5
Before stepping onto the street, Dev completed a call with Chief Gibson, who’d already heard the shots and was on his way back. Dev stowed his phone and took cover behind the first car, an old station wagon with wood-grain paneling on the side. Not drawing any fire, he bolted for the next vehicle, then the next.
A bullet ripped into the concrete behind him, sending up razor-sharp shards that peppered his arms like a barrage of pins and needles. He ignored the piercing pain and moved on to a shiny red Ford pickup where he hunkered down for just a second to wait for another bullet.
Silence.
Taking a deep breath, he advanced, racing to a small sedan. Another bullet went high and shattered the store window behind him.
No!It was one thing to ruin some vehicles or break up the sidewalk. Both were easily fixed, but another thing to fire into a store where customers could be located near the window.
Please don’t let anyone inside take a bullet. Please don’t let anyone be injured. Period. Kinsley. Jada. Anyone!
He scooted closer to the edge of the sedan and made eye contact with Jada crouching in front of his SUV.
He signaled his intentions and dove for his own vehicle, taking a moment to scan his sister from head to toe. “You hit anywhere?”
She shook her head, her eyes wide, but they didn’t hold the terror he expected to find there. Could be her military training on how to react to a siege.
She held his gaze. “I’m fine, but your vehicle has sustained some damage.”
“Don’t worry about it. All that matters is you’re okay.” He took another good look at her but didn’t see any blood.
“I’m good.” Her cool tone confirmed her ability to handle the situation. “Guess he figured out I’m with Kinsley, and now he’s upped his game since yesterday—willing to take out her associates.”
Exactly what Dev feared, too. Kinsley wasn’t safe, and he needed to go to her. Despite the way his sister handled the situation, he still worried about her safety, too.
“Stay down while I get a better look at what we’re dealing with here.” He scooted to the edge of his vehicle.
He was certain the last two bullets had come from up high, telling him the shots had to originate either from a roof or an upper window across the street. He scrutinized the far side of the street, searching high and low for the shooter’s stand.
Searching. Seeking. Nothing.
With the naked eye he couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. He needed binoculars or something to help him see more clearly at a distance. But what?
His phone. He could zoom in on the camera.
He dug it from his pocket and focused the lens across the street. He zoomed in. Scanned the area.
Two apartments sat above the drugstore. A third above a florist. Upper windows in both vintage buildings were closed tight. No rifle poking out. Zero weapons directed at them.
He shifted to the rooftops, then others nearby. All were clear of a sniper.
Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing at all.
What was going on? Had their shooter fled? Did he relocate to the back alley to wait for Kinsley’s escape? Or was he planning to breach the building from the rear to find her and kill her?
Dev’s brain froze. What did he do now? The shooter could still be across the street, and Dev wasn’t seeing him. So did he stay here and protect his sister, or did he go to Kinsley’s aid? Maybe he could safely move his sister back to the T-shirt shop. Not down Main Street, that was for sure. Not unless he had proof the shooter had moved.
Oh, man! Which one did he help? He couldn’t choose between them. He needed to protect both. But how?
Time ticked away, sounding like a clock clicking in his head. Every second important, and he couldn’t make a decision. He glanced around. Sirens split the air in the distance. The chief and his men were close, perhaps available to help bring the shooting to an end.
Great, but Dev couldn’t wait and do nothing. One quick bullet could end either Jada or Kinsley’s life.
Jada had been taught how to respond under sniper attack and could better defend herself, but she wasn’t likely carrying off-duty. The safest route would be to move her into a nearby shop, take her out the back if the alley was clear, and approach the T-shirt shop from the back door.
He eased back to Jada and shared his plan. “I need you to go ahead of me. Stay down, and I’ll be right behind you.”
