Page 144 of Proof of Guilt

First, though, they had to make it down a very long hall.

Theo positioned her ahead of him no doubt so he could try to shield her from any attacker who made it up the stairs. If someone was indeed on their way to try to kill them, then he or she had to be wearing a mask since there was now a tear gas mist blanketing not only the stairs but the hall, as well.

Ivy coughed the entire way to Gabriel’s room, but with each step also came the fear. At any point someone could come up those stairs and start shooting. If that happened, Theo would be right in the line of fire.

She thought of Nathan and prayed nothing like this was going on at the new safe house. Maybe, just maybe, they could put an end to this tonight. Of course, that meant catching one of their attackers, and right now, that didn’t seem probable.

The moment Ivy reached Gabriel’s bedroom, she hurried inside. Theo rushed in behind her, closed the door and locked it. Ivy didn’t waste even a second. While Theo stood guard, she went to the closet, but since she didn’t know exactly where the portable metal ladder was, she had to waste precious time looking for it. She finally found it, folded up like an accordion, and ran to the window with it. Theo helped her with it.

Or at least that’s what he started to do.

Before the shot blasted through the bedroom door.

The sound was deafening, and it felt as if it had blasted into her. Despite her shaking hands, Ivy forced herself to stay as steady as possible. Panicking now wouldn’t do them any good. Instead, she hooked the ladder frame over the windowsill and let the chain rungs drop.

She spotted Gabriel and hoped he would be able to stop anyone from shooting them while they escaped, but even if he couldn’t, Theo and she couldn’t stay put. Especially not when another shot came at them. This one smacked into the wall right next to her.

“Go now!” Theo ordered her. “Leave the laptop so your hands will be free in case you have to shoot.” And he returned fire.

Even though there was no way Theo could see the shooter, he obviously had a general idea of where the guy was because of the angle of the shots coming through the door.

Ivy scrambled out the window, and moving as fast as she could, she backed down the steps. Above her, Theo stayed put, volleying glances between the door, her and the yard. When she was halfway down, Theo followed her, and Ivy knew this was probably the best time for their attacker to go to the window and shoot at them.

If that happened, she prayed Gabriel would be able to stop him.

There were more shots from inside the house, and then they stopped. Did that mean the shooter was hurrying outside after them? Maybe. Ivy hadn’t needed any other motivation to speed up their escape, but that reminder did it. When she got to the ground, she helped Theo and then turned so they could run to the shed.

But the sound of Theo’s shout stopped her. “Gabriel, look out!”

Ivy saw it then. Something she definitely didn’t want to see. A ski-masked gunman was behind Gabriel and was taking aim at him.

* * *

THEO IMMEDIATELY PULLED Ivy to the ground, though there wasn’t much cover here by the side of the house. The only thing was a line of shrubs, but since bullets could easily go through those, he knew they couldn’t stay there for long. Right now, though, there was a more immediate problem.

Gabriel.

Ivy’s brother had to dive to the ground, too. In his case it was on the side of the shed facing them. And it was barely in time. Because the masked gunman fired a shot at him, and if Gabriel had stayed put, he would have taken that bullet.

Theo levered himself up and fired the gun, sending the man scrambling out of the line of fire. He didn’t want to keep firing in the guy’s direction, though, because he didn’t know if there was a ranch hand out there.

“There’s Al,” Ivy whispered. Of course, she was trembling. Terrified, too. And Theo was scared for her.

Theo followed the direction of where she’d tipped her head, and he saw Al halfway between the shed and the barn. The very barn where there was a cruiser. Somehow, Theo needed to get Ivy there since it would be the safest place for her right now. Gabriel and he were obviously on the same page about that, and the text Theo got from him proved it.

I’ll keep this thug occupied while you take Ivy to the barn, Gabriel said. It was a group message, and he’d included Al and several of the other hands and deputies.

Good. That way, all the people on their side knew where Ivy and he would be so they were less likely to get hit by friendly fire. Of course, it was the unfriendly fire that they had to worry about.

Gabriel and Al did, too.

Both Al and Gabriel adjusted their positions and got their weapons ready to fire. Theo didn’t move yet. He waited for Gabriel to go to the other end of the shed, and he started firing in the direction of where they’d seen the gunman disappear. Al joined him in the shots, and that was Theo’s signal to get Ivy out of there.

Theo pulled her to her feet, and while keeping low, they started running. It wasn’t that far to the barn, but he knew that each step could be their last. In hindsight, this had been too dangerous of a plan. However, there was no turning back now.

They ran to the end of the house, and Theo paused only long enough to glance around the back to make sure someone wasn’t lurking there. If someone was, maybe Al would be able to take them out. Just in case, though, Theo angled his gun as best he could, and then he caught on to Ivy’s arm with his left hand. They made it to the barn door, and he pushed it open.

“Stay behind me,” he warned Ivy.

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