Page 99 of Under Fire

Matt hauled Delilah to her feet, tucked her close to his side and rushed her to the SUV. He pushed her inside the SUV. “Stay here where you’ll be safe. Call 911 and get an ambulance here.” He ran to the back of the SUV and grabbed his medical bag before sprinting to the porch again and dragging Randy behind the dubious protection of the porch rails.

Delilah’s hands shook as she grabbed her cell phone and called for help. She gave the address and as many details as she could about Randy and the injury. As she talked to the dispatcher, Delilah watched Matt work frantically on her stepfather. He’d ripped Randy’s shirt down the middle, exposing a chest covered with blood. He dug into his bag and applied some type of bandage. The medic checked the pulse in Randy’s neck and started CPR.

“Delilah, is the victim breathing on his own?” the dispatcher asked.

“I don’t think so. My boyfriend is doing CPR. Tell the ambulance to hurry.”

“They’re one minute away.”

Matt was still working on Randy when the EMTs arrived and took over. He moved his medical bag out of the way as he talked to the men. After a moment, he jogged to the SUV. “There’s a bottle of water in the console. Would you get it for me?” He tugged his shirt over his head and tossed it aside.

Delilah found the bottle and waited until Matt finished cleaning his hands with alcohol wipes before handing him the bottle. He broke the seal and poured the water over his hands.

“How is he?”

Matt found a clean shirt in the cargo area and tugged it on. “Doesn’t look good. I think the bullet nicked an artery. He’s lost a lot of blood and his pulse is weak. I did what I could, but he needs a top-flight surgeon, fast.”

Delilah wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded. Delilah adored this man and admired his strength and courage. After getting her to safety, he’d returned to help Randy despite the danger to himself. The shooter could have shot Matt when he ran back to help her stepfather. He wasn’t wearing his protective gear. He would have been as vulnerable as Randy to a sniper’s bullet. Matt still didn’t hesitate to step up and offer aid to a man he didn’t like.

“Did I hurt you when I took you to the ground?”

A head shake. “I was terrified for you. The shooter had a clear shot at you.”

His arms tightened around her. “He or she sped off when I grabbed the mike bag.”

“How do you know?” Was he trying to pacify her?

“An engine started and tires squealed as someone sped away on the next block. Since there were no more shots fired, the shooter either hit his target or was scared off and left. Didn’t you hear the commotion?”

“All I heard was the sound of my heart pounding in my ears.” And that’s when her body began the horrific shaking. Ticked her off royally. “Oh, brother. I hate this.”

“It will pass soon.” Matt kissed her. “I’ll get a blanket. The warmth will help. Unfortunately, I don’t have a soft drink in the vehicle and we can’t leave. The police will want to talk to us.”

“Again. Detective Russell won’t be happy when he hears about this.”

They watched as the ambulance pulled away from the house with Randy on board. Would this be the last time they saw her stepfather alive? Matt retrieved the blanket and wrapped the warm material around her shoulders.

An unmarked police car skidded to a stop behind them and Detective Russell strode toward them, his expression grim. “What happened?”

Between them, she and Matt conveyed the events of the past few minutes to the detective. When they were finished, he dragged a hand down his face. “I told you not to give me another crime scene.”

“Not intentional,” Matt said.

“Did you see the shooter?”

“No. I heard a vehicle start up and race away on the next block a couple minutes after the shot was fired.”

“One shot? You’re sure?”

“Positive. Shooter had a laser on the rifle.”

“Was Delilah the target again?”

“The laser stayed on Randy. If Delilah was the target, the sniper would have fired shots at her. The shooter hit what he aimed for.”

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