Mary’s face brightened. “Is he all right?”
“Alive and kickin’.” Kat’s mouth twisted into a crooked smile. “I had to convince him I wasn’t a threat. He had a gun big enough to shoot an elephant pointed at me the entire time.”
Mary laughed. “Sounds like Uncle Jimmy. He and Dad used to hunt bear together.”
“I’d be scared if I were a bear.” Kat grinned. “I was just about to scout out Ms. Reedy.”
“Let’s move this discussion inside.”
When Kat opened the glass door to the bed-and-breakfast, it shattered into a million shards.
Nick dove for Mary, but she jerked and he clipped her side, taking her down into a snowbank beside the building.
“I didn’t hear anything, did you?” Kat asked.
“No. He must be using a silencer.” Nick rolled off Mary, placing his body between her and the shooter. “Mary, are you all right?”
She gave him a half smile. Her brows creased in a strained frown. “I’ll live.” He didn’t like the way her voice shook, but she didn’t appear injured.
“Kat, cover me. I’m going after him.” Nick leaped to his feet, crouching low in the shadows. “As soon as I draw his attention, get Mary inside.”
“Roger.” Kat lay prone in the snow, her nine-millimeter SIG Sauer drawn and aimed into the dark shadows between the buildings across the road.
Headlights appeared around a corner. Nick waited until the car passed. He kept one eye closed to the lights to maintain his night vision. With the car out of the way, he hunched low and raced across the street, heading for the darkest shadows between the buildings. If a shooter was out there, that’s where he’d be hiding.
Once he’d crossed the street, he pressed his back to the wood siding of a storefront, making his silhouette as small as possible. He risked a glance back in Mary’s and Kat’s direction. They still lay low in the snow, waiting for the best moment to duck inside.
Nick moved out of the shadows and across the sidewalk, hugging the storefront. The next space between buildings yielded fresh footprints. The snow was packed down at the corner. Prints led toward the rear of the building. The shooter had probably fled.
If Nick didn’t hurry, the bastard would get away again. He threw caution to the winds and jogged along the tracks, alert for attack.
When he emerged behind the buildings, a dark shape, hunkering low, ran around a corner.
Nick picked up speed, sprinting full out. When he reached the same corner, he paused only long enough to catch sight of the assailant thirty yards away. The man ran across an open field dropping down into a ditch and then back up again, five more yards and he’d be hidden in the trees.
“Stop!” Nick shouted.
The shooter dropped, rolled and came to his feet, facing Nick.
Nick dove behind a tree. Bark splintered from the trunk next to where his head had been.
Staying well within the shadows, Nick leaned out, checked for movement downrange of his target, then squeezed the trigger.
At the last moment, the shooter spun and darted to the left. Instead of hitting him in the chest, the bullet hit him in the side.
The force of the impact jerked the shooter around. But it didn’t slow him down. Clutching his midsection, the killer loped for the tree line.
Nick knew if the man made it, he’d lose him. He fired again, the distance and the darkness limiting his accuracy. The bullet spat up snow at the man’s heels, spurring him to run even faster.
Nick sprinted after him, the freezing air biting his lungs. By the time he reached the ditch, the other man had disappeared into the forest. Without hesitation, Nick dropped down into the ditch climbing the other side in two giant steps.
Once he reached the trees, he ground to a halt, allowing his night vision to adjust to even darker shadows. The man’s footprints led deeper still.
His vision adjusted, Nick picked up the pace. After several minutes, Nick emerged onto another road that had been freshly plowed. He lost him there.
Nick loped along the street, his gun drawn, peering between buildings, searching for footprints or any sign of movement. After five minutes, he knew he’d been bested.
And the longer he stayed away from Mary, the more anxious he was to get back and make sure she’d made it safely indoors.
