Page 17 of Marked For Revenge

Terrified that the shot had ricocheted and hit Ava, he glanced back at her. She wasn’t bleeding, thank God, and while she had her gun drawn, she also had her arm over her stomach. Protecting the baby even though all hell was breaking loose around them.

“Theo,” Ava blurted. “Is he okay?”

Harley couldn’t see him without lifting his head, and at the moment that wouldn’t be a good idea. However, he hoped like the devil that the sheriff had managed to either get inside his cruiser or was close enough he wouldn’t be out in the open and an easy target.

A third shot came, slamming into the car’s windshield, and it told Harley loads. The shooter was positioned across the street, probably on the roof of the two-story apartment building that faced Caleb’s door. The shooter also didn’t have the best aim or he would have already succeeded in hitting them.

Not exactly a comforting thought.

Ditto for the realization that either Ava or he was the target since so far all the shots had come directly at them. But Harley could be certain of something else. Caleb wasn’t the shooter. No way could he have gotten out of his apartment and across the street in the couple of minutes since they’d left him.

“Stay down,” he heard Theo shout.

Just as there was another round of gunfire. Maybe folks would listen because this was a situation where there could be some collateral damage.

“I’ve called the Austin cops,” someone shouted.

Caleb.

Because Ava’s left arm was against his back, Harley felt her tense, and she muttered some profanity. “Caleb, stay down!” she called out to him.

She didn’t add anything else. Didn’t have to. Harley had seen the emotion in her eyes as she’d looked at him when they’d been in his apartment. Even if she didn’t want to have deep feelings of love for her son, she did. It was already there, and love could be a bad distraction. Harley had firsthand knowledge of that because he loved his unborn child, and here this SOB shooter was putting her in danger.

Harley adjusted his position just a little so he could get a better look at the building across the street. He couldn’t see the shooter or the barrel of a rifle—the weapon the guy must be using to get this kind of range. Harley also couldn’t see any side stairs, thus he wouldn’t be able to get a glimpse of the shooter if he tried to come down from the roof. It was possible there were stairs at the back, but since it was only two floors, he could have used whatever fire escape was available.

In the distance, he heard the wail of the sirens. It wouldn’t be long before the local cops arrived. Thank God. Every second Ava was out here was a second that he could lose her and the baby.

Harley braced himself for more shots. And, even though he probably wouldn’t be able to return fire in the middle of the city, he wanted to have his gun ready in case this snake threw all caution to the wind and came down those steps firing on all cylinders.

But Harley doubted that was the plan.

No, if this was their killer, it didn’t fit with his MO. He was a snatch-and-grab kind of attacker. One who liked to play sick mind games with Ava. So, maybe that’s what this was all about. It could explain why the shots had missed them. If so, the killer was no doubt already hurrying for cover to plan his next move.

Harley glanced in the direction of a cruiser as it stopped just up the street. The cops inside were likely checking to see if this was a scenario with active fire. Harley figured Theo was in contact with them about just that, and they were working out how to respond.

Some movement caught Harley’s eye. Not on the stairs or the roof but at the right side of the building where the shots had originated. It was a tall, lanky man with sandy-blond hair, and while he didn’t appear to be armed, he was looking in their direction.

“You see him?” Ava muttered, motioning just as the man took off running. He wasn’t coming toward them but away from the apartment where the shots had been fired.

Harley nodded and kept his gaze pinned to him. At least he did until he heard Ava gasp. Harley snapped his attention toward her, praying that she hadn’t just realized she’d been shot. But she wasn’t looking at any part of her body. Her focus, too, was on the man.

“I know him,” she said, her breath rushing out with her words. “That’s Aaron Walsh.”

WHILE THE EMT checked her blood pressure, Ava tried to level her breathing and settle her nerves. Hard to do, considering that someone had just tried to kill Harley and her. But she had to at least try to calm down for the sake of the baby. And so she could have a clear enough head to help the Austin cops in any way.

They had to find Aaron.

Ava was certain that had been Aaron fleeing the scene and, thankfully, the cops had been able to respond by going after him in pursuit. A pursuit still underway while Harley and she were at police headquarters. Theo had whisked them there in his bullet-resistant cruiser since it was the station nearest the shooting and, after they’d all given brief statements, the sheriff had left to assist in the search for Aaron.

Before Theo had done that, though, he’d insisted Ava stay put and be checked out by the EMTs who were already en route to do the exam at the police station. Ava hadn’t refused. Despite her not having any visible injuries, she needed the baby checked, and Harley had done more insisting by letting her know that he’d be staying with her. Maybe in part to make sure she remained in place, but she also knew he was as worried about their daughter as she was.

Caleb was okay, and that helped big-time with her raw nerves. Because Caleb had had her phone number, he’d texted her several times to ask how she was doing and to let her know that he hadn’t been hurt. In fact, there’d been no reported injuries, which was somewhat of a miracle, considering multiple shots had been fired into a heavily populated area.

Ava’s phone dinged again with another text, but this time it wasn’t from Caleb. It was from her father, so she ignored it. She’d already declined two calls from him so it was obvious he was trying to find another way to get her to communicate. Since Edgar worked in Austin when the senate was in session, Ava wouldn’t put it past either of the men to try to find her location and come see her. After all, it wouldn’t do for the senator not to personally respond to an attack on his daughter.

“Are you cramping or having any contractions?” the EMT asked, yanking Ava’s attention back to the exam. According to her name tag, she was Lisa Mendoza.

Ava shook her head.

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