Page 23 of Lone Star Country Protector
That was the problem with gates. They might keep vehicles out, but a determined individual would walk into the community. Probably scale a wall or fence if there was one. So, no, they didn’t work. He imagined they kept out folks who handed out flyers, but they weren’t the danger.
As he rounded the neighbor’s home, a dog barked. Dalton cursed. The noise would draw attention, giving away his location. Worse yet, the killer could be closing in on Blakely’s home right now.
Dalton’s training kept him from going to a possibly injured person instead of going after a perp. A quick glance into the family room had revealed Blakely and her sister hunkering down. The fact she hadn’t called out for help most likely meant they were both fine.
Blakely would also know to immediately call 911.
As he doubled back, deciding to go round the other side of her residence, he heard the first emergency sirens.That was fast.Then again, folks didn’t spend all this money to live in a protected neighborhood without law enforcement nearby.
A private-security vehicle came blaring up in front of the house as Dalton crossed the front lawn. He didn’t have time to reach for his badge without possibly being shot as the for-hire armed security guard hopped out of his vehicle, wedged in the door and yelled, “Stop or I’ll shoot!”
“My name is Marshal Remington,” Dalton said, both hands high in the air.
“Toss your weapon,” the rent-a-cop ordered.
“I’m a US marshal,” Dalton continued as the front door swung open.
“He’s okay,” Blakely shouted. “You got the wrong man.”
The security guy offered a quick apology before heading in the direction Blakely urged.
Then Dalton got a good look at her. Saw blood. “Where are you shot?”
“It’s Bethany,” she said with a vulnerability in her voice that brought out all his protective instincts. “She’s unconscious. Help. Please.”
“Let’s get some pressure on the wound,” he said as hebolted toward the front door. The moment of relief that Blakely wasn’t hurt was quickly replaced with the fear a seven-year-old was about to lose his mother.
The vise tightened around Dalton’s chest as he ran inside and to Bethany. A dishrag was soaked with blood as it pulsed from the base of her neck on the right side of her body.
“Her pulse is weak,” Blakely said as she dropped down beside her sister, who was lying on the carpet, limp.
“Let’s get the bleeding under control before we do anything else,” he said, taking a spot on the opposite side of Bethany. He put pressure on the wound using the dishcloth.
“I can’t lose her.” Blakely’s voice was low, and there was a quiet desperation that ripped his heart out. “Or Chase.” She paused.“Chase!”She gasped. “Where is he?”
“Hiding in the back of his closet,” Dalton said, hoping the explanation was enough to reassure her that Chase was fine. Just in case, he added, “He’ll wait there until I come for him.”
“He can’t see her like this,” she said. “It’ll devastate him.”
“The bleeding is under control for now,” he said to Blakely, who was clearly in a mild state of shock.
A knock at the door followed by the words “Emergency personnel coming inside” was the equivalent of Christmas morning back at the ranch.
“In the family room,” Dalton shouted as Blakely practically jumped to her feet before bolting toward the front door.
In the next few seconds, the cavalry arrived. As Bethany was attended to by a pair of EMTs, Dalton disappeared upstairs to check on Chase.
The little boy was hiding, as he was told to, in the far reaches of the closet. He’d stacked a pile of dirty clothes ontop of himself for further camouflage. The kiddo was smart and had good survival instincts.
Dalton had been surviving on his own ever since his mother walked out. Would Chase feel those same feelings of shame and abandonment? Wonder what the hell he’d done so wrong that his own mother would turn her back on him?
The vise tightened once again.
“Hey, buddy,” Dalton began when Blakely showed up on his heels. “It’s safe to come out now.”
A shirt flew across the closet as the mound of clothes erupted and the little boy emerged.
“That was fun,” Chase stated, chest puffed out, completely unaware of the danger they’d all been in. “Can we do it again?”
