Page 3 of Shielding Maya

The sirens grew louder and the crunch of gravel on the road signaled the ambulance was close. Jasiah turned as the ambulance stopped next to them, his shoulders were pulled back, his lips drew a straight line across his handsome face.

An EMT jumped from the passenger side and nodded at Jasiah. "Where's the victim?"

"He's back a few hundred feet. I can take you to him."

The EMT nodded and strutted to the back of the ambulance and swung open the back doors.

Maya touched his arm. "We can show them Jasiah. Please calm your residents so they aren't scared."

He turned his head and stared into her eyes. His were deep brown framed by thick lashes. The hair in his beard was dark, but not as dark as the hair on his head. There were even a few graying hairs at his temples.

"Thank you. I'll go tell them to stay out of the woods for a while."

He trudged up the mountain road, his stride purposeful and powerful. She watched him for a few steps, trying to remind herself she'd likely be leaving this town soon enough. After being here for two years and not having a single date, she was feeling a bit lonely and that's likely why he appealed to her. That was it for sure.

She turned to see Myles watching her. His brows furrowed, then his head turned to see Jasiah's retreating back.

The EMTs rounded the back of the ambulance, a gurney between them. She nodded. "Follow me."

She strutted past Myles, no words spoken, and headed toward where the senator laid on the wet earth on the side of a mountain that had been the center of her attention for the past two years. Never did she think this would be the situation she'd be in all this time. A scared senator running for his life. The idiot running from the one place he'd have been safe, their HOG. Home, office, and garage. Where they'd offered him sanctuary. But, just as he'd done in life, he'd made another bad decision which cost him his life. Some people were their own worst enemies.

As she neared the senator's body, her heart felt heavy for this man who had ruined his life by getting involved in the wrong situation with the wrong people. The bigger issue now would be handling this moving forward. Did they let the world know the senator was dead? That would be a decision Tate would have to make.

The senator's white shirt stood out against the dark earth and the shade from the trees. She slowed her steps as they neared and moved off the path she'd followed to get them to this point. The EMTs set the gurney on the ground next to the senator. They followed their own protocol of checking for a pulse, opening a body bag they had strapped to the gurney and laying that out to prepare for a body.

One of them neared the senator's head, the other his feet. They bent and took hold of their respective ends of his body. "One. Two. Three."

The senator was lifted onto the gurney, his hands tucked to his sides, and the bag was zipped up, enclosing him inside. They strapped him down, then lifted the gurney. She and Myles each stepped to a side of the gurney and grabbed a handle. The senator was a large man, it wasn't an easy task carrying him over rugged terrain and stepping over branches.

Her dark long-sleeved shirt was damp under her arms as they finally slid the gurney into the back of the ambulance. The first thing that came to mind was getting to the HOG and taking a shower. Then, hopefully she'd have some time to visit with Uncle Josh and Aunt Isi as they were here to congratulate Adelaide and Rafe on their engagement.

She sort of wished her own parents were here. Sometimes a girl just wanted a hug from her mama. Though she'd never tell anyone she needed a mama hug. She'd spent her entire life pretending she was tough as nails. She'd not ruin that reputation now. At least not to her teammates.

3

Jasiah exited the woods near their community center. A few folks had gathered there, staring blindly into the woods, not sure what to do. When he appeared, one of the women, Elenor, their only medical source for years, now left wondering what her fate would be up here, stepped toward him. Her brows furrowed as she patiently waited for him to speak. Her hands wrung in front of her waist.

He smiled at her. "It's okay. Someone wandered up into the woods and another man shot him. He isn't from up here, but from Glen Hollow. The killer is gone. The special operatives down below are working on finding him. We're still at peace."

Elenor's chest heaved as she finally took a breath. The other women standing near her all sighed in relief and he realized just how each of them were still on tenterhooks worrying about their new lives and the gentle peace they finally found themselves in.

"Thank God," Elenor whispered.

Jasiah nodded, "We're still good. I don't like what happened, but it isn't anything we could have prevented."

One of the women, April, began crying and Elenor stepped toward her and wrapped her in a hug. "It's alright, honey."

April sniffed and swiped a handkerchief under her nose. "I saw a strange man hanging around here the past two days. I was afraid to say anything. He was big, and didn't look like he belonged here. He was taking food from some of the gardens."

Elenor patted her shoulder but turned her head to Jasiah.

"It's alright, April. You couldn't have known he'd be in trouble. I guess in the future, if anyone sees someone stealing food or lurking about as if they don't belong, come and tell me. I'll check it out."

April nodded her head and sniffed again. Jasiah nodded to her, hoping it would comfort her, but his focus was now on letting his father know what was going on.

He trudged to the home his father and mother shared, the heaviness in his chest growing with each step. He knocked softly, then turned the wooden handle and stepped inside, quiet as a ghost. His mom sat at the edge of the bed she shared with his father. She stood and hurried toward him as he neared the bed.

He whispered, "How is he?"

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