Behind them was an ambulance that came to a stop closer to the barn. Just down the row of cabins, Terrell hung by the door, watching the scene.

He might not know what was going on, but why was he in this row? She’d thought the boys were staying in a cabin far from hers. She jogged over and stopped at the base of the steps up to the small porch. “What’s going on?”

Terrell crossed his arms and leaned against the door. “I don’t know. Junior came and told me to stay put behind a locked door about a half hour ago. I heard a shot and heard a horse ride away, then nothing. I’ve been waiting for Eric to come back, but he hasn’t.”

Was Eric the reason for the ambulance? “I’ll go find out. Where are the others?”

He raised his chin. “Still in the other cabin.”

She felt blocked in a way, like there were things going on around her that were important, but she wasn’t being made aware of them. They didn’t have to tell her everything about the ranch or why the boys were there, but knowing if she were in danger would be good.

Two police officers stood next to one of the squad cars talking to Sam, and she headed over to find out what had happened. She hoped to see Eric talking to another officer, but he wasn’t anywhere that she could see. Sam finished up and turned to her.

“Oh, Ali, you’re probably looking for Eric. He’s in the ambulance, but he won’t let them take him in. I think they would rather, but...” Sam laughed humorlessly with a shrug.

Ali swallowed the sudden bile in her throat. How could he be so flippant about Eric’s well-being? “Is he all right?”

“Trampled. Probably a busted arm. Teddy and Edwyn went after the rider, but it looks like he got away. He took Eric’s horse, Skyfall. He should’ve known better though because that horse is well-known within at least fifty miles. If he stops anywhere, people will see that horse. We gave pictures to the officers, but that’s all we can do right now.”

“How did he get on the property, and how did he get off?” She’d seen the fence when she’d arrived. It was too tall to jump, wasn’t it?

Sam’s mouth went flat. “He jumped over the area that was just repaired. Teddy had put up more cameras, but Eric said he was wearing a mask over his face.”

Eric’s horse probably meant a lot to him as a trainer. She could imagine how frustrated he was. “Can I go talk to him?”

“I don’t see why not.” Sam shrugged. “The back of the ambulance door is open. He wouldn’t even let them shut him in.”

Ali hadn’t wanted that door to shut either the night they’d taken her in after Frank had drunkenly beaten her up. He’d said her face was too old to attract anyone, but he’d seemed to want to make sure of that fact. She still carefully avoided the lighter-colored scars on her face when she put on makeup. Too much coverage made them stand out even more.

Peering in the back of the ambulance, she caught sight of Eric. Tubes ran over and down his body with oxygen and an IV. He sure looked like they wanted to transport him. He glanced up and saw her, then looked away. Her chest clenched, knowing he didn’t want to see her.

“What happened?” She stepped forward. Now that he’d noticed her, there was no reason to stay hidden.

His voice sounded tinny and small through the oxygen mask. “Intruder on the property. I went to check it out, got shot at, then he rode over me.” Eric flinched as he lifted his arm and rubbed the IV site.

“Sir, I’m going to ask you again not to do that.” The EMT gave him a look Ali was very familiar with. It was how her team would look at witnesses who were giving too much information on the stand.

“Do you need to go into the hospital? I imagine a broken arm needs some attention.” Maybe he needed to see that she still cared about him. Maybe just asking to start over wasn’t good enough as proof.

“I’m not going in. Can you just wrap me up and we can get this over with?” He glanced at the EMT.

“You need a cast. Just wrapping it is not going to be enough,” the EMT argued. “I can’t do a cast in here.”

“I’ll take him in.” Maybe he was worried about the cost of the ambulance ride? If that were the case, then they could avoid it if she took him.

Eric’s brow furrowed. “I don’t need…”

“You do,” the EMT and Ali said in unison.

“Fine.” Eric tugged the IV out and the oxygen off. “I’ll take you up on that, but I’m not staying at the hospital.” He gripped his arm and held it close to his body. “Before we go, I have to talk to Terrell.”

“Can’t someone else talk to him?” Terrell had been worried, but surely he was old enough to understand Eric needed to see a doctor right away. “I think you’re in shock or something.”

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