Page 14 of Not This Soon

“Rachel…” Ethan’s voice increased in volume, a warning in his tone.

But she just shook her head, frustration mounting. It was a gamble. If he was still out there, peering down his scope, she’d catch a bullet if she emerged.

But if he was running… then by staying put, she was only letting him get away.

“Rachel!” Ethan said, louder, clearly sensing her intentions.

She made her decision.

Rachel pushed off against the rock, her body coiling like a spring. Her shoulder protested with sharp jabs of pain, but she ignored it. She was done with sitting and waiting.

Before Ethan could stop her or even say anything more, she was already up and running across the open desert, her boots kicking up clouds of dust as she headed straight for the sand dune where the sniper had been hiding.

“Rachel!” She heard Ethan shout after her, his voice full of both anger and fear. But she kept running, her breath harsh in her ears, her heart pounding like a drum.

She knew she was making herself an easy target; that if the sniper chose to take another shot, there would be practically nothing stopping him from doing so. But he didn't. There were no more gunshots ringing out across the desert.

She’d been right.

He was running.

Her teeth flashed like a wolf’s on the hunt.

Rachel risked a glance over her shoulder to see the backup vehicles just arriving, their blue and red lights flashing in stark contrast to the golden browns and yellows of the desert terrain.

She reached the top of the dune just in time to see a figure dressed in dark clothes scrambling aboard an all-terrain vehicle parked on the other side. The engine roared to life before Rachel had a chance to shout for him to halt.

“Stop!” Her voice echoed across the dunes but it was drowned out by the ATV’s engine as it revved louder before shooting off into the distance, kicking up plumes of dust and sand behind.

Rachel pulled up her weapon, bracing it against her good shoulder. She only had one shot at this

She took in a deep breath to steady her aim, her heartbeat pounding rhythmically in her ears. She squeezed the trigger once...twice. Her bullets whistled through the arid air, striking the terrain around her mark.

A flinch from the fleeing figure told her she'd been close. But not close enough. The ATV sped into an expanse of dusty haze, disappearing from her line of sight.

Cursing under her breath, Rachel holstered her gun and keyed the radio at her shoulder again. "Blackwood to dispatch," she panted, "Suspect on an ATV fleeing west."

"Understood, Blackwood," came the prompt reply. "Assets are en route. APB issued. Describe vehicle.”

"Green, mid-sized model, heavy terrain tires," she replied, her gaze fixed on the fading dust cloud the escapee had left behind. "No visible plates."

"Copy that, Blackwood. Stay where you are, medical team is en route to your location."

Rachel cut the connection, dropping her hand to her side as she watched the cops swarm the area. Her shoulder throbbed, a stark reminder of her near miss.

Ethan jogged over to her then, his face etched with relief and worry.

"Thought I told you to stay put," he said gruffly.

"I did think about it," she responded dryly, wincing as a jolt of pain shot through her shoulder. The adrenaline was wearing off, and every movement was becoming a chore.

He didn’t seem satisfied with her answer but held off from further chiding. His focus was on her injury now, his brow furrowing at the sight of blood that had soaked through part of her uniform shirt.

“Medic’s almost here,” he said quietly.

Rachel nodded, but her attention was elsewhere. She scanned the expanse before them and felt a twinge of disappointment. Their perp was gone, and all they had were tire tracks and bullet shells.

The ATV’s engine echoed in the distance–a taunting reminder that their quarry had slipped through their fingers. But Rachel wasn't one to easily admit defeat.

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