Page 24 of Caught in the Crossfire

Linc half-turned to face her, consternation on his face. “No, of course not.”

She grinned. “Gotcha.”

“You have a wicked sense of humor, Ms. Metcalf. I like it.”

Did that mean he liked her? “Will it bother you if I stay?”

Although he shook his head, his attention stayed focused on something outside the window.

What did he see? “Linc?”

“Go into the kitchen. Leave the lights off.”

Oh, man. Dawn whipped the afghan away from her legs and rushed toward the back of the house. She only made it a few feet before Linc shouted something and slammed into her, taking Dawn to the floor, covering her body with his. Before she drew in a breath, the living room window exploded.

Linc’s arms tightened around her while the chaos continued unabated. After what seemed like a lifetime, the noise finally stopped.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I think so.”

“Sit rep,” Trent snapped from the hallway.

Linc jumped up, pulling a weapon from his holster. “One shooter in a black pickup. Watch over Dawn.” His jaw hardened. “I’m going hunting.”

“Go.”

He raced out the kitchen door and into the darkness.

“Are you hurt?” Trent crouched beside Dawn and helped her sit up.

“I don’t think so.” She glanced down at herself and, not seeing any obvious injuries, counted her blessings. “What about you and everyone else?”

“We’re fine.” His cell phone rang. Trent stabbed the speaker button. “St. Claire.”

“Security monitoring called me. Sit rep,” a deep voice demanded.

“You’re on speaker, boss.”

“Understood. What do you need?”

Mason, Nicole, and Grace entered the kitchen.

“Have the tech geeks analyze the security footage and ask Zane to hack the traffic cams in my neighborhood. Someone driving a black pickup shot up my house.”

“Security breach on our end?”

“Can’t be ruled out but I doubt it.” He summarized the events at Riva’s home. “Mason, Nicole, and her friend Dawn Metcalf are here along with Linc Creed.”

“How many black pickups are in Otter Creek?” The tone was dry.

“Too many to narrow down, sir.”

“I was afraid of that. Hopefully, the security footage will give us something more definitive. Have the police arrived yet?”

Sirens sounded in the distance.

“Two minutes or less.”

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