Under the Lawman's Protection

by Laura Scott

  The lieutenant did as he was told, dropping to his knees and putting his arms behind his back. Isaac slipped his gun in the waistband of his jeans and wrapped the sweatshirt string tightly around Nash’s wrists. But instead of helping him, Cam Walker dashed toward the cabin, kicked the door open and darted inside.

  “What in the world?” Isaac quickly finished tying the knot and then let go of Nash, leaping to his feet. In that second he realized he’d made a grave mistake.

  Walker had to be the guy who’d blown Hawk’s cover, not Nash. Isaac had trusted the wrong guy!

  He followed Cameron Walker inside and then froze when he realized Walker was already in Hawk’s room, holding a gun on Leah, who was clutching Ben. For a moment Isaac couldn’t breathe, flashing back to when Becky’s new boyfriend had held a gun on Jeremy mere seconds before he’d pulled the trigger.

  Please, Lord, please spare Leah and Ben!

  “Stay where you are and drop the gun,” Walker said harshly. “I have nothing to lose and I plan to kill you all anyway, so it doesn’t matter to me if the woman and kid go first.”

  The last thing Isaac wanted to do was drop his weapon, but he slowly did as he’d been ordered, crouching as he did so.

  “Kick it toward me,” Walker commanded.

  He kicked it under Hawk’s bed instead so that it couldn’t be used against them. Leah cried out in pain as Walker yanked her head back by her hair and pressed the gun more firmly against her temple. Ben started crying and Isaac could tell that the sound was bugging the gunman. The way the guy shifted his stance and glared at Ben reminded him of that first night, when a gunman had held Leah hostage.

  Isaac believed this had to be the same man who’d tried to kidnap Leah and Ben and killed Trey Birchwood.

  But why had he killed Trey? That didn’t make any sense, based on what Nash had told him.

  “You do anything like that again and I’ll blow her away,” Walker said in a furious tone. “Understand?”

  Isaac swallowed hard, feeling sick to his stomach, and nodded. He needed to remember every bit of his hostage-negotiator training. “Understood. Tell you what, Walker—let the woman and the boy go and I’ll be your hostage instead.”

  “No way,” Walker said with a leering grin. “In fact, you’re going to help me set this crime scene up to look like you did it.”

  The sick feeling in his gut intensified. There had to be a way to get through to this guy, but how?

  “You’re not the real Cam Walker, are you?” Hawk said from his perch on the bed. Isaac noticed now that Shane was sitting upright on the edge, directly across from where Walker held Leah and Ben.

  “Sure I am,” the ATF agent said.

  “No, I can tell your voice is different,” Hawk said with certainty. “I spoke to the real Cameron Walker many times and I know you’re not him. So who are you? I bet you killed Walker and stole his identity.”

  “So what?” the impostor said offhandedly. “You’ll never know who I really am, so don’t even bother asking.”

  “How did you find us?” Isaac asked. He knew he had to find a way to keep the fake ATF agent talking and hoped stroking his ego might work. All he needed was enough time for Nash to get free. Since he’d rushed at the end, he figured the lieutenant just might be able to work his way loose from the sweatshirt string and come in to help them. Or at least call for backup.

  Unless he really was working with the fake Walker?

  No, somehow it didn’t seem like it. But even if so, there was nothing Isaac could do about it right now.

  “Let me guess,” he continued when the ATF agent didn’t say anything. “You had someone call in the anonymous tip about Steel and then somehow tracked my car here, right?”

  “Yeah, that’s right,” the ATF impostor sneered. “I knew your cop buddy was getting help from someone within the sheriff’s department, and when you put the APB out on Stainwhite, I figured you were the key. It was pathetically easy to put a tracking device on your car and to follow you here.”

  Isaac wanted to kick himself for not figuring it out sooner, but it was no use worrying about that now. “And how does Nash fit in?” he asked.

  A momentary flash of confusion washed over the guy’s face and Isaac knew that the fake ATF agent didn’t have a clue as to who was tied up outside. What did that mean? That the cop really was trying to help them?

  “Where’s Sharkey?” Hawk asked, changing the subject. “I’m surprised he’s not here with you.”

  “He’s not the leader of this arrangement,” the fake Walker said smoothly. “And enough talking. We’re going to set this up so that Hawkins takes the fall.”

  Isaac could barely stand to see the look of fear etched on Leah’s face, and Ben’s sobs tore at his heart. He racked his brain for another way to stall. And where was Nash? Shouldn’t he have figured out a way to get free of his bonds by now?

  “Looks like the sheriff’s deputy has to be the first one to die,” the fake ATF agent mused. “And then the woman and the kid, with the undercover cop the last, by his own hand, of course.”

  Isaac glanced at Hawk and saw his muscles tense. In that moment he understood what his buddy intended to do.

  Without any other warning, Hawk launched himself at the impostor, who reacted by swinging the gun away from Leah toward the new threat. Hawk hit his arm a split second before the gun went off, sending a bullet whistling above his head. Isaac dived toward the fake agent as well, while Leah and Ben scrambled out of the way. From the corner of his eye, Isaac noted that she pushed her son into the farthest corner of the room, placing herself directly in front of him.

  Isaac admired her courage. In fact, he admired a lot about her, and hopefully, he would have time to tell her.

  With Hawk’s help, he managed to get the Walker impostor subdued. Isaac held the man’s hands behind his back, while Hawk tied him up with a string he tore off the miniblinds.

  Nash finally barreled into the cabin, holding his gun, which he must have gone back to find in the woods, where Isaac had made him drop it. Nash crossed over, glaring at the impostor.

  “Aaron Winslow, you’re under arrest for murder, selling illegal guns and anything else we can pin on you,” Lieutenant Nash said harshly.

  Isaac sighed, relieved to know it was finally over. He glanced over at Leah and Ben, wanting nothing more than to get them out of here.

  “Look out!” Hawk shouted.

  Isaac whirled around, horrified to see that Nash was aiming his weapon at him, rather than at Winslow. What was going on? Was Nash involved after all? Had he only pretended to arrest Winslow to gain access to the cabin?

  Ben broke away from Leah and ran directly toward him, so he launched himself in front of the boy as two gunshots echoed through the cabin.

  A deep, fiery pain slashed at his left side and he dropped to his knees, desperately glancing around to make sure that Ben was all right. The little boy was sobbing as Leah held him, but thankfully, there was no sign of blood. Isaac caught a glimpse of Shane holding Walker’s gun toward Nash before darkness claimed him.

  His last conscious thought was to thank God that Leah and Ben were finally safe.

  * * *

  “Leah, are you and Ben all right?” Shane asked, stumbling toward her.

  “Y-yes,” she managed to gasp, her mind still reeling from the events. Lieutenant Nash was lying on the floor, his chest soaked with blood where her brother had shot him. She forced herself to cross over to be sure he was dead before turning her attention to Isaac.

  “Call 911,” she told Shane. She grabbed the IV supplies and what was left of the gauze dressings from the bedside table and knelt beside Isaac.

  Her heart squeezed when she saw the amount of blood soaking through his sweatshirt. She lifted the hem and pushed the fabric out of the way in order to as
sess the extent of the damage.

  There was an entry wound that didn’t look too terrible, but she felt along the back for the exit wound, knowing from experience that it would be far worse. The only good news was that the wound was on the edge of his side and the bullet wasn’t still inside his body.

  Her fingers shook as she opened gauze and pressed it over the front wound. Taking care of someone she knew and cared for was very different from treating strangers in the E.R. But she forced herself to think and act like a nurse. “Shane, I need your help. We have to roll him over and hold pressure on the exit wound.”

  Her brother was holding Ben with his good arm, but came over and set his nephew down on the floor. “All right, easy now.” Together they managed to shift Isaac’s weight so that he was lying on his right side. Maintaining pressure wouldn’t be easy to accomplish from this angle, but it was worth a shot.

  “Here, hold this,” she said, putting a larger pad of gauze over the exit wound.

  “Mommy, I’m scared,” Ben said, trying to crawl into her lap. She wanted to hug and hold her son, but she needed to keep working to keep Isaac alive.

  “Come on, Ben—why don’t you come over here,” Shane said. He tucked Ben close while still pressing on Isaac’s wound.

  “Okay,” the boy said, sniffling loudly. He stayed close and then reached over to put his small hands on top of Shane’s as if he wanted to help. She was worried about how Ben was handling all this, but at least he’d stopped crying.

  “I love you, Ben,” she said with a reassuring smile. She rolled up Isaac’s sleeve to start an IV. His veins hadn’t totally collapsed, which was a good sign that he hadn’t lost too much blood.

  Leah quickly inserted an IV in Isaac’s forearm and hung a bag of fluids. She had only one left, so she hoped the ambulance would get here soon.

  “How did you know Nash was involved?” she asked as she regulated the IV fluids. She’d never been so scared as when she’d watched Isaac leap in front of Ben.

  He’d risked his life to save her son’s.

  “Winslow was from District Three, so the only way Nash could have known Winslow was involved was if he was in on it, too.” Shane lifted his gaze to hers. “Trey told me he thought he saw Winslow and Nash together, but I wasn’t sure if I could believe him. Now I wish I had, because I’m pretty sure Trey died as a result of seeing them together.”

  Leah closed her eyes for a moment, wishing that so many people hadn’t had to die before they’d discovered the truth. She had a better appreciation for why Shane and Isaac chose to work in law enforcement. Criminals shouldn’t be allowed to get away with murder.

  “Will Mr. Isaac wake up?” Ben asked, his lower lip quivering.

  “I’m certain he will,” she assured him, even though she couldn’t tell how much damage had been done internally. With the wound so close to the edge, he had a good chance. She leaned forward and smoothed her hand down the side of his face. “Isaac, can you hear me? You’re going to be okay. Just hang on for the ambulance to arrive. Please, hang on.”

  “We should pray for him,” Ben suggested.

  A lump filled her throat, but she nodded. “Yes,” she croaked. “We should.”

  “God, please make Mr. Isaac better,” Ben said.

  “Amen,” Leah murmured, tears swimming in her eyes.

  “Amen,” Shane echoed. She noticed he kept glancing over to make sure the Walker impersonator was still trussed up.

  A thumping noise caught her attention and she lifted her head in alarm. “Shane, do you hear that?”

  “Take over here and I’ll check it out,” he said, rising to his feet.

  She pressed on Isaac’s injuries, using as much strength as she could, while hoping and praying that the sound wasn’t an indication of more bad news.

  But as the noise grew louder she recognized it as a helicopter. Could it be the Flight For Life aircraft coming for Isaac?

  Shane poked his head through the bedroom door. “Help is here,” he announced. “Police and the hospital chopper. Too many trees to land here, so they’re putting it down on the road and will carry him out via stretcher.”

  “Thank goodness,” Leah murmured.

  Shane crossed over to where the fake Walker was lying facedown on the floor. “The cops have a lot of questions for you,” he said, dragging him to his feet. He pressed the gun against his side and marched him past Leah, Ben and Isaac. “Starting with what happened to Cameron Walker.”

  Leah watched them leave, feeling a little sorry for the man who’d chosen the wrong path.

  “Where’s the injured cop?” someone shouted from the doorway.

  “In here,” Leah called. She forced herself to back away as two paramedics hurried into the room. “He has a through-and-through gunshot wound on the left side, and I’ve hung a liter of fluid and put on a pressure dressing.”

  “Nice. You’ve made our job that much easier,” the first paramedic said in an admiring tone. “We’re going to get him hooked up to our portable monitor and then transport him to the chopper.”

  “Are you taking him to Trinity Medical Center?” she asked. She wasn’t sure which level-one trauma center was closest and hoped Isaac would be taken to the hospital she worked at.

  “Yep. You can meet us there,” he told her.

  Nodding in agreement, she pulled Ben close as the paramedics made quick work of getting Isaac on the stretcher and wheeling him out of the cabin.

  “Did you hear that, Ben? Our prayers have been answered.”

  “I’m glad, Mommy.”

  “Me, too,” she whispered.

  Now she needed to make sure that Isaac pulled through without any problem.

  Because suddenly, she couldn’t imagine her life without him.

  SEVENTEEN

  Isaac awoke to a throbbing pain along his left side, a fuzzy head and a serious case of cotton mouth. He squinted in the bright sunlight streaming through the window, trying to figure out where he was. The sight of an IV pump next to the bed reminded him of Hawk.

  And Leah.

  Concern pushed him further awake and he glanced around, noticing with a frown that he was in a hospital room. Alone. Where was everyone? There was a cup of water on a table beside him, so he reached out and took a tentative sip.

  So far, so good. Now if only he could find someone with a few answers.

  As if on cue, a tall man wearing a white lab coat entered the room, accompanied by a young woman wearing scrubs.

  “Good morning, Mr. Morrison,” the man said in greeting. “I’m Dr. Lansing, the surgeon who patched you up yesterday afternoon.”

  Yesterday afternoon? Alarm shot through him. “I’ve been out for twenty-four hours?”

  “Well, technically, a little over sixteen, since you didn’t get out of surgery until after 5:00 p.m. last night, and it’s about 9:15 in the morning,” the woman said with a smile. “I’m Claire, your nurse for the day.”

  Sixteen hours still sounded far too long, but right now he needed answers. “Okay, Doc, how bad is it?” Isaac asked, preferring to know the true extent of his injuries.

  “Not as bad as I expected,” Dr. Lansing admitted. “The trauma nurse who cared for you on the scene pretty much saved your life. By the time you arrived here you were relatively stable, and other than a spleen laceration and some muscle damage, you’re doing great. You’ll need to take it easy for a while, though, so that you don’t cause that laceration to start bleeding again.”

  Leah had saved his life. He’d spent days trying to protect her and Ben, but in the end, she’d saved him.

  He owed her a huge debt of gratitude.

  “How long will I need to be off duty?” he asked, sensing the doc wasn’t going to stick around for long.

  “He’s a sheriff’s deputy,” C
laire interjected helpfully.

  “Ten to twelve weeks,” Dr. Lansing said. “Although I’m sure they can assign you some desk work after the first six weeks or so. Now, let’s take a look at your wounds.”

  He grimaced and nodded. “Sure.”

  Claire helped him turn onto his right side so that they could look at his front and back wounds. While they changed his dressing, he gritted his teeth against the pain, not willing to complain and risk fuzzy-head syndrome from taking narcotics. He wondered if he should call his boss or wait for Griff to come to him.

  “Everything looks good,” Dr. Lansing pronounced, stripping off his gloves and heading over to the sink to wash his hands. The nurse finished taping his dressings in place before doing the same.

  “Thanks for everything,” Isaac said. Despite Leah’s concerns about police work being a dangerous job, he’d actually never been shot in the line of duty before. Minor injuries, sure, but never anything serious.

  Nothing requiring surgery.

  Truth be told, he’d had more injuries when he’d run wild on the streets, before being sent to Saint Jermaine’s.

  “No problem. We’re going to watch you for one more day before springing you out of here,” Dr. Lansing added. “You’ll need IV antibiotics for twenty-four hours, and we like to make sure your lab work remains stable before sending you home.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “You’re lucky that bullet wasn’t a half inch to the right,” the doc added as the nurse made several notations in a computer system located in the corner of his room. “You would have lost several inches of your large intestine and possibly your left kidney.”

  “I understand. Thanks again.” The close call wasn’t lost on him. Isaac suspected Leah would say that God was watching over him, and after everything that had happened, he’d agree.

  But where was she now? Had Hawk taken Leah and Ben home?

  The fact that they weren’t here seemed to send a glaring message. Not that he could really blame her, considering how close she’d come to losing her son. That moment Ben had rushed out in the line of fire was deeply etched in Isaac’s mind. Which made him wonder if Leah had decided to move on with putting her life back together.