She got to her feet, trying to angle for a clean shot at the tires. The instant she moved, another burst of fire erupted from the roof, bullets sparking so close she could feel the heat of one zip past her shoulder. She dropped back down, teeth gritted.
The shooter had them locked in, not letting her take the shot. Every second cost them ground, and Melissa’s voice was getting farther away.
Cal muttered a curse beside her, his eyes cutting to the roofline. They couldn’t stay pinned down much longer.
He shifted against the pallets, his jaw set. “Cover me,” he said.
Alena’s heart kicked hard. “Wait. Don’t—”
But he was already moving, breaking from cover in a low sprint. He cut across the open strip of asphalt, then dove into the tangle of shrubs and weeds edging the lot.
“Damn it, Cal,” she muttered, snapping her Glock up.
She squeezed off two shots toward the roofline, forcing the sniper’s attention. The rifle barked again, but this time the bullets chewed into the pallets around her. Splinters flew, stinging her cheek.
It worked.
The fire came her way, sparing Cal. But it left her pinned, crouched tight behind cover as more rounds tore into the wood and concrete. Her chest heaved with every breath, her ears ringing from the constant crack of the rifle.
Alena risked a glance toward the lot. Melissa’s captor had nearly reached the car. Melissa fought him, thrashing, her cries carrying across the broken asphalt. Each sound twisted deeper into Alena, feeding the fire in her gut.
She ducked lower as another round hit so close it rattled through her bones. She couldn’t stay down much longer, not if Melissa was going to survive this.
Gunfire hammered around her, each round slamming into the pallets until it felt like they’d disintegrate under the barrage. Alena’s arms burned from holding her aim, waiting for even the smallest chance to fire back.
Across the lot, Melissa’s captor wrenched her into the car, and seconds later, the engine roared to life. Melissa screamed again, high and desperate, and it shot straight through Alena’s chest.
A muzzle flash sparked from the roof, and Alena flinched back as another shot cracked against the concrete beside her. She couldn’t hold this much longer.
Then, above the chaos, Cal’s weapon barked. Once. Twice.
The return fire from the roof cut off. Alena whipped her gaze upward just in time to see a figure stumble forward, arms flailing as he pitched over the edge. The body hit the asphalt with a sickening thud, sprawled and motionless.
“Shooter’s down!” Cal’s voice cut across the lot.
Alena pushed up from cover, her pulse surging as she sprinted toward the car. Cal was right behind her, both of them scanning, searching. But the car had already vanished down the cracked street, the engine’s growl fading into the distance.
Melissa was gone.
Chapter Eight
The coffee was bitter, burned, and so weak it barely deserved the name, but Cal drank it anyway. Anything to keep his eyes open.
Across the cramped office, Alena scrolled through her phone, her expression tight, every flick of her finger sharper than the last.
Raines sat behind his desk, phone pressed to his ear. The sheriff’s face was lined, his voice clipped, but Cal wasn’t really listening. He was too aware of the weight in his own bones, the fatigue clawing at him now that the adrenaline had bled away.
But it wasn’t just the exhaustion.
It was the failure.
They’d had Melissa in their sights. She’d been screaming for help, only yards away, and now she was gone. Hauled off by a man they hadn’t even seen clearly, protected by a sniper they hadn’t known was there until it was too late.
Cal set the empty cup aside and rubbed a hand over his jaw. The caffeine hadn’t touched the knot in his gut. They’d come so close to pulling her out of that nightmare. And they’d failed.
Raines ended the call, dropped the receiver back into its cradle, and leaned forward on his desk. His gaze cut to Cal and Alena. “We got an ID on the shooter you took down. It’s Bryce Keller.”
Cal’s jaw tightened. The same name Dexter had thrown at them, the man with a rap sheet a mile long.
