Page 71 of Operation: Chosen

Indie glanced behind him and stumbled, reaching for Jayzon to stay upright. Instead, the force of his fall pulled both of them to the ground just as the man with the rifle let off a shot. It buried into a nearby tree, sending splinters at Eric.

Eric ran to them, tugged them both to their feet, and headed them toward the trees as bullets rained from all directions. Who was shooting back? There was no time to look, not when they were caught in the crossfire.

The moment they reached the cover of the trees, Eric checked both the boys over. “What in the world happened?”

“Clayton called me a liar. He knew I’d hidden you. I thought blood was thicker than the hold of the gang. I was wrong.” Indie’s eyes glistened, but he didn’t cry.

“I will testify that you risked your life to help us.” Eric laid a hand on Indie’s shoulder. “You did the right thing. It was hard, but I’m proud of you.”

Jayzon glanced every few seconds behind Eric. “I think we should get out of here. We’re too exposed here.”

“Agreed.” Plus, he needed to know who had come to their rescue or if Herb’s team got split in two, not realizing they were shooting at each other.

Eric led them along the trees, showing them how to avoid being seen but to keep moving in the right direction. He hadn’t been in any sort of Army training exercises for many years, but those actions and reactions came back when they were needed.

Ali waited close to where he’d left her huddled behind a wide tree before he’d run to the boys.

“Who’s shooting?” he asked her as he came up at her side.

She grinned. “Connor showed up with one of the Piper’s Ridge deputies. Deputy Blake is in the hospital, and they would be more than happy to have the man who stabbed him in custody. I told them which way to go to find him, but wanted to wait here so you could find me.”

She was the best thing he’d seen all day, but they were still too close to the action for comfort. “Where did they come from?”

Ali pointed behind her to the highway. “They parked there, knowing they could come in this way without notice. It worked, and I was the first person they saw. My plan would’ve worked even if they hadn’t come.”

“But I’m glad they did.” He forced his knees to hold him upright even though he wanted to fall to the ground and thank God for protecting them.

Eric led Ali, Indie, and Jayzon toward the safety of the waiting vehicles. Lacy met them near the fence. She grinned for all of a second before she noticed the boys, and her mouth flattened.

“They held us at gunpoint while they looked for Terrell. What are they doing here?” She crossed her arms and glared.

Both boys had the good sense to bow their heads. Indie, as usual, spoke for both of them. “We thought we were doing the right thing.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” Jayzon said quickly.

“Me too,” Indie finished.

“They have a long road ahead of them, but they’ve taken the first step. Some would argue that first one is the hardest because it’s against the current.” Eric stayed at their side. He’d promised he’d help them, and he wouldn’t go back on that promise.

“We’ll see what the deputy and Connor say.” Lacy turned her focus on Eric and Ali. “Do either of you need an ambulance?”

Ali slipped in at his side and wrapped her arms around his waist. He clutched her close and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I don’t think so. We do need some time and a couple very hot showers.”

Lacy nodded. “Terrell has been worried sick about you. You’ve made quite the impression on him.”

What Terrell didn’t know was that he’d made quite an impression on Eric too. He followed Lacy toward Connor’s truck. He wasn’t sure how they were all going to fit, especially if the deputy and Connor arrested all the men who’d been part of the operation. There had to be at least five of them.

“We’ll need more vehicles.” Eric only saw one police cruiser and Connor’s truck.

“I’ll have Junior bring over a car. We’ll get all of you home in one piece,” Lacy said.

Home. That word had never sounded so good.

ChapterTwenty-Nine

Ali came out of her cabin and closed the door softly behind her. After being locked in the trailer and fighting for her life, the cabin didn’t seem quite so scary anymore. A lot of her old fears had melted away and been put in perspective that day. Only three days had passed but it already felt like a lifetime because so much had changed.

Sam waved to her from just outside the kennel where he had a collie on a short training lead. The dog was new to Wayside and was a retired service dog who had helped an elderly woman with severe anxiety. After the woman had passed, her family donated the dog to Wayside.

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