Page 134 of Long Road Home

Forrest took the jacket from Theo and pressed it againstthe blood on Alonzo’s chest. “Pressure. Pressure. We need an ambulance.”

Kenna slid out her phone and held it out. Forrest took it from her. Kenna touched Theo’s cheeks. “Where did he go?”

Glassy eyes that couldn’t focus. Blood coating her left hand. He’d been shot, but it grazed the side of his head front to back.

“Shot him,” Alonzo muttered.

Kenna frowned. “You did?”

He shook his head and caught his eyes before they rolled all the way back and he passed out. She watched the whole thing, wincing. Wondering if she’d have to lay him on the floor. Maybe he should lie down anyway. He didn’t seem like he should be conscious right now.

Theo said, “You.”

“Where did he go?”

“Behind… Sorry.” He seemed sad, or disappointed in himself.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get him, and you’ll have a wicked scar.” She winked. “Lay back.” Kenna helped him onto the floor, all the way down, then spotted the door behind Theo. Slightly ajar.

Cold wind whipped down the hallway, whistling through the gap.

She grabbed her phone. “Yes, I need an ambulance at the community church. A man has been shot.” Then glanced at Forrest for a second.

If she wasn’t okay, she was at least going to hang on until help came.

Kenna hauled the door open left-handed, the gun in her right. Only after she’d hit the salted back step did she realize she’d given Forrest her coat.

Wind whipped against her.

“Yah. Cold.” Kenna gritted her teeth and looked for Stan.

She spotted movement between two trees, and thanked God she’d put on boots that came up to her knees. She jumped off the bottom step and raced through the snow up what might be a path, or it might not. No one had shoveled it. The snow was at least four inches back here, probably where it never got sun so it never melted.

Stan Tilley had shot Alonzo, and he’d tried to kill Theo as well.

He really thought she wasn’t going to come after him for trying to murder her friends? He would realize quickly that she didn’t let things go.

Kenna ran to where she’d seen him, spotting footprints in the snow. The stride was shorter than hers. Especially with her running. The cold blasted her from the outside, creating a pleasant numbing sensation that prickled her skin. Enough to distract her from how much her right wrist hurt.

Until she felt, more than heard, someone behind her and spun to meet the threat. He slammed into her, grunting. She fell back into the snow. It hurt. A lot. Kenna cried out, and all the air in her lungs expelled in a rush. He was on her.

She kicked with her legs but forced her mind to stay put. To hang on to reality and what was happening to her rather than go blind with rage and become mindless. All she could do was pray,Lord…don’t let go.

But that was enough to keep her under control.

She lifted her hips, but his weight didn’t allow her to move.

“I always wished I was the one who got to kill your daddy.”

His voice rumbled through her. She shoved against him, but he weighed too much and her arms would never be able toshift that much. Not with all the physical therapy in the world.

New plan.

Kenna twisted her body to the side, got one leg out, and kicked him left while she shifted right. He grabbed her. She gritted her teeth and kicked again.

The move shoved her upper body farther away from him, giving her enough clearance to kick again. She unleashed all her frustration into the blow.

As soon as she felt him let go, Kenna rolled away and kept going until she came up against a tree. He grabbed for her leg but didn’t latch on.

---