“What the fuck?” Scott reached for his rifle, heart in his throat.
All he got was air. He’d gone without his long gun for this op because if a cop found him sitting surveillance, he’d have a hard time explaining away the Barrett.
Valerie dropped to her knees and lowered her head. Instinct, but not a good one.
“Run, goddammit.” Launching himself over the flattened back seats and through the passenger door, he took off running.
The black FBI agent pushed Valerie behind a cement pillar and shielded her as he returned fire. Scott couldn’t see the sniper, but he had to be in one of the upper-floor apartments in the adjacent building. The roof wasn’t flat, and the trees were too bare to conceal anyone this time of year.
Crouched low, the agent jerked back with a cry and gripped his shoulder.
“Valerie!” A man called from the sniper’s roost, his voice loud and distorted, coming through a bullhorn. “Run.”
Christ, no.“Not now,” Scott said under his breath. “He’s trying to draw you out.” His heart pounded wildly as he pumped his arms.Shit, shit, shit.His side started to cramp, his progress far too slow even though he ran flat out.
In the distance, sirens wailed. Valerie kneeled next to the downed agent, placing herself firmly in the sniper’s crosshairs.
But he didn’t fire.
The still-conscious fed rolled onto his side to reach into his pocket, then handed something to Valerie. A few seconds later she had her wrists free. She lifted the injured man to a sitting position against the pillar and pressed her palms to his wounded shoulder.
“Run,” the sniper said again, clearly using a bullhorn so she could hear him. “Get out of here before the police arrive. I won’t be able to hold them off too.”
She sent a puzzled look toward the disembodied voice, but held firm.
What the hell was going on?
The agent jerked and slumped to the ground, followed by an immediateboom.Valerie screamed and dove out of the line of fire.
Goddammit.
When Scott was fifty yards out, Valerie spotted him racing along the grass that lined the side of the parking lot. With a final glance toward the sniper’s hideout, she snagged her bag and sprinted toward her car.
Valerie dodged the growing crowd of bystanders huddling around the corner of her building as she tried to catch her breath.
Sirens cut through the feeling of cotton in her ears. The police would be here soon.
Her steps faltered. Shouldn’t she wait for them?They’ll arrest you.Her head throbbed and tears blurred her vision, but she could make out the man in the green jacket still racing toward her. Valerie almost tripped over a neighbor who was hunkered down behind a large truck, cradling her baby against her chest.
“Are you okay?” she asked. She didn’t know the woman’s name, but she’d seen her around.
“What’s going on?” the blonde asked, her voice shaky.
“Someone’s shooting. Stay here.” Valerie moved past them. “I have to go.”
“But the police…”
Bile rose in her throat. As she approached her car, the doors unlocked with apop. Her heart hammered so hard she could hardly draw breath. Both agents were dead. She was splattered with blood.
And she’d run away.
Valerie’s stomach contracted painfully and she dry-heaved.Oh, Jesus.What was she doing?
Keep moving!
She glanced over her shoulder as she opened the door. Green Parka stood still, watching her. Something about him was vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t make out his features from this distance. All she knew was that she couldn’t let him catch her. She’d learned to trust her instincts over the years, and hers were screaming that he was not a friend.
She threw herself inside the car, pushed the button to start the engine, and peeled out of the parking lot on squealing tires without looking back.
