Page 52 of Defender

He dove out the door and immediately began running in the direction of Summer’s location, Omega feeding the info directly into the map on his phone.

He could hear Summer’s ragged breathing through their open phone channel as she struggled to move forward with the heavy load of a sleeping Chloe in her arms.She was keeping it together, that was all he could ask of her.

Ashton pushed himself faster, Glock already out and in his hand.They were only about a thousand yards, not quite half a mile, ahead of him.

If Harper caught her, a thousand yards might as well be a million.

Ashton wished he had his rifle and scope with him, but the Glock would have to do.He was pretty darn accurate with it, too.He knew exactly how accurate he was with his Glock 23 with 180 grain Blazer Brass .40 caliber ammo, which was what he was carrying.

Two hundred thirty yards was his best record.

He heard Summer’s breath get more ragged and knew she’d have to stop soon.He wasn’t surprised to hear her muffled words.

“Stop...Minute...”

He didn’t take the time to reassure her, just kept running as fast as he could, no regard whatsoever for his own safety.He knew he was closing the gap.

But where was Harper?

Six hundred yards.At this pace, he would be at her in less than two minutes.

Hang in there, baby, he willed.So many things could go wrong.If Chloe woke up and started crying.If Harper just stumbled on them.

He was three hundred yards out when he heard the man’s voice.

“I’m sorry.This is nothing personal.”

Summer.“Wait.I don’t know who you are.”

Ashton’s stomach dropped out.Harper had caught them.Ashton could barely make the man out in the darkness two hundred and fifty yards in front of him.

He stopped running.Running wouldn’t do him any good now.He took a deep breath to steady himself and brought the Glock up in a shooting position.

This was the longest shot he’d ever taken with a Glock.And the most important.

His finger rested lightly on the trigger.

The man’s voice came over the phone he’d slipped in his pocket.“I just have to take from them what they took from me.They have to understand the agony of grief.”

Ashton blew out his breath in a long narrow stream.His finger gently squeezed the trigger, his arms absorbing the shock of the gun’s recoil.

The sound of the gun firing echoed through the night.He heard Harper call out and knew he’d at least wounded him in some way.Ashton didn’t wait, he immediately began running toward Summer again.A few seconds later, he fired again while running.His aim wouldn’t be as accurate, but hopefully it would keep Harper away from the girls.His girls.

He heard Summer’s voice on the phone.“He’s gone, Ashton.You hit him.He’s gone.”

He didn’t take it out of his pocket.A few moments later, he made it to them.He wrapped Summer and Chloe to him with one arm, but didn’t drop his Glock with the other.Harper was still out there, perhaps only minorly injured and biding his time.Ashton needed to get them out of here.

“Let me take her,” he said to Summer, noticing her arms were shaking from holding Chloe for so long.He hefted the baby’s slight weight up onto his chest, keeping the blanket over her head, and began walking.

When he found a secluded overhang where they were protected on three sides, he sat down and brought Summer down with him.They would stay here until the rest of the Omega team arrived.Ashton wasn’t taking any chances that Harper might double back.At least here no one could sneak up on them from behind.

“Are you okay?”he asked Summer.She hadn’t said a word since he’d arrived.

“Yes.”She closed her eyes.“When I heard that gunfire, I thought for sure he was shooting Chloe and me.”

Ashton’s teeth ground together.“I’m so sorry.”

“But it was you.”She moved closer to him.

---