Page 32 of Koa's Little Girl
“Come on, Flame. Let’s get you into bed.”
He picked her up. Giana wrapped her legs around his waist and looped her arms around his neck, trusting him completely. In a short time, he had showered away the remnants of being outdoors and brushed her teeth.
“Go to sleep, little girl. I’ll go check all the doors and I’ll be back.”
Turning onto her tummy, Giana drifted into dreams of sweet desserts and good friends.
CHAPTER 11
The loud ringing of Giana’s phone woke them at three a.m. Instantly, his little girl rolled out of bed and ran for the device plugged into the nearby charging station.
“This is Captain Mancini.”
Koa turned on the bedside lamp and watched his little girl’s usually expressive face. It was deadpan serious as she listened to whoever had called.
“Contact stations ten and thirteen. Ask them to respond to the scene with safety equipment for unfriendlies. Do not resume battling the fire until the police have the scene under control. I will be there in eight minutes.”
She disconnected from the call and raced into the closet. Koa slid out of bed and pulled on a pair of shorts. Giana emerged fully dressed, carrying her boots. “Can I borrow socks? I forgot those.”
“Of course.” Koa opened a drawer and found a pair of tube socks. Tossing them to her as she sat on the bed, he asked, “Can you tell me what’s happening?”
“There’s a big warehouse fire. Seems deliberately set with an accelerant. Two of my guys are down after being grazed with bullets. Thankfully, nothing serious.”
“Someone is shooting at them while the team is trying to put the fire out?” Koa asked in disbelief.
“A sniper. They can’t figure out exactly where he is, but the police are on the scene. I’m headed to liaison with them and support the firefighters.”
“Hank is our sniper. He’s an expert in pinpointing the location. I’ll have him meet you there.”
Giana hesitated for a minute, and Koa guessed she was battling how to separate work life from home. “If he’s available and willing, have him ask for me at the barricade. It’s a dangerous situation.”
“Got it. Be safe, Flame. I just found you.”
“I’ll update you when I can.”
Koa walked her to the door and watched her back out into the darkness. He was used to seeing danger from the other side. It gave him a better perspective of how military spouses worried at deployment.
Forcing himself into action, Koa ran back to grab his phone.
“Koa! What’s up? Did I miss a deployment call?” Hank sounded completely alert.
“No, Hank. It’s something personal. Giana received a call from the station. The firefighters are under attack from a sniper. The police are on the scene, but they can’t locate the source.”
“Text me the address. I’ll grab my scope and go help. Giana’s okay?”
“She’s fine. Two grazed by bullets. No serious injuries.”
“Either someone seriously skilled and trying to torment them or a novice who got ahold of a weapon. Either is dangerous.”
“I know.” Koa’s last attempt to prevent himself from worrying evaporated at Hank’s blunt assessment.
“Text me the address. I’ll update you when I can.”
Koa pacedthe length of his open living room and kitchen area. He had to stop himself repeatedly from grabbing his keys and racing his truck down to the scene. Okay, he’d already stuffed his keyring in his pocket, but he was still inside.
His phone buzzed with an incoming message. He looked at the screen to see a message from Hank.
Sniper located and in custody.
