We had two things going for us: the bad guys didn’t know how many people had been in the Jeep, and if Ryan was still alive, he could be our third man, improving our odds greatly. Ryan might be a reckless dick, but he was well trained and quicker than a striking snake. I’d rather have him on our side any day of the week.
“Stop shooting!”
I recognized Zeke’s high-pitched voice and paused, wrinkling my nose at the strong scent of gunpowder in the mostly enclosed space. I caught a glimpse of Todd moving forward. He’d taken cover behind a tall stack of wooden pallets. The voice had come from across the aisle way, where empty horse stalls lined the wall.
“Are you fucking nuts, Sheriff?” Zeke shouted.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I looked around. My mind was focused and my hands were steady on the long rifle. “Give me all three of my people, safe and sound, and I’ll let you leave without killing you and your goons. How does that sound?”
There was a scuffling noise and I peeked out around the divider wall. Four men appeared from a stall door. Three were dark haired and had tan complexions. The fourth man was blonde—he had a hold of CJ, with a handgun pointed at her head. Mascara ran down her puffy, red cheeks and her beautiful gown was torn. Her wrists were tied in front of her and she was gagged. Joshua was in worse shape. He could hardly stand, and was being propped up by his assailant, using one hand on a wad of his coat jacket at his shoulder and a gun into his side. The groom’s face was bloody and bruised. He’d put up a fight.
Ryan was still fighting and that’s why two of the men were on him. One aimed a gun at his head, while the other was still trying to tie the rope around his midsection. Ryan was a big guy, and he was a scrapper.
This is our only chance. Zeke’s men didn’t want to kill Ryan—that would defeat the purpose of coming here in the first place. What the Ogdens didn’t know was that the first hitman was charged with wounding Ryan and taking him back to his bosses. I was sure of it. Now I had my proof. If it was just a vendetta killing, they’d already have shot him dead. There could be as many as five or six other men hiding in the barn, ready to shoot.
Taking a deep breath, the inside of the barn disappeared. All I saw was the blonde head bobbing above CJ. I trusted Todd and even Ryan. I had to. Then there was Daniel…
Ryan used his entire weight, plowing into the man attempting to restrain him. The two toppled to the ground. The moment was a blur—Todd’s gun fired a split second before mine did. Suddenly, the barn shook with the bellowing moos of a lot of cows. The animals were each a thousand pounds or more and a dozen of them had just been turned loose from the far pen into the barn. The perfect distraction for the city gangsters to deal with. Something I couldn’t see drove them onward from behind. Their huge bodies smacked into the walls and filled the aisle way.
Todd’s gun went off again and I left my place of safety and ran to CJ. Her captor was on the ground, dead, and she leaned over Joshua’s weak form. He too was free, as Todd had hit his mark, but he was so injured, he couldn’t stand. The cows were almost upon us and there was still one man standing. The dirt beside me exploded from a gunshot blast and Todd reacted quickly, stepping out from behind the pallets and aiming at the shooter in the loft. The gunshot echoed in my ear, but I didn’t have to look back. I heard the body drop the twenty feet or so to the floor with a thud.
No time, no time…
Another shot rang out and this time I was struck. I staggered sideways, but kept on running. It had only grazed my forearm. The air filled with gunshot blasts and I honestly had no idea who was firing at who. My goal was to reach CJ and Joshua before we were all shot or the damn cows ran over us.
They were only a few dozen feet away—I was almost there—when the man holding the gun on Ryan suddenly turned toward the couple on the ground. He aimed his weapon at them and fired. I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Ryan had changed direction, exposing his back to the man he grappled with. He’d seen what was about to happen and had grabbed for the other man’s legs, throwing him off balance just when he’d fired. CJ had covered Joshua with her own body, and she would have been struck if Ryan hadn’t interceded. The bullet just missed her head, imbedding into the wall behind her. The man behind Ryan raised his gun and fired.
I grabbed Joshua around his shoulder and tugged with all my might. Being tied, CJ couldn’t help me. She fell through the stall door at my side. Joshua blinked and with all of his might, he lifted up and propelled himself backward. The herd of cows passed by the opening in a thundering frenzy just as Joshua’s feet cleared the threshold. I saw the man who’d shot Ryan go down under the stampede.
“You are hardcore, Sheriff.”
I closed my eyes, breathing hard. Dammit.
When I opened them and scooted up, Zeke stood there, a gun pointed at the three of us. Two more men dropped through a square hole in the loft ceiling that could be used for feeding hay into the stall. They still had guns in their hands and their eyes were wild.
“Let’s just kill them all and get the hell out of here,” one of the men said. His stood stiffly and when my eyes completely focused, I saw him bleeding from a shoulder wound.
From a distance, I could just make out the wail of sirens. They were getting closer—we’d almost made it. The rifle was still at my side, but I’d never get it raised in time to fire a shot off before we were all executed. The open-air window at Zeke’s back was large enough for a man to easily get through. The three of them were home free.
Several thoughts swirled through my mind at once. Regret that I couldn’t save CJ and Joshua. Sadness for Joshua’s kids, who wouldn’t have a family. Would Elayne survive? Did Todd get shot? What about Ryan? He’d saved CJ and Joshua—and been shot in the back as a result. He was still out there in the aisle way, beneath the animals that didn’t have anywhere to go. The front doors of the barn were shut. They were trapped. We’d created enough chaos to get us to this point—but it wasn’t enough. All those thoughts disappeared and behind blurry eyes, I only saw Daniel. Was he okay?
Then I saw something poke up from the other side of the window. Rays of sunshine outlined it. The breath caught in my throat, and hope surged to life in my belly.
“Sorry, Sheriff. You made a nice go of it, but you lose. No way I can let any of you live now, but especially you—since I said way too much earlier, and it sounds like the cavalry is about to arrive. Still holding his gun, he made a hand gesture to the other men and they raised their weapons to finish us off.
CJ’s face pressed against Joshua’s cheek as she wept. I huddled against them, trying to provide some kind of protection, but knowing full well that my measly body wouldn’t stop the bullets.
When the gunshots blasted, my eyes instinctively closed and I stopped breathing. There were a few long seconds when time stood still. I heard the faint sound of cows mooing and sirens wailing, but it felt like I was being held underwater. All of a sudden there was a rush of loud sounds and my chest filled with air. I opened my eyes and saw purple dots in the gun smoke. Coughing, I pushed up until my feet were firmly on the ground. The two men were not so lucky. They lay sprawled on the ground. A quick glance at CJ and Joshua and I knew they were alive.
Zeke was up against the wall, clutching his bloody stomach where he’d been shot. I grabbed up his gun from off the dirt floor and aimed it at him. “Doesn’t look like I lose after all. The feds are going to have a field day with you and all your gossip about mob operations in Indianapolis and beyond.” A kind of sick chuckle erupted from my lips. “I sure wouldn’t want to be you.”
“Fuck you, Sheriff,” Zeke said calmly.
The blast was unexpected and when Zeke crumpled to the ground, I spun on my heels. “Why did you do that?” I hissed.
Ethan Ogden smiled back at me, still illuminated by sunshine glare. “Sorry about that. Didn’t you see him about to go for your weapon? I just saved yo
ur life, Sheriff, along with these fine folks. You should be thanking me.”
I swallowed hard. “Why are you here?” I managed to ask.
“Just like Zeke Bachman, I have my own secrets that a scene like this might have unleashed.” He shrugged, still smiling. “I got word of what was going down, and I couldn’t have damn outsiders taking out the sheriff of my town.”
“Drop your weapon!” Todd shouted from beyond the window.
Ethan obliged and without argument put his hands on the top of his head. “Just remember, Sheriff Adams. You and your friends would be dead if it weren’t for me.”
“We’re okay,” I called out. “Cuff him, Todd.”
“Thank God,” I turned back and saw Daniel atop a black horse. The cows milled around him, but they’d calmed down a lot.
I wiped away the tear that threatened to fall from the corner of my eye and sniffed. Holding it all together, I said one word, “Ryan?”
Daniel shook his head and I turned away, focusing on getting CJ and Joshua’s bonds cut loose. Later I’d mourn my friend.
34
Serenity
The late afternoon scene at the Miller’s farm was very different from earlier that day when I’d arrived. Flashing lights blinked from several police cruisers and the lone ambulance. The usual peaceful place was frenzied with strangers walking across the yard and milling around the barns. Throw in a dozen buggies parked in the grass and it was over the top surreal.
The air was warm and sweat beaded in between my breasts. Absently, I rubbed the bandage on my arm. Except for a small, dull pain, it didn’t really bother me. With all the bullets flying around inside of that barn, and how exposed I’d been, it was a miracle that I wasn’t seriously wounded.
I blew out a quick breath when Beth and Raymond came out of the house with Elayne on a gurney. Heather stayed with them, and even climbed into the ambulance when Elayne was loaded up. Elayne’s eyes were closed, so there wasn’t any reason for me to approach her. Being unconscious was probably a blessing under the circumstances.
Bobby walked up and stood beside me, quietly watching as the ambulance doors closed and then as it pulled away. Raymond didn’t put full sirens on, probably fearing it would scare the horses, but he did activate the air horn at short intervals to get the Amish to move their buggies out of the way so that the ambulance could make it down the driveway quicker.
“How is Elayne doing?” I asked Bobby without facing him.
“Beth commented that if Heather hadn’t been here to apply first aid to stabilize her, she’d be dead.”
I lowered my voice. “Be honest, what do you think her chances of survival are?”
“Stomach wounds are tricky, but it looked to me like the bullet didn’t hit any major organ structures. Elayne has a good chance of surviving this horrible ordeal.” Bobby was a practical man. He sounded hopeful and that was good enough for me to be too.
“Since we’re still short on emergency vehicles, Jeremy is going to drive Joshua to the hospital. CJ is in much better shape than her new husband. From what I’ve pieced together, the two had snuck down to the barn for a moment alone when they were attacked. Joshua put up a gallant fight to save his bride, but was outnumbered. He took quite a beating,” Bobby said.
I followed his gaze back to the front on the house, where Jerome assisted Jeremy in getting Joshua into the cruiser. CJ talked to the little girls on the porch, kissed each of their foreheads in turn, and then jogged down the porch steps in more fluid movements than I expected after what she’d been through. Mary Ester and Rosetta remained on the porch with the kids. It appeared CJ was riding into town with Joshua.
I touched Bobby’s arm as I left him. Parts of the ordeal were still a bit blurred, while others were rather sharp—like Ryan taking a bullet in the back. I’d lost one friend on this day, but I might have lost several others. Adrenaline still pumped madly inside of me, and the taste of fear continued to pester my lips with a bitter taste. Daniel, Bobby, Todd, CJ—all the people closest to me had been in jeopardy. It was bad enough to lose Ryan. I didn’t even want to think about if anyone else had died.
Stretching my legs into a jog, I crossed the yard. “CJ, wait.”
She stopped and turned around. Her gown was ripped and splotched with bloody marks. There was a bright red bruise where the gag had been tied around her mouth, and make up that had run and then dried, streaked her face.
Before I could say anything, she surged forward, throwing her arms around me. Gently, she rocked against my chest as I rubbed her back.
“Poor…poor Ryan. He saved my life…now he’s gone,” she chirped between swallowing wet gulps of emotion. Once again, tears poured from her eyes.
Her sobbing escalated and I drew back, giving her a small shake to get her attention. She wiped her eyes and swallowed, blinking to clear her eyes.
“It’s all right, CJ. Trust me on this, Ryan would have been wracked with guilt if he hadn’t saved you. It was the only thing he could do at that moment, and he did it without thought—pure instinct drove him. He loved you, and more than anything, he wanted you to have a happy new life.” I lifted her chin, making sure she looked me directly in the eye. “By God, that’s exactly what you’re going to do. That’s the best way to honor his sacrifice.”
Understanding dawned in her glistening gaze and she nodded. “What happened today—why did those men come to our wedding like that? Todd said something about it being Ryan’s fault. That isn’t true, is it?”
I glanced at Joshua through the window. His eyes were closed, but a second earlier, he’d offered me a small smile. He had to be in a lot of pain, and should get to the hospital as soon as possible for a thorough evaluation. There wasn’t enough time to explain anything properly to CJ. Hell, I wasn’t sure exactly what had happened myself at this point.
“Ryan got himself into trouble with some bad people and they followed him to Blood Rock. We’ll get together in a few days and I’ll tell you everything I know. I promise. Right now, your husband needs medical attention.”
“Once again, you came to my rescue.” CJ’s lips trembled.
“I can say it’s part of the job, but I would have done the same thing even if I didn’t wear the badge. I wasn’t about to lose you. I just hate that your wedding day was ruined.”
The corner of CJ’s mouth lifted and her face brightened a little. “It wasn’t, Serenity. My heart breaks for Ryan and the entire thing was horrible, but Joshua, the children, you, and everyone else are still here. And it looks like Elayne has a very good chance of pulling through. It could have been much worse. The damage to the house and barn can be fixed. On a whole, I have so very much to be thankful for.”
My eyes clouded. Most women would have been drowning in bitterness if their wedding had been plagued with a gunfight, multiple deaths, kidnapping, assault, and destruction. But not CJ. That’s why I liked her so much. She was that unusual sliver of bright light in a dark and rotten world.
“You’re a hell of a woman. I foresee only good things on the horizon for you and your new family from here on out. We’ll have another reception in the near future, and we’ll all chip in to get the farm cleaned up and back in order.”
CJ gestured at the barn and my gaze followed her outstretched arm.
“Looks like the community is already tackling the job. Strange that they’re doing it when Joshua isn’t even Amish anymore,” CJ said.
A crowd of dark clad men had gathered at the spot where the Jeep had crashed into the side of the barn. I spotted the tall, lean figure of the bishop first. He directed the men to different tasks in his usual take-charge way. Lester and Daniel were in the process of herding the cows back out into the paddock with the help of several teenaged boys, including John.
The resiliency of the Amish never ceased to amaze me. A former member of their club had just had his wedding interrupted and his prope
rty shot up by a gang of mobsters. There were bodies of men they didn’t know still lying in various places around the barn, waiting for more personnel to arrive to bag them up properly. Because of the gas explosion catastrophe, which was also connected to what happened here, there just weren’t enough officers and emergency workers to get things done quickly. But the Amish carried on as if nothing was wrong. There was a barn that must be repaired and cattle to be taken care of. The simplicity of their actions and their calm behavior was very grounding under these incredible circumstances.
I called out to Bobby. “Hey, tell the Amish to stay away from the barn. We have to get the crime tape put up.” I turned back to CJ. “It’s just what they do in times of crises. They build and they bake.” I flashed CJ a smile and she tried to smile back at me.
“I’ll call you tonight…” she said before she slid into the backseat next to Joshua.
Jerome shut the door behind her. Jeremy already waited in the driver’s seat and he pulled away as soon as the door closed.
“They’re awfully lucky,” Jerome commented.
He still hadn’t let down his disguise and I stared at him.
“They sure are,” I said quietly.
Jerome smiled. “It wasn’t just luck that saved them. It was a combination of your instincts and bravery that saved everyone.”
“Not everyone. Ryan Donavan is dead. Elayne Weaver is in critical condition. And if you want to throw in the bad guys, including Zeke Bachman, we have nine more bodies in the barn area.”
“Still, I’m surprised the body count isn’t higher. After all, you basically held off a military style invasion. You took risks, but they paid off in the end. The paperwork is going to be a nightmare.”
Bloody Ties (Serenity's Plain Secrets Book 8) Page 20