“Okay.” For the first time since this nightmare started, he felt safe knowing he and Kendra weren’t in this alone. Staying low, Kendra quickly ran toward the back door with Smoky padding softly beside her. Griff already had the back door open, scanning the backyard for signs of a threat. When Dom and Kendra got there, Griff gave them a nod.
“Let’s go.” Griff led the way, with Kendra and Smoky following. Dom stayed behind Kendra as Justin, Raine, and Levy came up behind him, covering his back.
While it was nice to not be alone, he didn’t like everyone else risking their lives for him. Gritting his teeth, Dom tried to make himself a smaller target, despite being the tallest person in the group.
Griff led them through the snow-covered backyard to the small wooded area to the east of the rental property. Once they were within the trees, he stopped and gestured for the rest of them to huddle closer.
“What’s the plan?” Levy asked. “We need to try to grab this guy.”
“Yep. We’re going to split up.” Griff pointed to Levy. “You and I will go on either side of the house to approach the front. Raine, Justin, Kendra, and Dom should stay back.”
“Works for me.” Levy didn’t hesitate. Dom was impressed with the US Marshal’s dedication to getting this guy. “I’ll take the side closest to us. You go around the other side.”
“I can come too,” Raine said curtly.
Griff shook his head. “Stay here in case we need backup. Or in case another shooter comes in from this direction.”
Raine didn’t look thrilled but nodded. “Fine.”
“Great. Let’s move.” Griff sprinted toward the far side of the house where the attached garage was located. Levy took the closest side, reaching the house before Griff and making his way along the side of the house toward the front.
“My SUV is in the garage,” Kendra said in a low whisper. “What if we need to drive out of here?”
“Our vehicle isn’t far. We’ll make room.” Justin glanced at his K9, Stone, who stood waiting for a command. Dom noticed Smoky stood with her head up, sniffing with interest. Had Kendra’s K9 gotten a whiff of the shooter?
How much more of this could they take? The way the shooter kept finding them, Dom feared it was only a matter of time until a bullet struck one of them.
Lifting his gaze to the sky, he opened his heart to prayer. Please, Lord Jesus, give Griff and Levy the skill and strength they need to find and arrest this man!
On the heels of his prayer, another crack of gunfire rang out. He flinched, then glanced at Kendra. She offered a reassuring smile, stroking her free hand over Smoky’s fur.
The minutes ticked by slowly. Dom’s toes were growing numb with cold when suddenly the two men came running back toward them. Both Griff’s and Levy’s expressions were somber.
Not good.
“What happened?” Raine demanded.
“He’s gone.” Levy sounded disgusted. “I fired at his vehicle as he passed by but must have missed.”
“I wasn’t even sure that was the right truck,” Griff drawled, his gaze narrowing at Levy. “Did you get a look at the driver?”
Levy grimaced. “A brief glimpse. He’s a young white guy late twenties or early thirties. But the truck was definitely a black GMC Sierra, so I figured I’d take the shot.”
“A white guy in his late twenties and early thirties doesn’t narrow our suspect pool,” Raine said with a sigh. “What about a license plate?”
Levy frowned. “I looked but didn’t see anything. Maybe it was covered in snow? I can’t be sure.”
“I didn’t see a plate either,” Griff admitted. “We’ll call the local cops and let them know about the GMC Sierra. If they see a black one with an obstructed plate, they have grounds to pull the driver over. Maybe our guy has a criminal record.”
“Even if he doesn’t, we could ask for the police to provide us his name and date of birth,” Raine said thoughtfully.
“Yep,” Justin agreed. “Then we can cross-check him with Bartoli.”
The faint wail of sirens could be heard in the distance. Dom realized someone had called in the gunfire, alerting the police. Something he should have done once they were safely out of the house and away from the gunman.
Dom swallowed a surge of frustration. Once again, the shooter had taken shots at them without exposing himself to danger. Firing at a house from behind the wheel of a car seemed like a coward’s way out. And it was also odd in that the shooter would be less likely to hit his target from that distance.
That was the point, right? To hit and kill Dom? Because he had been told too much?
