He’d have to kick back and let the uniformed officers handle the situation.
“Let the medics examine your hands,” Sara said to the boy she had. He was quiet and seemed more affected by the situation than Owen.
While the boys were tended to, Ben took in the situation on the street now. LBPD blocked off most of the street. A lot more officers were here now than when he’d gone over the fence. The sergeant gave a blast of a siren and then got on the PA.
He tensed with fear and apprehension, praying that Lainie was okay.
As soon as she felt everything in the house was under control, Lainie hurried out toward the paramedic van to check on Owen and Evan. Ben sat on the back of the rig with Owen in his arms.
The boy saw her. “Aunt Lainie.”
Ben let him down and Owen ran toward her. She picked him up and held him tight for a moment. Evan’s hand and wrist were being treated. She turned to Ben. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “Glad I could help. Are you okay?”
She nodded, then turned her attention to her brother. Archie held an ice pack on his face.
“Tell me what happened, Archie.”
“They pushed their way into the house a little while ago.”
“What were they after?”
“They said that they wanted the ledger.”
She frowned. “What ledger?”
“That’s what I asked. I hoped maybe you knew. They were certain we had a ledger, and they tore the house apart for it.”
Lainie looked back toward the house. The second team of medics was just now wheeling out a gurney with the man she’d shot. There was an O2 mask on his face, so Lainie knew that he was still alive.
She put Owen down and he grabbed Archie’s hand. It not only broke her heart what had happened to her nephews, it made her angry.
“Are you really okay, Arch?”
“Yeah, I am. Glad you showed up when you did.”
“Did they say anything else, mention any names, anything?”
“No, they just wanted the ledger.”
She turned to Ben. “What do you make of this? What is the ledger?”
“I don’t know, but for some reason Vine thinks that your family has it. You heard about your house?”
“Yes.”
“What happened to your house, Lainie?” Archie asked.
“It’s burning down as we speak.”
“They also torched Evangeline’s house,” Ben said.
“You’re kidding.” Lainie was smacked with another burst of shock.
“No, that’s why I’m here. When I heard about both houses, I figured something big was happening.”
Lainie leaned against the closest black-and-white, unable to fight the feeling of defeat she felt. “Vine needs to go down. I can’t believe all the destruction he’s caused.”
