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“He said he and another officer are five minutes out with the new vehicle.”

That made sense. He’d have to have a ride back to Riztown. Five minutes might not sound like much, but in a situation like this, they might not have five minutes.

Two guns against one.

He peered out and saw movement. The barrel of a gun. He aimed down his own weapon and fired.

A second yell. The gun the man held clattered to the snow covered parking lot.

The amateur was out of commission for a few seconds. Where was the sniper?

He aimed his gun high and scanned the trees. There. Nearly hidden in a tall tree in the distance. Brody was an excellent shot, but he wasn’t that good. And his weapon didn’t have the power to shoot that far, even if he possessed the skill. He saw a flash.

Immediately, Brody ducked out of the way, just in time. The bullet sailed through the open pane and thunked into the wall behind him. That would have been his head if he hadn’t moved.

He was nearly out of ammunition. Of course, he had more in his bag, but by the time he retrieved it, the killers would breach the building. He’d have to save what he had until he knew for sure the killers were in range.

“Sergeant Dawson has called in the local department. We have more cops on the way.” Jenna announced.

“Good. Glad to hear it.” It still might be too late, but it gave him some hope.

The amateur, as Brody thought of him, had regained his gun and fired again. Brody left the door, aware of the sniper and sneaked to the kitchen window. It was shattered, but the sniper aimed for the door. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be aware of the switch so soon.

Aiming his gun out the shattered window, Brody squeezed off another shot. The amateur clutched his shoulder and fell. Not dead but injured enough not to be a problem. For now.

Another high-powered shot. This one came from the side. Brody stood long enough to see the sniper fall from the roof. Officers in heavy vests, helmets and belts loaded with weapons surged onto the parking lot. They took custody of both shooters.

The sniper didn’t move. Brody concluded he’d been killed by the shot. The other one made a lot of noise, his colorful language filling the cold morning air.

“Get your things.” Brody took his phone back and replaced his weapon into his holster. He’d put new ammo in while she left to get her belongings. “The police are here. We can’t hang out. I have no idea if there are more guys coming for us.”

Jenna didn’t say a word. She vanished back into her room and returned in under a minute.

He nodded his approval. He liked her efficiency.

When Sergeant Dawson knocked, Brody checked his identity before allowing the officer to enter. “Tell your buddy I’m sorry about the damage.”

Dawson nodded. “He knew there was a risk when he agreed. But don’t worry about it. The department will take care of the repairs. I suspect you checked your things. They should not have been able to track you so easily.”

Jenna’s face clouded. “I didn’t bring my computer, that got left at the house. Nor are we in the same vehicle. What else could they track?”

Brody could have kicked himself. “Your phone, Jenna. I’m an idiot. I should have checked it before. You work with Andy. He could have tagged it or done something to track it.”

She pulled her phone from her pocket and looked at it like it was a viper. “What do I do with it?”

Sergeant Dawson held out his hand. “You give it to me. We’ll check it out, clean it if necessary, then once this is done, give it back to you. Brody, stop and get her a pay as you go phone, something to use sparingly if she needs help. Only you and I should have the number.”

“Not even my brother?” Jenna asked, her voice breaking at the end of the word.

Brody took her hand and squeezed. “I know your brother is all your family left, Jen. And I know you want to remain connected. But you’re safer, and he’s safer, if he doesn’t know this number. Any information you give out can be used to find you.”

She collected herself, then nodded. “I get it. I don’t like it. But if it will keep him and his family safe, I’ll do it.”

She always thought of others before herself.

“I’ll stop and get one.”

The two men shook hands. “I’ll do my best to identify the one man. He might be in some database. I’m pretty sure he’s a professional hitman. The other has already called for a lawyer, so as soon as his wounds are treated, we’ll have to wait until his lawyer arrives. But we can get his fingerprints and mugshot. Maybe he’ll be in the database, too.”