Page 25 of Sawyer
But he’d jump off that bridge when he got to it. Right now, he was going to live in the moment. One thing life had taught him was moments matter.
Smiling into his chest, she said, “I’d love for you to be my Daddy, Saul.”
He stiffened, and his heart rate quickened. And then just as quickly, it slowed back down, and he relaxed. He could only jump off one bridge at a time. The first was proving her innocence. That was the key to proving Jaxon was innocent.
“That makes me happy, Half-Pint. You make me happy.”
He never would have guessed their talk would end like this. But that was another thing life had taught him. Take what life gives you and enjoy it while it lasts.
Someone outside started working on their motorcycle. It sounded like something was off with the timing. Deciding it wasn’t a threat, he turned back to Lele. Time to turn the conversation to something lighter. “So, you said you earned your degree in game design. Have you designed any games? Maybe I’ve heard of it. If not, I'd love to give it a try.”
The engine revved again. His gaze went back to the window. It wasn’t an unusual thing for someone to do on a Sunday afternoon. But just in case, he crossed to the closest window and looked up and down the street.
The revving motor grew louder. A black Ducati motorcycle came around the corner one house down from Lele’s. It wasn’t until the last minute he saw the semi-automatic the rider carried.
“Get down!” Sawyer shouted, running toward his Little girl.
She looked at him in confusion. He tackled her, rolling to take the impact of the fall before covering her with his body.
She screamed at him, but he didn’t catch what she said. He was too busy protecting her as her front windows exploded.
Damn it.He’d sensed something was wrong. When the soundof a motorcycle revving turned into the screech of tires skidding on the street, he knew he had to get Lele to safety.
He shouted for her to get on the ground, but she didn’t move. So he tackled her and pinned her to the ground.
Gunfire echoed through the air as the windows shattered from semi-automatic gunfire. He grabbed his phone from his back pocket, opened Reid’s number, and texted 911. As soon as the gunfire stopped, he pushed to his knees, his hand still applying pressure to Lele’s back.
“Do not move from this spot. Not one inch. If you do, when I get back, I will blister your ass. Got me?”
She nodded, and he took off out the front door. As he ran, he pulled the gun tucked in the back of his waistband. He raced toward the street, but the motorcycle turned the corner before he could get off a shot.
The sound of another bike came up from behind him. Spinning around to face the new threat, he aimed his gun, ready to fire. At the last second, he lowered his weapon as Ravage Reese, president of the Lawless Warriors MC, blew past him in pursuit. At least, he’d better be in pursuit. Friend or not, if he was in town to help the man shooting at his Lele, he was a dead man.
His phone buzzed. When he saw Reid’s name, he answered the call. Not waiting for Reid to speak, he said, “Tell me you sent Ravage for backup.”
“I sent Ravage for backup.”
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”
“Brother, you wanna check your missed calls? I’ve been calling all damn day. I sent Ravage in case you needed backup for anything. I figured he’d blend in. I tried to pull him back when we heard the General was involved, but he said he was onto something.”
He glanced at Lele’s house, and his head exploded. She stoodbehind the screen door, staring at the road, definitely not where he told her to be. It was a good thing she’d just agreed he could be her Daddy. She was about to find out he always kept his promises.
She stared back at him, her eyes wide, then turned and ran. The hunter in him sprang to life. But he had time. She wasn’t going anywhere, and there were precious few places for her to hide.
Walking toward the door of Lele’s house, he focused back on Reid. “Have you been watching the feed from Lele’s house today?”
“Deke has. I’m on my way to the warehouse now. Bring me up to speed.”
Sawyer was just about to go into what had happened so far when Ried cut him off.
“Hold on, Sawyer, I’ve got Ravage on the phone, give me a minute to merge him in.”
Ravage didn’t waste time on pleasantries and greetings. “Are you okay. Was anyone hit?”
“Everyone’s fine, Ravage. Did you catch the bastard that tried to shoot Lele?”
“No. He got away. Cut right in front of a damn fire truck with its lights and siren on. It was all I could do to keep from slamming into it. By the time I got around the thing, they were nowhere to be seen. I canvased the area for a few minutes in the most likely direction for him to go, but it was no use.”
