In My Sights (1 Night Stand Series)

by L. J. Garland

  “Yeah.” Kyle shook his head. “That, too.”

  “He’s all stitched up,” Colin said. “Checked himself out of the hospital.”

  “More like ran out of the hospital,” Zeke quipped. “When I got there, he was standing at the curb. Siobhan right next to him.”

  “Point is, the bastard missed. But he isn’t giving up. I just got off the phone with Detective Moore. The deputies who arrived locked down the whole range, but so far no trace of our shooter. What we need is to figure out how to take him down. So, we’ll need the full story.” Colin glanced toward Siobhan again. “You think she’s ready to talk?”

  “I don’t know. It’s like a damn déjà vu for her. The guy is coming after her like she’s unfinished business or something.” He met her gaze, searched for that light, that strength he’d seen out on the range. But even across the room, he could see the guilt and hope swirling in her eyes. Damn. He couldn’t stand the possibility she might revert to the scared rabbit she’d been when they’d met. Willing his strength to her, he gave her a small nod and held his hand out to her. She crossed the room, slipping her slim fingers into his waiting grasp. The moment she touched him, he knew the truth. Knew he loved her and wanted to spend his life with her. Knew he’d give his last breath to save her. “Can you do it, honey? Can you tell Colin what you remember, so we can stop this guy?”

  She frowned, tears welling in her eyes. He squeezed her hand, and she nodded. “Yes. But I don’t know how it could help.”

  “Just tell him what you remember.”

  “We walked back to the car. You got shot.” She paused to swallow. “You shoved me into the car. And then it was just like you said. The guy shot three or four more times and then just stopped. Next thing I remember is some sheriff looking at me through the window.”

  “Slow it down a little,” Colin said, his voice calm and reassuring. “It probably seems like a big ball of chaos. Close your eyes and think about the details. Take it bit by bit. You and Bobby were walking back to the car….”

  She clutched his hand and took a breath. “The sun was warm, but a breeze had come up. I remember when Bobby went to put what we’d brought into the trunk of the car the wind had ruffled his hair. I…my phone rang, and I went to get my purse from the floorboard.” Her face twisted with distaste. “When I answered, I heard a weird voice. Him. He said something about the gun range. ‘He took you to a shooting range?’” Her voice took on a malevolent lilt as she repeated the killer’s words. “Then, ‘You should know by now guns are dangerous.’ Then blood and Bobby throwing me into the car. Glass exploding.”

  Her body quaked, and her breath hitched.

  He eased her down onto his lap, hugging her against him. “You did good, darlin’. Really good. It’s over. You’re safe.” He eyed Colin, silently asking him if he’d gotten anything new from what she’d said.

  He shook his head.

  “Wait.” She sat up. “He also said guns and my associations would get me killed. I don’t know what that means unless he’s talking about you.”

  “Could be. He told me at the hotel she was just a paycheck, but I’d made it personal. I don’t know why…unless he knows me.”

  “Yeah,” Colin said. “But it doesn’t explain why she was a hit in the first place. If we figure that out, we might get somewhere.” He glanced at Siobhan. “He said your associations. Did your friends or brother have any problems with the law or shady activity?”

  Siobhan straightened. “Of course not! Mary was a daycare provider, My brother was in medical school, and John worked for Senator Richards.”

  “Wait.” Jason frowned. “The killer called you? On your cell phone?”

  “That’s what she said.” Bobby glared at the kid. “He called me at the hotel before he took that first shot.”

  “No, no.” He looked around at the guys, his expression bright with realization. “Don’t you see?”

  “What?” Colin said.

  “He knew she was at the hotel. Saw Bobby with her and took his wallet, checking out the enemy. From there, he probably hacked the hotel registry to get your room number. And then—” He gestured toward Siobhan. “—he finds you again at the shooting range. Sets up at the parking lot because he knows you’ll go back there when you leave. Then he calls her on her cell phone.”

  “He likes to play games. Some freaky connection to his targets.” Bobby cocked an eyebrow. “So?”

  “That’s how he’s tracked you,” Jason said. “Through the cell’s GPS. He’s probably gotten access somehow and can find you whenever he wants.”

  Oh shit. If his theory is true, we could all be in danger right now. “Siobhan, get your phone. Take the battery out.”

  She rushed to her purse and dug for her cell. Fumbling with the back panel, she pried the plastic cover off and dug out the battery. “Done.”

  Already on his feet, Bobby strode toward the door. “We gotta move out. All of us. This guy could be preparing to blow the house.” He glanced out the sidelight. “Or waiting to pick us off when we step outside.”

  “My house,” Colin said. “It’s across town and on the beach. Limits his approaches.”

  Bobby nodded. “Now we know how he’s tracking us, can we reverse it and track him?”

  Jason grinned. “It’s possible. Siobhan’s phone, a computer with access, and a couple hours, I might be able to work it out.”

  Taking Siobhan’s hand in his, Bobby peered down into her face. “You okay?”

  “I’m not hiding anymore.” She lifted her chin. “Wherever you go, I’m with you.”

  Damn, she was amazing. He looked at his team. “Okay then. One way or another, we’re taking the asshole down.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Why the hell do I have to be the one dressed like a chick?” Kyle grumbled as Siobhan added final touches to his make-up. “Why not Jason? He’s the newbie.”

  “Because,” Bobby said, trying to hold back his laughter, “out of all of us, you best match Siobhan’s height and build.”

  “In no possible way does my body look female, jackass.” He grabbed the hand mirror off the seat next to him and examined the work.

  Bobby smirked. Yeah, he knew what Kyle saw in the reflection—a damn cute feminine face.

  He threw the mirror down and glared at the guys. “Don’t. Say. A. Fucking. Word.”

  The entire team exploded in a burst of laughter, but immediately sobered when Siobhan donned her red and gold Florida State ball cap, tucking her hair up underneath it. She’d changed at Colin’s house and dressed in a pair of Jason’s BDU’s, which hid all the curves Bobby had come to love.

  Jason had been unable to do a reverse trace on the killer’s phone—somehow, the guy had managed to reroute his call through a ton of satellites and cell stations around the world, leaving the origin unrecoverable. So, Bobby, Colin, and the guys had come up with a plan to flush the sniper out using Siobhan’s cell phone. Jason would dress up like her and head to Navarre Beach. This early in the morning, it wouldn’t be very populated. Jason would be with Kyle, Bobby and Colin would be on the roof of the Sands Hotel, and Zeke would be lookout on the roof of the second nearest hotel, The Gulf Breeze.

  Bobby had picked the Sands, certain the sniper would choose the visually advantageous location to set up. It was where he would have positioned himself if he’d wanted to take out someone on the beach, and he was pretty sure the sniper had used the same spot when he’d first shot Siobhan.

  In addition to the team, they’d also requested a couple undercover police officers around the beach and hotel areas for good measure.

  “How’d you get the local cops to agree to be back-up and not point?” Zeke asked.

  “Detective Moore pulled a few strings. Didn’t ask. Don’t care. I’m just glad we have control of this one.” He glanced at Siobhan. Even dressed in nondescript camo, the woman had something going for her that made his heart flip. Maybe it was the glint of excitement in her eyes?

  She’d
managed a total turnaround from the night he’d met her—morphing from an anxious and paranoid victim to a confident woman who wanted to fight for her life. Catching his stare, she smiled, and a swift rush of doom flooded him. Had he made the right decision, leaving her in the van?

  She’d asked to go with him on the roof, and as much as he wanted her with him where he could protect her, he just couldn’t bring her—protocol, procedure, and all that shit. Still, he’d rather have her at his side. His compromise had been to leave her in the unmarked tactical vehicle down on the street with a local cop guarding her. She would have access to the com and be able to hear everything occurring.

  Bobby lingered when the other guys piled out. He took Siobhan in his arms. “It’s almost over.” He brushed a lock of hair from her face. “But you and me? Far from it.”

  He lowered his mouth to hers and poured every emotion grinding through into that one kiss. Exhilaration, confidence, fear, and love. Yes, absolutely, love. When one of the guys tapped on the van door, he reluctantly left her lips and stared into her eyes.

  “You don’t leave here for anything. Understand?”

  She smiled. “I understand.” She grabbed his hand when he moved to leave. “You come back to me safe, understand?”

  His fingers slipping from hers, he jumped out and turned back. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.” He slammed the back door shut and glared at the cop meant to guard her. “Don’t take your eye off her, for anything. Got it? Nothing. And make sure you pay attention to the people around here, you––”

  “Bobby! The guy knows his damn job,” Colin roared. “Let’s go and let him do it.”

  In fifteen minutes, everyone had reached their assigned positions and had checked in through their coms. God, please let this work. He wanted Siobhan safe, and he wanted the whole ordeal finished today.

  He and Colin took cover behind one of the big air conditioning units. While they waited, he checked his rifle one last time. Everything was in order, but damn if the routine movements hadn’t set his bandaged shoulder to aching like a mother. Gritting his teeth, he considered popping a pain pill but decided against it. He needed to stay alert, and the sharp ache would keep him focused. He glanced down at the weapon in his hands and grimaced. Using the rifle would be difficult in his current state, but he shouldn’t need it. The plan was to take the sniper by surprise, all up close and personal, so he could look the bastard in the eyes when they caught him.

  The early morning sun beat down on them, and the dense humidity made it difficult to take a full breath—at least he told himself it was the humidity.

  Shit, almost two full hours had passed since their arrival and nothing. Kyle no longer paraded up and down the beach but sat on a beach towel he’d brought with him. Nearby, Jason toed the sand, his stealthy glances assessing possible threats.

  He sighed. No one stood out on the ground, and no one had shown on the roof. The local cops were getting antsy—people would start flooding the beach in another hour or so, and they would have to call the mission off.

  “You got anything, Zeke?” he whispered into the mic.

  “Nothing. Maybe he isn’t tracking the phone like we thought.”

  “He is,” Jason piped in from the beach. “I’d bet my life one it.”

  Bobby trusted his teammates with his safety on a daily basis. When it was his ass on the line, he never second-guessed them. But with his woman? “Well, you’re betting Siobhan’s life on it asshole. That’s not good enough.”

  “Put a Skittle in it, Bobcat.” Kyle’s voice filtered in. “Just chill a little longer. Hell, I’m the one out here dressed like a chick waiting to get picked off. Sit tight. She’s safe in––”

  “Holy shit!” Zeke yelled. “Some dude just got mowed down by a car in front of the tactical unit. He’s lying in the damn street covered in blood, doesn’t look like he’s moving.”

  “The car?” Bobby asked.

  “Kept going.”

  Shit, fuck, damn! If someone lay dead down in the street, they were going to have to shut down. There’d be too much heat for their sniper. And if that made him sound like a cold-hearted bastard, so be it. Had he wanted some innocent involved in a hit and run? No. He just wanted the nightmare to be over for Siobhan.

  “Wait a minute. Our cop just left the vehicle and is walking over to the guy in the street,” Zeke informed them.

  Bobby moved from behind the air conditioning unit and ran to the edge of the roof, Colin dead on his heels. “Shit! Get him the fuck back there.”

  Kyle muttered a few expletives. “We’re coming in off the beach now. You sit tight up there. If something goes down, we’ll need your eyes here.”

  Colin shoved the binoculars into his hand and set up the tripod for his rifle. “Zeke, we’ve got it from up here. Get to the street and see what’s happening.”

  “I can tell ya what’s happening.” His strained voice rang through Bobby’s earbud.

  He watched in horror. As the cop bent over the man in the street, his body jerked, and he slumped to the ground. The “injured” man jumped up and ran toward the van.

  “Fuck! Are you seeing this?” Zeke said.

  “Jesus Christ, we didn’t even arm her,” Bobby shouted. “Move out of my way.”

  Shoving Colin aside, he all but threw himself onto the tarred roof, getting into position with his rifle. He squinted through the scope, helplessness squeezing his lungs.

  The sniper yanked the doors open but was met with two hard boots to his face and fell backward on the pavement. That’s my girl.

  Siobhan darted out, but the bastard snagged her leg, and she hit the ground hard. The sniper grabbed her, jerking her to her feet, and wrapped one arm around her neck, his other hand jamming a gun to her temple.

  Jason, Kyle, and two plain clothes arrived, their guns trained on Siobhan and her attacker.

  “Do you have a shot?” Colin asked.

  “No damn it. Her head is blocking him.”

  Through his earbud, his teammates’ voices rang as they tried to talk down the madman.

  “You don’t want to do this.”

  “There’s no way out this time.”

  “Dude, just let her go. We’ll work it all out.”

  Bobby kept the scope’s crosshairs on Siobhan and her assailant.

  “Doesn’t matter,” the bastard who had his arm around his woman’s neck said. “I’m a dead man anyway. I have to kill her, the sen––shit. Don’t try your psychobabble on me. Back up.”

  No one moved.

  “Back the fuck up,” he screamed. “Or her brains will be splattered all over everyone here.”

  Shit. The guy could pull the trigger any second. He didn’t care that he would be killed a moment later.

  Siobhan’s eyes shifted, and she looked directly at Bobby. Guilt and longing tangled in his gut. There was no way she could know his exact location, yet her gaze remained locked on him. She made a fist then opened her hand, her five fingers spread out, then closed her fist again.

  She planned to give him to the count of five and the she would do something. But what? Her thumb came out, and Bobby set the crosshairs for the bastard’s forehead, still hidden behind Siobhan’s head. A second finger came out, and he relaxed his shoulders, blocked the pain, and willed his heart to a slow, steady beat.

  Thump, thump, thump….

  He wouldn’t miss. He couldn’t.

  Her third finger extended, and he took a deep breath, blocked out all sounds.

  Thump, thump…thump….

  The fourth finger showed, and he released half a breath. Instead of showing her fifth finger, Siobhan’s knees buckled and her body went slack.

  Thump…thump—

  Bobby squeezed the trigger.

  The rifle bucked against his shoulder, the report a sharp explosion. Through the scope, he watched the shot cross the expanse in less than a second, rendering a hole in the target’s head—and a bloody mess spraying behind him.

  Dead on.


  Siobhan’s would be killer hit the ground hard, taking her down with him.

  “Got him,” Colin said.

  Guns trained, the guys moved in to clear the scene. Siobhan struggled to her feet, and a plain-clothes cop urged her away from the carnage.

  Bobby flew down the hotel stairwell and, bursting through the door at the bottom, shot outside. He sprinted across the street, through the parking lot, and past bystanders and the hordes of brass and EMS that had arrived. Rushing straight to Siobhan, he gathered her in his arms. “You are the smartest, bravest, most beautiful woman I have ever met.”

  She smiled up at him, her face a bit pale, but her eyes glinting. “I knew you could see me. I knew you’d save me.”

  He brushed his lips over hers then gazed down at the woman who’d won his heart. “Stay here for me one second.”

  Approaching the nearest officer, he asked for one of the plastic zip ties they used to cuff people. He then whipped out his knife and cut most of it off, creating a small loop.

  Bobby strode back to Siobhan, who stood surrounded by his concerned teammates. Heart pounding but never more certain of anything in his life, he took her hand and got down on one knee. “I know we’ve only known each other a short time, but I know what’s in my heart. I love you Siobhan Cantrell. Will you give me the honor of being my wife?”

  She knelt in front of him, her lips a trembling smile. “I love you, too. Oh, yes!” She threw her arms around his neck. “Of course I’ll marry you.”

  He scooped her up amid the hoots and hollers of his teammates, spun her around, and set her back on her feet. Taking the zip tie he’d fashioned into a ring, he held it out. “It’s the best I can do at the moment.”

  Siobhan giggled, and tears streamed over her cheeks. “I love it! I’ll treasure it forever.”

  Bobby slid the makeshift band onto her ring finger and spun her around again, the pain in his shoulder a distant ache compared to the joy bursting in his heart.

  “Okay, everyone. Can I get out of this damn dress now?” Kyle growled.

  All eyes turned to the pararescueman in drag and broke out in laughter. Bobby tugged Siobhan to the side while his teammates razzed Kyle with comments about Twinkies and cream, how the dress brought out his eyes, and that there really had been no need for him to shave his legs.