Page 10 of Counter Attack

All right? Why wouldn’t she be? Where was she, anyway? Not in her house, that was for sure. Or at her grandparents’.

A memory floated just out of reach, then the event came flooding back. Kayla. The man pressing a gun to her side. The gunshot. “Kayla,” she whispered. “Is she okay?”

“She’s fine.”

“Gramps?”

“I’m here, baby.”

Alex must be pretty bad for her grandfather to call her that. She had a vague memory of Nathan promising not to call him until morning. Should’ve known she couldn’t trust her old boyfriend.

He squeezed her hand. “It might take a while to recover, but you’re going to be all right.”

“How did you know?”

“Nathan called this morning.” From her grandfather’s gruff tone, he wasn’t happy with Nathan. “That boy’s in trouble for not calling me last night.”

For some reason that pleased her. She shoved the thought away. Alex wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t want anything Nathan Landry did to please her.

She took stock of her body. Fingers worked. Alex moved her legs then wiggled her toes, thankful she wasn’t paralyzed. She tried to take another deep breath, but pain stopped her with a whimper. Wincing, she looked up at her grandfather. “How bad ...?”

“The bullet went through soft tissue, didn’t hit any major organs other than nicking your lung. That’s why it hurts to breathe.” He squeezed her hand. “How much do you remember?”

Her grandfather, the sheriff. Alex would laugh if it didn’t hurt so much. “Let me think.”

“Take your time.”

“Carson Stone, she’ll have plenty of time to remember when she’s better. You let this girl rest.”

Her grandmother was the only person Alex knew who could tell Gramps what to do. “It’s okay, Gram.”

“No, it’s not. It’s not his investigation, and besides, there’s a young man who wants to see you. Okay to let Nathan in?”

Nathan? Here? Alex’s heart warmed at the thought, but she quickly brushed it away. “I suppose.”

Her grandmother rose and went to the door. Seconds later Alex was looking into Nathan’s blue eyes.

He smiled at her. “You had me worried.”

“Kayla ... is she really okay?”

“She’s fine.”

Relief poured through Alex. “The man ...?”

“Dead.”

Once more Alex struggled to breathe. Most cops worked their entire career without killing anyone. Why did she have to be the exception? Not once, but twice.

“You had no choice,” Nathan said softly. “He would’ve killed Kayla and then you.”

The back of her throat tightened, and she blinked back tears. “Who was he?”

Nathan glanced at her grandfather. It was almost like he was asking permission to tell her. Alex raised the head of her bed. “What are you not telling me?”

Her grandfather gave a slight nod, and Nathan said, “He dropped a bag. Inside were zip ties and tape. And a White pawn.”

She stared at him, not comprehending his words.

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