“Found them.” Colin pointed at the wall above the lamp about a foot and six inches to the right and the second one about a foot lower and farther right.
“Was that where you were aiming?” Micha asked.
“Generally, but not so far to the right.”
“So if this were a person and you aimed center mass. and even if you were off by this much, you would have hit him and stopped him long enough so you could flee the building.” He didn’t add that she might actually have killed him, as he didn’t want her to think in those terms. That could stop her from firing.
“Okay, good.”
“Let’s take a few more shots, and then we’ll be off.”
Colin moved out of the way.
She lifted the gun. Looked around. Then fired. A double tap just like he said. She took a breath and fired off two more rounds, then lowered the weapon, clicked on the safety and pointed the gun at the floor.
“Let me look.” Colin went back to the wall. He nodded. “Better. All four shots would’ve hit the guy.”
“Then you’re ready, except for one thing,” Micha said.
She peered at him, her eyebrows drawing close together. “What’s that?”
“Changing out the magazine when it’s empty.” Micha stood. “I’ll get an extra one and show you how, then load this one back up and leave you with two full cartridges.”
He went to his backpack, feeling her gaze on him. She was still uncertain. He got that, but if she kept her cool, she could take out any assailant who came through that door to threaten her.
The question was—the really big question—if the door was breached, would she panic or keep her cool?
17
Micha bent his head against the wind and rain, tying off ropes with his teammates. The cold river bit at his feet and legs up to his knees. Everything in him screamed to get out of the icy water. Go inside. Dry off. Warm up. But every thought of Ava’s safety had him wading deeper to reach the boathouse.
On the submerged dock, he pressed on the door. No movement. He shoved harder. Nothing. Likely water pressure on the other side.
He glanced over his shoulder at Dev. “Help me with this.”
Together they applied pressure. Harder and harder. Finally budging it open a fraction. They kept shoving, pushing against the water pressure until it remained open.
The boat that would normally sit on a boat lift floated above the water instead. Made of aluminum, the fishing craft was smaller than Micha expected with a pair of wooden oars lying inside and a tiny motor on the back. Thankfully, the craft looked seaworthy.
They stepped inside the space. The walls had been painted a bright sky blue. The roof held up under the storm, keeping the rain out, and of that Micha was thankful. He slicked the moisture from his face.
Dev lowered his hood and grabbed a lifejacket from the wall to toss to Micha. “Boat looks like a fourteen-footer. Means it’ll hold three average-sized people, maybe not guys our size. So if a water evacuation is needed, it won’t carry all of us. Two at best. Especially with that dinky trolling motor.”
Exactly. And not the thought Micha wanted to have. “You’d be the logical person to go with Ava.”
Dev pulled down a second life jacket and shoved an arm into the strap. “Logical, yes, but I know you would never let her go off without you.”
Micha put on his life preserver, too. “Do you really think I won’t be able to handle the boat?”
“I don’t know ifIcan handle it under these conditions, and I’ve been boating all my life.” Dev clipped a buckle on the life vest, then eyed Micha. “But your desire to save the woman you’ve fallen for gives you motivation I don’t have.”
Micha still didn’t deny the fact he’d fallen for Ava because he had. Lock, stock, and barrel. Or any other way he could say it. He wanted to clear her name and move on with a life that included her. If he could manage it.
“Let’s get this boat out of here.” Micha buckled his lifejacket, then went to the crank on the wall that was attached to a cable running from the bottom of the door facing the lake to a pulley in the ceiling. He unlocked the crank and started turning. The door groaned up and slid overhead, emitting a painful squealing sound. He continued cranking until the door stood wide open, then locked the crank.
“I’ll grab the ropes we ran.” Dev sloshed to the river side of the door and fished in two lines, both tied on the other end to the tree by Colin. Dev and Micha had run them along the boathouse first thing.
Dev waded back to Micha. Micha moved to the winch for the boat lift.
