This town was so isolated it would take them an hour to get to a gas station. Amy could be in a major medical crisis.
He had to turn back to the medical center.
Even as he thought through it, Noah tapped the wheel with his index finger. His phone still had no signal. He couldn’t call out.
Before he drove, he went to the unconscious man and searched his pockets for a cell phone. Or a radio. He had to have some way to get orders from Jeremiah, and the cartel boss that was here, as well as report in.
Why hadn’t he thought of that before he got in the car?
Noah didn’t have time to think about the implications of the fact he’d probably hit his head.
The man moaned. Noah stumbled back and fell in the snow, but the man didn’t wake up. Noah put a hand to his chest and exhaled. No one had seen that. No one knew that he’d been startled enough to fall backward.
He clambered to his feet and winced. Flipped the man over and found a radio in the back pocket. He checked it as he walked back to the driver’s side, watching for any more gunmen. Just the crackle of static.
He shut the door. Wondered again about going back to town, versus making a run for it. Stay, and hopefully catch Jeremiah. Go, and keep Amy safe. Could he do both?
Noah looked down at the dash while the engine chugged. Less than a quarter tank of gas. I guess that’s the answer, Lord. There wasn’t enough gas to get to the closest place to fill up, heading out of town. Was there enough to get back to the medical center? Maybe.
He pulled out onto the highway and flipped a U-turn. When they got there, he would use a landline or a computer to get the word out to the marshals.
Maybe they were already on their way.
Noah decided to think the best of it. Amy would be safe. She could get medical attention. He could contact his boss, and get backup here to help take down this army of gunmen.
One he was driving back into the heart of.
God, help us.
* * *
Amy blinked. Fluorescent lights overhead flashed behind her eyelids. She blinked again. Shifted. She was on a bed.
The warm tug of something in her arm. She focused on the sensation. Looked at the needle sticking out of the inside of her elbow. Huh. Then she lifted her other arm.
Bandaged. A splint.
Someone moved beside the bed. “What...?”
Noah shifted. He sat on the edge of the bed, wearing jeans and a T-shirt. His right arm was in a sling. “Hey. You’re awake.”
“How long was I out?”
“Maybe an hour, or so. You broke your arm.”
“I think I came to at one point.” Maybe that didn’t matter.
He nodded, though there was no reassurance in his gaze. They weren’t safe. “They think you hit your head, as well. You might have a concussion, but they want to see how you are and then they’ll run some tests.” He hesitated. “They said in a few days you can get a permanent cast until your arm heals.”
She stared at him. “What else?”
“I called my office. They’re sending backup.”
“Okay.” That wasn’t it. At least, she didn’t think so. Something was wrong, and Noah didn’t want to tell her what it was. “I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”
He sighed, his lips curling into a small smile. “I know you can.” He paused. “The fact is, I don’t want you to have to handle it.” What did that mean? “I want you to have a peaceful life. A good life, where you’re not running for your life.” He rubbed at his forehead with the heel of his palm, then ran his hand back through his hair. Disheveled was a good look for him, even though the reason behind it wasn’t good.
His shoulders slumped.
Amy reached up with her free hand and touched his cheek. “Noah.”
His chocolate-brown eyes glinted, like flecks of gold. Warmth, despite the tension in him. He hadn’t relaxed. And it seemed like he wasn’t going to.
“What is it?”
“I’m just nervous. And I probably will be until the marshals roll in, along with the FBI and Colorado state police. I told them to bring everyone.” A small smile curled his lips. “I’m expecting an invasion anytime now, and hopefully it will be the good guys.”
She nodded. Pain thronged through her skull, like an orchestra at the climax of the piece they were playing. She blew out a breath. “I hope so, too.”
“I can tell the nurse if you need more pain medicine.”
Amy laid her hand on his. “In a minute.”
“Don’t be stubborn. If you need medicine, you should take some.”
She pressed her lips together. But she wasn’t mad. They twisted into a smile.
He grinned back. “You’re going to make me work for this, aren’t you?”
“No way.”
It slipped out before she’d even thought it through, the realization that anything personal between them should be the easiest thing in the world. Maybe work would come later. But sharing their feelings for each other?
“I’m glad you’re here.”
He said, “It’s been mentioned. And for the record, I’m glad I’m here, too.”
“Really glad.”
“Will you still say if Jeremiah finds out you’re here, and shows up before the marshals do?” He even looked at his watch.
“Yes. Even if.”
“There you go, being stubborn again.”
She wasn’t going to apologize for that. “I only have a limited amount of time before you leave. I need to make the most of it.”
“Before I leave?”
“Or I do. Whatever.” Were they going to argue about that? “No more talking.”
“And what, pray tell, should we do instead?”
She grabbed a handful of the front of his shirt and tugged on it. “Maybe you should come here and find out.”
Noah’s lips spread in a smile. He planted his good hand beside the pillow and leaned down, less by her tugging and more by his own volition. He didn’t need her to twist his arm. Seemed like he was all in.
But he didn’t kiss her.
Noah paused, his face close to hers. “Are we going to do this?”
“I’m done thinking about all the reasons why it was a bad idea before. Because I’m ninety percent sure they’re still valid.” She searched his gaze with hers. “But what if we never get another chance?”
Things were going to turn out the way God had planned, and they didn’t know what that would be. She could only trust that they’d be alive. That the best would happen. But maybe that was an impossible dream, one she wasn’t going to receive.
Noah touched his lips to hers. Tentative at first, then it was like he made the decision. Or gave in to the pull of the feelings that seemed to arc between them like sparks of electricity.
Amy forgot everything, and just lived in the moment. Maybe she would regret it later, but the truth was that life really was too short. Who knew what would happen? She wanted to grab a moment of happiness in the middle of all the crazy.
Was that too much to ask?
The door opened.
Noah pulled back, twisting to see who it was. She looked past him and saw the nurse they’d left the deputy sheriff with standing there. The look on her face was shell-shocked. There was no other way to describe it.
“What is it?” Noah’s voice rang in the small room.
“They’re coming here.” Her lip quivered. “I’m sorry. They said they’d kill all of us if we didn’t tell them if you showed up again.”
And they’d waited this long? Now she was warning them, to give them time to...what? Escape?
Amy shoved at the covers. “Get this needle out of me.”
Pain tore through her arm.
“You can’t move when that’s in!” The nurse rushed over. “Wait...that’s actual
ly a good idea. I’m going to tell them that. They can’t take you out of here.”
“He’ll just shoot me right here in this bed.”
The nurse gasped and turned to Noah. “You should go. I’ll hold them off.”
“Not happening.” He didn’t even move off the bed.
“She’s right,” Amy said. “You should get somewhere safe. Wait for reinforcements, and then take Jeremiah and his friends down.” She patted his arm, half trying to reassure him it was okay and half trying to get him to move away from her. As though that would keep him safe.
Noah turned to her, the look in his eyes like fire. “Not. Happening.”
ELEVEN
Noah lowered the radio he’d taken from those men, right before he took their pickup. “They have the whole building surrounded, and it sounds like they’re bringing more men in by the minute.”
Determined to root out Amy.
He gritted his back teeth together and tried to not let her know that he was scared. For her. For him. For what might happen. For anyone who was here that might get caught in the cross fire. There were so many things to worry about it was beyond overwhelming. God, help us get through this. Help me figure out how to help her.
Noah needed serious help. Otherwise there would be multiple casualties, and Amy would be gone.
“What can we do?” Amy glanced from the nurse to him.
Noah didn’t have much he could tell her. But he hadn’t sat around while they checked her out and put the IV in. They’d stitched up his arm, and insisted he wear the sling. He’d mostly worn it just so when Amy woke up she’d know he had been taken care of. The headache would go away on its own. Hers was probably much worse.
He said, “I put a call out to the marshals service when we got here, remember? Help is on its way.” That reminder was the good news. Now for the bad news. “Problem is, your brother and his friends are going to come in here before the good guys even show up. We don’t have enough time to wait.”
Which meant she could be dead before help arrived. Noah could be dead by then. The damage could already be done, and there would be nothing either of them would be able to do about it.
No way to save her.
“So we should try to get out.” She glanced to the nurse again, then back to Noah. “Maybe there’s a side entrance we can slip through, get away.”
The last thing Noah wanted to do right now was rip this sling off and run. Neither of them were in any state to try to flee again. Though he would if it was their only option. He fingered the radio, not wanting to listen again at how they were surrounding the building. Waiting for the “boss” to show up at the medical center so they could come in and get Amy.
Was Jeremiah the boss? The US Marshals hadn’t thought so through the trial. Neither had the Department of Justice, or the FBI. None of the evidence seemed to point to that. Still, it was possible they’d just missed it. Or things had changed since he had gone to jail. Like a favor done, and the return was that he had been given an elevated position. That was essentially speculation, though, and not much more than that unless he could get actual evidence.
“Obviously the best option is for me to just go out there and give myself up.” Amy shifted on the bed, shoved the covers back and sat up. She might sound brave right now, but he could see the fear in her eyes. She said, “Jeremiah will stand down if I go to him.”
There was no way he’d let her sacrifice herself.
Noah shot her a look. “Really? You know that, do you?” Maybe her brother wanted maximum damage.
She ignored him and asked the nurse, “Get this out, will you?”
The nurse looked at him—the badge in the room, therefore the voice of reason.
Amy said, “He doesn’t need to give you permission. Get this thing out of me.” She started to tug on it.
“Okay, okay.” The nurse practically slapped her hands away. “Don’t hurt yourself. Let me do it.”
“I’m trying to save all of you.” Amy winced. The needle slid all the way out, and the nurse covered the skin with a square of gauze. “Who cares about a little blood?”
Noah did. He really cared about Amy not bleeding. He’d rather she was healthy. Safe.
Was she really going to do this? She seemed determined, but that was going to hit a wall any second now when she realized he wasn’t going to let her sacrifice herself. Being noble didn’t make it the right choice.
He turned to the nurse. “How many patients do you have right now? How many people in the building?”
“Three, including Amy. Not including you. Six total.”
He nodded. Then he turned to Amy. Chin up, that determined look in her eyes.
It very much seemed like she would give herself up to her brother. If he let her.
“You get that my job is to keep you safe, right? The whole point of you being in Witness Security is to make sure of that. That means not letting you turn yourself over to the man who wants to kill you.” Noah folded his arms. “The two of you need a place to hide.”
The nurse turned to him. “There’s—”
A voice came over the announcement speakers. “Clare.”
There was a pause. The nurse glanced at a speaker, high on the wall. The way a person turned their attention to a phone call they were on.
“Hopefully you can hear me,” the man said through the crackle of the speakers. “I’m not sure if you can, but the deputy they brought in is awake.”
“That’s good, right?” Amy hopped off the bed like they were too distracted to notice her essentially trying to escape.
Noah said, “Hold up.” He lifted a hand, palm out. Just so she would know he was serious. “You’re going to find somewhere to hole up while I talk to him.” Hopefully that would buy some time, so he could convince her to stick around. “There are people here, and we need to make sure they’ll be all right before you do...whatever you’re going to do.”
Let her think he was going to allow it. The truth would win out. Noah would figure out a way to keep her safe, hopefully with the deputy’s help.
He had limited ammo. Limited options.
There was an army outside the door.
“Just give me a little time, okay?”
Amy clearly didn’t like it, but he saw her nod.
* * *
After Noah had a quiet conversation with the nurse—one she wasn’t privy to—Amy and the other woman were ushered to a room. Noah shut the door.
She half expected a lock to turn. Why was he acting like this? She’d had a good idea. He might not like it. Truth was, she didn’t much like it, either. It wasn’t like she was all fired up to go see her brother. To be killed, or whatever those cartel friends of his were going to do to her, all to shut her up as revenge for testifying. And for costing Jeremiah his son.
Amy shut her eyes. Tried to figure a better way out of this. Of course she would go for another option, but what was there that she could do?
She squeezed the bridge of her nose with her good hand and tried to think. The other arm was basically useless.
“You okay?”
Amy turned to the nurse, who had for some reason been closeted in here with her. “Fine.” She didn’t want a stranger to get hurt for her.
“Nothing residual from the crash?”
Amy didn’t want to shake her head. Her thoughts were a little...swimmy. Like shaking her head would make everything swish around, and she’d get dizzy. “I’m okay.” With a list of qualifiers she didn’t intend to share.
No jumping. No running. No turning around too fast. No movement at all that was too fast. So long as she stuck to things not on the list, she figured she could convince them she was all right. Or, at least, well enough to be making a decision rationally.
She wandered around the small space. It had a kitchenette. Tiny round table and four chairs. A beat
-up love seat. Amy pulled the fridge door open and stared at the contents inside. What else was she supposed to do when confronted with a fridge?
“Hungry?”
Amy shut the door and moved on, around the room. Looking at what was here. “What’s been happening in town? We were running through the woods, so we don’t really know what has gone on.”
“Gunmen rolled in. I saw at least four pickup trucks. Guys in front, and more in back. It was like being in Afghanistan.”
Amy lifted her brows. “You served?”
“Medical mission trip. They used to sweep into town, wave their guns around and threaten to kill us if we didn’t treat whoever they had with them that had been shot.” The nurse made a face. “Mostly I figured it was one of our guys who tried to kill one on their side. So why was I going to help save him? But it’s what I signed up to do.”
Amy saw her anew through the lens of this information. Maybe if she’d stayed in town, they would have become friends.
Right now she had no idea if she would even live out the rest of the night.
The nurse shrugged. “These guys seemed kind of similar. But without the wounded to treat.”
“That would be my fault.”
“They’re really here for you?”
Amy nodded, small and slow but enough. “My brother is one of those guys who escaped from that federal prison. He brought them here to get me.”
Her eyes widened. “They locked down the town. No one is allowed to go anywhere until they find you.”
“What about the sheriff—is he doing something?”
The nurse shrugged. “I have no idea where he is, but I wouldn’t want to be him right about now. Faced with an army. One of his guys in here. Maybe he’s dead.”
“Backup is on the way.” Great, now she was flinging around the party line. Saying what Noah had said, just because it sounded reassuring. Not because it was actually going to help them get away.
She wandered to the high window, just so she didn’t have to see the disbelief on the nurse’s face. Neither of them was dumb. There was no way backup would get here in time. Noah had said that. And yet, here they were. Waiting.
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