Page 33 of Under Fire

“Are you hurt?”

“Ribs.”

Realizing his weight was putting pressure on her cracked ribs and causing pain, Matt shifted his weight to his forearms.

“You guys okay?” Cade called from inside the suite.

“No injuries. You?”

“We’re good. Spot him?”

“Not yet. Delilah, I’m going to move in front of you. Go to Cade and Sasha’s bathroom. You and Sasha climb inside the tub and lay flat. It’s the safest place.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine. Go fast and stay low.” He shifted to a crouch, keeping his body between Delilah and the shooter. Matt’s blood ran cold at the thought of how close he’d come to losing her.

Cade plucked Delilah off the floor, nudged her toward the suite, then took up position beside Matt to block the shooter’s view of her. Seconds later, Cade’s phone signaled an incoming text. “The women are in the bathroom. What do you want to do?”

“Hunt.”

A quick grin from his friend. “Go. I’ll protect your woman and mine.”

Matt sprang up and raced inside the suite. He holstered his weapon, and sprinted downstairs to the garage. Based on the terrain and angle of the shot, the shooter had chosen the hill at the back of the hotel. Bush cover and enough height to get a decent line of sight on their balcony made that location perfect.

Furious with himself for allowing Delilah out in the open, Matt vowed to be more cautious in the future. He hadn’t believed the danger from Otter Creek would show up here. He’d been wrong. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.

Matt circled to the right, using cover to conceal his approach. Although he suspected the shooter was long gone, he kept his steps silent. He climbed the left side of the hill. As he crested the top, Matt scanned the area. No shooter. He grabbed a small, powerful flashlight and aimed the beam at the ground.

Near the bushes, Matt found evidence a person had been here recently. He studied the scuff marks and tread in the dirt. Whoever had been here wore combat boots.

As he studied the area, the flashlight beam glinted on something metal. Matt crouched and pushed bush limbs aside. Brass for a .308. Much as he longed to bag the evidence and send it to the private lab Fortress used, he left the hardware for Harmony’s police to collect and process.

He returned to the suite to find two uniformed officers inside along with a detective. The three cops swung around to stare at him, hands resting on their weapons.

Delilah launched herself into his arms.

Matt pulled her tight against his chest. “You okay?” he murmured into her ear.

She nodded. “Are you?”

“Now that I have you in my arms.” He kissed her temple and turned to face the men watching them. Matt held out his hand to the detective. “Matt Rainer. I’m with Fortress Security.”

The detective’s eyebrows rose. “That outfit from Nashville?”

He nodded. “My friend, Cade, and I are based out of Otter Creek now.”

“Is the police chief a man named Ethan Blackhawk?”

Matt smiled. “You know Ethan?”

The detective’s hand moved away from his weapon. “We were in the same Ranger unit. Name’s Miles Russell. How is Ethan?”

“Taking to small-town life like he was born to it.”

“I hear he’s married.”

“To a beautiful chef. They have a six-month-old son.”

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