Page 80 of Boxed In

Chapter 12

In the narrow alley, the shot seemed to echo and reecho, and Olivia heard Carl make a strangled sound—like he wasn’t expecting so much noise.

Olivia wasn’t sure what her boss had intended, but the weapon was aimed low, and it looked like the bullet struck Luke in the leg, not in the central part of his body. Thank God.

Carl stared in horror as he realized that he’d actually shot a man.

Luke looked equally shocked as the leg crumpled under him and he sat down heavily in the alley.

Olivia cried out, aghast, as Luke leaned back against the wall, breathing hard, his face pale. His pants leg was bloody, but not sopping, so she had to assume Carl hadn’t hit an artery.

She wanted to run to Luke, but Carl was still holding the gun.

“Oh Lord,” she gasped. “Carl, are you crazy?”

A moment earlier, he’d looked stunned. Suddenly he whipped around toward her, and she was sure she was going to get shot, too. “Shut up.”

She clamped her lips together as he glanced up and down the street to see if anybody had observed the impromptu drama.

Nobody shouted or came running, and Olivia figured that the few people who were in the shopping area this early were minding their own business. Or maybe they thought a car had backfired.

Carl turned again, advancing on Luke, who grimaced as he scooted backwards on his bottom. But even the warrior wasn’t going to get away from Carl with a bullet in his leg.

“Give me the box,” the round little man snarled.

Olivia’s heart raced as she tried to figure out what to do—and quickly. As she looked wildly around, she saw a thick stick lying on the sidewalk. Snatching it up, she moved in on Carl and poked the stick against his back.

“Drop the gun or I’ll shoot,” she said in a deadly calm voice.

He gasped and started to turn.

“Drop the gun,” she ordered, or I’ll shoot you in the back, so help me God.”

The gun clattered to the sidewalk.

“Kick it to Luke,” she said, praying that Luke was in shape to grab it.

Carl kicked the gun across the pavement. It stopped a few feet from Luke, and he leaned over, groaning as he picked it up and held it in a two-handed grip.

Now what?

They’d disarmed Carl, but Luke was still wounded. He needed medical attention. And they needed to figure out what to do with Carl.

She dropped the stick and walked toward Luke, making a big circle around the importer.

Kneeling down beside Luke, she looked at his pants leg. It was bloody but still not sopping. Thank the Lord.

She spared her boss a scathing look. “You bastard.”

He stood on the sidewalk, his lower lip trembling. Probably he just realized he could have killed Luke. And then he'd really be in trouble.

They had to get away from him. But how? Maybe they could borrow his car.

While she was trying to figure out what to do, an SUV pulled up at the entrance to the alley and two men jumped out.

The Poisoned Ones!

Olivia’s head jerked up. Then she breathed out a sigh when she saw it wasn’t the bad guys.

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