Page 11 of Unplanned Target

“We can—” the ringing of my phone through the speakers cuts me off as Seth, our tech coordinator, returns my call. I connect it, hoping he has information for me. “It’s Owen.”

“The phone Butch’s niece has just pinged a tower.” Seth’s tone is sharp and quick. “Heidi was able to narrow down a location, and she’s not far from where you are right now.”

My stomach drops. “Is she at home?”

Being home—especially alone—is possibly the second worst place Allie can be right now, falling just behind that coffee shop.

“No, but she is in the neighborhood. Looks like she’s cutting through yards instead of following sidewalks.”

“Good.” Allie might be just as smart as her mother. “Send me the map of her location.” I pull over at the edge of Miranda’s subdivision, parking the Jeep against the curb. “I’ll be in touch.” I end the call without explaining the pursuit that occurred. Right now, the most important thing is finding Allie and getting her and Miranda safe. Then I can get with my team and come up with the best plan to keep them safe. I leave the engine running, turning to Miranda. “I’m going to find her.”

Her dark eyes go wide. “And you think I’m just gonna sit here and wait?” She shakes her head. “Absolutely not.”

“I can move faster without you.” I hope hearing I can get her daughter more quickly on my own will encourage Miranda to go with it. But before I even get all the words out, she’s shaking her head even more aggressively.

“And what if those guys find me while you’re gone? I just try to drive away while they shoot at me?” She grabs her door, wrenching it open. “No fucking way.”

I really fucking love independent women. The kind you have to fight to take care of. The sort that will move a couch up a set of stairs on their own before they’d ever ask for help. I love the challenge they present. I love the confidence and faith they have in themselves.

I love the thought of giving them something no one else has.

But—based on what I’m seeing with Miranda—they also seem to really want to get themselves killed, and that’s a problem I wasn’t anticipating.

Shutting off the engine, I grab the keys and my phone before jumping out, rushing to where Miranda is just standing there on the sidewalk, a true testament of her dedication to getting herself murdered.

Moving quickly, I grab her elbow with one hand, dragging her along with me as I cut into the grove of trees lining the street, taking us into the shadowy darkness they create. “Stay with me. I don’t know if Allie’s who we’re going to find first, so you need to be prepared for the possibility of being shot at again.”

“I can’t believe you do this all the time.” Miranda aggressively tucks a thick clump of hair behind one ear. “I hope you get paid a shit ton of money.”

“I do.” Even if I didn’t, I love being part of what stands between the good and the bad in this world. The lines I follow are frequently blurred and murky, but at the end of the day, I know what I’m doing is right. That I’m helping keep innocent people safe and sending guilty people where they deserve to be. “Let’s go.”

I don’t have time to give her the opportunity to get on board with my plan. Hopefully I’ve given Miranda enough reasons to trust me to get us through the next five minutes. After that, she can go back to questioning me.

Pulling my weapon out, I keep my steps slow and even as we move to the edge of the tree line. Glancing back, I see Miranda is right behind me, eyes darting around the open area in front of us. I tip my head at her in a nod, and she nods back, hooking one finger through my back belt loop.

It’s a reassuring move and makes me more confident we can work together to get through this. That she’s going to follow my lead and trust my judgment, which will make it much easier to keep her safe.

After one more scan of the area, I step out of the treeline. Walking quickly, I go straight for the next bank of shadows, bringing us tight to the side of the closest house. Feeling the slight tug of Miranda’s hold as I move makes it easier for me to focus on what I’m doing. I don’t have to worry about where she is, only about where everyone else might be.

After listening for any suspicious sounds and surveying the surrounding houses for motion activated lights and cameras, I nod again, letting her know it’s time to move.

Using the map Seth sent as a guide, we zigzag our way through yards, sticking to the darkest areas possible since Miranda’s light colored blue jeans and tan shirt don’t blend in with the night quite as well as my all-black tactical gear does. Thankfully since it’s an older subdivision, there are plenty of mature trees and bushes to use for cover. There also aren’t many fences, so I only have to help her over a couple as we close in on the location of Allie’s phone.

When we’re within a handful of yards away from the dot, I stop in a particularly dark location. It’s a carport attached to the side of a detached garage, and offers both protection and camouflage as I search for any sign of where Allie might be. We’re pretty fucking close to Miranda’s house, and I’m worried she’s heading there, unaware she might be walking into an ambush.

“There she is.” Miranda’s voice is a whisper, but her sudden movement as she attempts to race toward her daughter is enough to call attention to our location.

I manage to catch her before she takes more than two steps, hauling her back into our hiding place, but it’s too late.

We’ve already been seen.

The sound of a silenced gunshot slices through the quiet of the night air, the bullet cutting a little too close for my comfort.

Before she can argue or question my actions, I pivot, scooping her against my chest as I straighten into a sprint.

“Tuck your head in.” I stay as low as I can, legs burning as I push my body to its limits, trying to get as much distance between us and whoever the fuck just shot at Miranda. “Keep as much of your body behind mine as you can.”

“What about Allie?” Miranda grips the edge of my vest, holding tight. “She’s back there.”