Page 71 of Break Away
“I’d love to help you.”
“Great. Give me the gun, Charissa.”
She was going to do it. He could see thedecision on her face. Then a gunshot ripped through the air with aloud report, hitting the side of the cabin. Charissa screamed anddropped to the ground, hands covering her ears, the rifle flyingout of her hands.
In one motion, Levi pushed the door open andgrabbed her under the shoulders. She continued her high-pitched,keening cry as he hauled her inside. Another shot rang out, thisone splintering wood in the doorframe before he could slam the doorshut.
“Shots fired, civilian down, injuriesundetermined.” Mic in hand, Levi rattled off his address. “Shotscame from high ground across the road. Approach with caution.”
Charissa lay curled on the floor.
Levi dropped to his knees. “You hit?”
She didn’t answer, but at least the screaminghad wound down to whimpering. There was no blood visible.“Charissa, are you hurt?”
She stopped whimpering to look at him. “Yousaved my life. I love you.”
Shaking his head, Levi rose to his feet. Hepeeked out his front window, scanning the slope on the other sideof the road, searching for the shooter’s location. Then he saw it,a man wearing a red shirt and dark pants and holding a rifle,moving almost nonchalantly from behind a tree.
At that moment, Zoey’s Prius turned into thedriveway. The clutch of panic nearly stopped his heart. He battledit back so he could think clearly. Zoey’s life depended on it.
He whipped his head around. “Is thatthirty-thirty fully loaded?” he demanded.
Charissa stared at him blankly.
“Stay inside.” With no time to waste, herushed out the door, grabbing the rifle off the ground by its strapand slinging it across his back even as he took off for the frontof the cottage.
He pulled out his service weapon and shot offsix rounds in quick succession. Zoey parked next to the policevehicle and opened the door to step out. “Get in front of thecruiser, Zoey. Leave the dog and get to cover. There’s a shooteracross the street.”
Zoey stared at him for a split second, eyeswide, then ignoring his command opened the back door of hercar.
Across the street, an empty meadow slopedupward to a ridge. Levi caught a flash of red between pine treesand, shooting in that direction, emptied his Glock as he ran. Hewasn’t likely to hit Clauson, but he’d keep him pinned down. Levigrabbed Zoey around the waist and pulled her with him for cover infront of the cruiser.
She squirmed in his hold. “I won’t leaveLucy.” More shots rang out and the rear window of the policevehicle shattered. Sirens sounded in the distance. He let go ofZoey and grabbed his mic, telling the responding officers to cutthe sirens and giving them a more precise location for theshooter.
He turned to Zoey. No cowering on the groundfor her, she crouched in front of the cruiser, leaning forward tolook around the side.
Levi grabbed her by the belt and yanked herback. “Oh no you don’t.”
“I’m getting Lucy.”
“Stay. I’ll get her.”
“You shoot to distract Paul, I’ll gether.”
“No.” He pulled her around to face him. “Imean it, Zoey, stay under cover. I need to count on you followingorders.”
Her nod was reluctant, but it was there. Heturned to peer around the front end of the cruiser to scan theslope.
“Be careful, Levi.”
Clauson was taking cover behind a trio oftall trees whose trunks provided him protection, and through whichhis red clothing was visible. Levi holstered his handgun andbrought the rifle from behind his back. He worked the lever actionon the .30-30, brought it to his shoulder, drew a bead, and fired.Loaded. That nutjob could’ve killed him. He repeated the actiontwice, aiming for the red, then ditched the rifle. After reloadinghis Glock, he took a deep breath and stepped out from cover, firingas he circled the Prius. He dove into the backseat to unbuckle Lucyand grab her leash.
Pulling the big dog behind him, he roundedthe front of the car. He thought he’d done it, that he was in theclear, until shots rent the air once again. A bullet whistled overhis head. Another crack of sound and he felt something punch himunder his right shoulder. The force slammed him to the ground likehe’d been hit by a mortar shell.
He lay on his back, staring at the deep blueSierra sky, gasping as he struggled to breathe.
Chapter Twenty
