Page 12 of Christmas Crisis

“Um, okay.” She shot him a sidelong glance. “You think we’ll have to leave in the middle of the night?”

“I’m sure you know Rhy expects us to be prepared for the worst.” He took her elbow.

“Yeah.” She didn’t say anything more as they rounded the corner of the building and took the stairs to the second floor. Thankfully, their two connecting rooms were at the top of the stairs. At least they had easy access off the second-floor landing.

Better than jumping over the railing.

He used one of the keys to unlock the first door, the one at the top of the stairs. Pushing the door open, he handed Elly the key. “This is your room. Please open the connecting door on your side, okay?”

“Sure.” She took the key and crossed the threshold. He closed her door tight, then moved to the next room.

Minutes later, he had his connecting door unlocked and opened. He listened as Elly moved around, then finally opened her side.

“So now what?” Elly gestured for him to come into her room. She’d tossed her winter coat onto the foot of the bed. “What can we do to find this guy?”

“Wearen’t going to do anything.” The words spilled out before he could stop them. “This is a job for the police, and maybe even the FBI.”

“Good point.” Elly nodded. “I’ll call Brady.”

“Whoa, hold on.” He held up his hand. “Seriously, Elly, you need to let the police handle this. You did your part by helping to create the sketch. We can take it from here.”

“I’m not an idiot.” She scowled, and there was no reason that should have made her look cute. “I can help.”

He stifled a sigh. It wasn’t that he didn’t think she was smart or capable, but she was an EMT who didn’t like blood. She was as far away from being a cop as he was from being the king of England.

Yet there was no point in arguing. “We’ll see what can be done in the morning. For now, you should try to get some sleep.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Is that what you’re doing? Getting some sleep?”

It was tempting to lie, but he couldn’t do it. For one thing, Rhy hated lies, a trait that went way back to when his fiancée had cheated on him. That was well before his boss had met Devon, and in the end, things had worked out exactly as they were meant to. Secondly, he respected Elly and needed her to keep trusting him.

“No. But that’s only because I have a few calls to make.” He spread his hands wide. “Honestly, Elly, there isn’t anything for you to do. Not tonight.”

She stared at him for a long moment, suspicion clouding her dark-brown gaze. Then she turned away. “Fine. I’ll watch TV, see what the news is saying about this guy.”

“No, please.” He took a step toward her. “There’s no reason for you to watch the news. You saw the guy. You were there to witness the horror. I don’t want you to relive that.”

She grimaced, picked up the remote, and turned on the television. He wondered if she was doing it on purpose to drive him crazy. She glanced over her shoulder, her gaze weary. “The images are already seared into my memory, Joe. The minute I heard the gunshot at my family home, I was back in the thick of the terror. There’s nothing I can do to stop reliving it. Other than maybe helping to find this guy.”

He hated,hatedthat she would suffer nightmares over this. Yet she was right in that there was nothing either of them could do to stop it. He’d suffered his share of PTSD from horrifying calls he and the team had responded to. On particularly brutal slaying had stuck with him for a long time.

The Christmas parade shooting would likely be the same for Elly. And honestly, for him too.

“I need you to keep your side of the connecting door open at least an inch or so.” He gestured to the opening between their rooms. “I won’t invade your privacy, but I need easy access if I hear from Gary.”

“Understood.” She turned her attention to the television. He followed her gaze, catching the breaking news headline as the sketch Elly had helped create flashed on the screen.

“Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying this man,” the somber news anchor said. “Please call the tip line if you know this man’s name, where he lives, or how he can be found. He is considered armed and dangerous, so the police are asking that anyone who knows him stay away. Do not approach or attempt to apprehend him on your own. If you see him, call 911 and report the location.” The news anchor went on to repeat the phone number while the sketch of the gunman remained on the screen.

“Well, that should shake something loose,” Elly said in a low voice.

“Yeah.” He hoped that was true. He needed to believe his cop colleagues would have him in custody by tomorrow morning.

Bringing an end to the danger surrounding Elly.

He turned away, raking his hand through his hair. Crossing into his room, he glanced around. After removing his leather jacket, he decided to sleep with his clothes on in case they needed to go on the run again.

They were safe here. This random shooter would not have any way of tracking him and Elly to the American Lodge motel.

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