Page 42 of Grave Peril

Chapter 11

The shooting seemed like a blur. Lela sobbed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She was devastated, but desperate to know if Ashlee was still alive. She trusted Rip to take the right action, since she was too overcome with emotion and loss to make decisions.

Despite all of her bravado, Lela hadn’t witnessed a shooting before, not up close—and so personal. The incident had happened so fast that she’d had no chance to divert the tragedy. By shoving Ashlee, she might have put her in the path of the bullet.

But there was no opportunity to dwell on it. Right now, an appropriate response to the tragedy was required, only Lela wasn’t certain what that was. She looked down, noticing that her clothes were covered in blood. A wave of nausea struck her and she averted her eyes.

A vague sense of being chased entered Lela’s consciousness. “Did the cops shoot at us, as we were driving away?”

“He was warning us to stop. But that would have been a mistake.”

Lela stared at Rip. He appeared focused and calm. It was difficult to see how he could be that way in the midst of chaos. And why was he driving away from Ashlee? Shouldn’t he find out if her friend was alive or dead?

But Lela’s brain wasn’t functioning normally. She wanted to say so much, yet choked up when she tried. So she stared ahead, seeing only the vision of Ashlee on the ground with blood all over.

“Where are we going?”

“We’ll dump this car at the metro. Running the plate won’t do the police any good. They’ll find out it’s a rental, and come up with an untraceable credit card. Plus, I used a fake California driver’s license, so they won’t be able to track me down.”

Lela marveled at his foresight. Her wits were a bit frozen, and she couldn’t quite get her head around how Rip happened to have an alternate license. She must be in shock. Dazed, she tried to recall the remedy for that condition. It seemed like elevating her feet would do it, only that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Or maybe that was a different type of shock.

“What about Ashlee? Shouldn’t we go to her?”

“Believe me,” Rip said, “she’s my top priority.” He turned to look at her. “I can’t get you to safety just yet…not if you want to save Ashlee.”

Lela stared at Rip. That wasn’t even a question, so didn’t require a reply. Her friend came first, so protecting herself would have to wait. But what did he mean save Ashlee?

At the Pasadena metro station, Rip pulled into a parking spot and went around to help her out. He removed his jacket and put it on her. “That will cover up the blood.” He took her hand and led her into the station.

Lela’s mind was on Ashlee. She couldn’t grasp that her friend might be gone; it didn’t seem real.

Inside the station, Rip put his arm around her, as if he feared she might collapse. “Keep your head down,” he said. “I’d rather avoid the security cameras.” His strength was what she needed right then, and she leaned against him.

Across the room, and down a long hallway, were the restroom signs. Rip took her into one that was marked family. He shut and locked the door.

“I know this is all very hard for you,” Rip said. “You’re going to have to trust me.”

Lela nodded. She caught a glimpse in the mirror; she was a mess. Before she could do anything, Rip grabbed some paper towels, wet them, and began cleaning the blood off her face. His action was so tender that it wrenched her heart.

When Rip was finished, he lightly kissed her on the lips. “I’m going to do all I can. You know that, don’t you?”

“Yes.” Tears welled in Lela’s eyes, but she blinked them back. It wasn’t the time to give in to grief. She removed the coat and washed her hands, watching a stream of red go down the drain.

Rip waited, giving her a minute.

Lela turned to face him. “Why did we leave? I…I’m afraid the worst has happened.”

“The only option was to flee the scene. I couldn’t let them take you into custody.” Rip paused. “That wouldn’t have benefited Ashlee. If you were taken away, you’d be powerless to help her.”

Despite Lela’s gut feeling that it was wrong to leave her friend, Rip’s rationale did make sense.

“And don’t think for a second that the cartel couldn’t get to you at the police station…if you made it that far.” Rip held her hands. “Are you up for this?”

Lela dug deep for strength. “Yes. What do we have to do?”

“Ashlee will be a target now. News of the shooting will be relayed, probably already has been. She spoke to you, and your enemies won’t waste any time finding out what she knows.”

“If she’s alive…”

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