Page 42 of Serve ’N’ Protect

He shoved his gun into his waistband then spun and raced back down the porch steps. With a grunt of pain, he reached for the rusted piece of metal pipe that had once supported the now-broken porch railing and ran back to the window. Ignoring the throbbing in his torso, he shut his eyes then swung the pipe into the window.

Glass shattered, shards flying at his face. He used the pipe to clear the sill of jagged glass then dropped it on the porch and yanked the curtain aside so he could step up and over the ledge. Ghost followed, leaping over the sill. Instead of running directly to Cassidy as he’d expected, Ghost took off into the kitchen, growling with his head and tail down.

Markus knew the signs. His dog was in full attack mode, telling him Cassidy hadn’t landed in a heap at the bottom of the stairs all on her own.

Someone else was in the house.

Markus yanked the gun from his waistband, gripping it with both hands as he searched the living room. Ghost was after someone in the kitchen, but there could easily be more than one intruder. The kitchen door closed. Ghost’s barking intensified as he clawed at the door to get out.

With his heart beating crazily, he raced to Cassidy’s still-unmoving form. She moaned and her head lolled against the bottom step. Thank God. “You okay?” he asked, his clipped voice evidence to the fact that he was wound tighter than a camel’s ass in a sandstorm.

“I-I think so.” She held a hand to the side of her face.

“How many were there?” As much as he was itching for him and Ghost to give chase, first he needed to make sure he didn’t leave Cassidy in the house with another intruder.

“Just one,” she answered, gingerly touching her fingers to where her cheekbone was already swelling.

Sonofabitch.

Pure, undiluted rage pumped blood faster through his veins. Burglarizing her house was one thing, but this fucker had hurt her, and that was unacceptable. More clawing came from the kitchen.

“I’ll be back.” He raced into the kitchen. Ghost stood on his hind legs, his front paws on the door’s window. In the dim moonlight, Markus saw a man running down the street. He flung open the door. “Track!”

Ghost dashed outside, flying through the darkness.

Markus followed, pounding over the grass, down the embankment to the street, stretching the limits of his tender, freshly mended skin. When he hit the asphalt, stones dug into the soles of his bare feet, but he kept going.

His breath came in loud whooshes as he pounded after the target. Ghost was nearly on the guy, his tail bobbing in the air like a whitetail deer. A hundred feet up ahead, a light came on as a vehicle door opened, illuminating the target with the interior light for no more than two seconds before the door slammed shut and brake lights came on.

Over his heavy breathing, Markus heard the engine fire up. Ghost was no more than ten feet from the bumper when tires screeched, and the vehicle took off down the road. Moonlight hit the side panel of the vehicle, not a car. A black van. No windows and no insignia.

Just like the one he’d seen parked outside yesterday. And, when the interior light hit the driver for that split second, Markus could have sworn he’d seen a wisp of blond hair sticking out from beneath the knit mask. Also like the driver of the van from yesterday. Coincidence? Possibly. Possibly not.

Never one to give up, Ghost continued the chase. His dog was so amped-up that if Markus didn’t recall him, he’d gallop right into the next county. “Ghost, come! Ghost!” he shouted, searching the darkness for his white coat and not seeing it.

A flash of white had him blowing out a breath of relief and leaning over to plant his hands on his thighs as he sucked in air. God, he was out of shape. Ghost trotted back along the double-yellow stripes in the center of the road. “Good boy.” Markus sucked in one last breath, holding his hand to his abdomen as they both loped down the road and up the embankment to Cassidy’s house.

Once inside, he shoved his gun back into his waistband and knelt beside her, brushing long strands of hair from her face, gratified to see her eyes flicker, though they didn’t open.

“Cassidy, it’s Markus. It’s Markus.” The fear coiling in his gut slowly unwound to the point that he could think straight. Being cool under fire was his mantra and something he was known for. Seeing Cassidy this way sent a bolt of unrestrained panic obliterating every ounce of his coolness into smithereens. “Honey, look at me. Open your eyes. Please, baby, open your eyes.”

Still, she didn’t move. Ghost licked her hand then her chin, lying down next to her at the base of the stairs. Finally, she opened her eyes and touched her fingers to her cheek, which was bruising more now.

In the span of two seconds, the fear in his gut turned to all-out rage. If the guy who did this had been standing in front of him right at this moment, there’d have been no peaceful resolution. No negotiation. No reasoning of any kind because Markus would have torn him to shreds.

“Stay here. Don’t move.” To Ghost, he ordered, “Guard.”

Leaving Ghost to watch Cassidy, he stepped carefully over her head then pulled his gun and padded quietly up the stairs. Two minutes later, he’d cleared the rest of the house, verifying the guy who’d run off was indeed the only intruder.

Returning to Cassidy, he searched her face and body for blood and other injuries, relieved at finding none.

“Think you can sit up?”

Grimacing, she nodded.

As usual, he wanted to say something but couldn’t put his emotions into words. What else is new? That was the story of his life. “I’m taking you to the hospital to get checked out.”

“No, I’m fine. Just help me up.”