by Dana R. Lynn
What if she said a prayer? A novel thought, but she was willing to grab on to anything at this point. Um, God. Hello. Help? It was the best she had; she hoped it would be enough.
Gavin leaned in closer to her, his words low and intense. “Lexie, can you crawl? I think we might be out of his range if we can crawl around the corner to the back of the house.”
She didn’t want to move and risk exposing themselves even more. At the same time, if they remained were they were, they would be trapped if the shooter was able to get a better angle. Biting her lip, she nodded.
“Good. Listen, you go ahead of me. Since he’s behind us right now, I’ll be able to cover you.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. It was like he expected to be shot.
“Gavin—” She could hardly think of what to say. Terror squeezed her heart in its cold fist. What if he got hurt? Or worse.
He reached out and touched her face. The touch was so gentle, it was like butterfly wings kissing her cheeks.
“You need to go, Lexie. Army crawl to the corner. Now.”
Blinking her eyes, she forced herself to face forward, even though every instinct demanded she turn to be sure he was right behind her. Slowly, slowly, she used her elbows and knees to propel herself forward. One foot. Two. It seemed to take forever, but she could see the edge of the house coming closer.
Just a few more feet.
Crack!
The bullet hit right where she’d been a second ago.
“Move, Lexie! He’s changed position.”
Ceasing all attempts to army crawl, she scrambled to her knees and speed crawled to the corner. Shuffling noises let her know that Gavin was coming up right behind her.
When she reached the corner, she realized she was panting. Pushing herself with a burst of energy, she jumped up and rounded the corner, diving behind the pile of wood that was stacked there. She propped herself up against the white siding. Gavin plopped down beside her. His gun was out, ready in his hand, and he peered around the woodpile. They weren’t out of danger. Not yet.
The minutes stretched by. Alexa fully expected the madman to appear at any moment.
Sirens split the air. Both of them slumped back against the house, knowing that help had arrived. The sounds of multiple vehicles pulling up along the road and onto the driveway reached them. Within moments, Sergeant Parker and another officer were combing the woods. Paramedics were seeing to Marvin. He wasn’t dead, but he was in critical condition. Between his illness and the wound, it would be touch and go for a while.
Where was Linda?
Parker and the other officer, Lieutenant Willis, returned from searching the area.
“Parker.” Gavin sauntered over to the officers, his expression tense. Unwilling to be left out, Alexa jogged behind him. “What do ya know?”
“We didn’t find the shooter, if that’s what you’re asking,” Parker said. Disappointed, she felt herself droop a bit with sudden fatigue. “Nor did we find the sister. But we did find footprints. They were all trampled together, so it was impossible to tell if they were all made by the same feet or if there was more than one person.”
After another minute of conversation, the officers went to continue searching the property. Gavin and Alexa watched the paramedics load Marvin onto a stretcher. His eyes were closed. There was no telling how he was doing from where they stood.
“I feel like this is all my fault.” The words slipped out. She hadn’t planned on speaking them. But they were true, all the same.
She started when Gavin took her hand in his. When they’d first met, he hadn’t seemed the type to hold a girl’s hand in comfort. There were so many things she’d been wrong about.
“This is not your fault, Lexie. I’m sorry that your patient was hurt. But we will find the man responsible. It’s my number-one priority right now.”
“Hey, Jackson. You are going to want to come and see this.” A paramedic stood near where Marvin had lain. Gavin released her hand. She immediately wanted to reach out and grab hold of his again. Which was ridiculous. He had a job to do.
Gavin walked past her, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze on the way. It was amazing, but even after all that had happened, that one simple gesture brought tears to her eyes and filled some of the cold spaces inside her with warmth.
Which didn’t mean that she was going to stand there feeling sentimental. The stalker was chasing her, after all. Straightening her shoulders, she followed Gavin, ignoring the questioning look on the paramedic’s face. Gavin, at least, didn’t protest her presence. However, he gave her a look taut with concern. Dread shivered up her spine. What was that expression about?
She looked down. There, on the ground, amid the white snow dotted with Marvin King’s blood, was a red rose.
EIGHT
Alexa was worn out. Never in her life had she been this tired. And she’d been plenty tired and discouraged before. The difference, though, was that the pain and anguish of having others leave her and reject her, while very real, had never threatened her life. Or the life of those she cared about. Now, in the space of a few days, she’d had two patients attacked, an acquaintance go missing and Gavin had been put in the way of danger several times. Not to mention the fact that someone was watching her and had decided that she needed to pay for some imagined betrayal. What that betrayal could be, it was beyond her.
It was almost more than she could take.
The one comfort was that Gavin was there with her. His police car was fixed, and they were on their way back to LaMar Pond.
“When we get to your place, pack up a few things. Enough to get you through a week, maybe. Then we’ll get you to the safe house we have ready for you,” he said.
“Fine. Whatever.” She’d agree to anything if it meant catching this guy and protecting those around her. “Could we stop by my work, though? I keep a spare diabetic kit there. You know—tester and some glucagon shots. Just in case I need it.”
“Sure thing. That’s a reasonable request.”
“Of course it is. I’m a reasonable person.”
She lifted her chin, ignoring the snicker coming from the driver’s side of the car. She had to force her lips not to smile, although they managed to twitch.
Twenty minutes later, Gavin parallel parked in front of the clinic. The window had been repaired. Someone had even rehung the Christmas lights. Between the snow and the decorations about the town, the whole scene looked like a picture on the box of a scenic puzzle. No one looking at the town would know of the menace that was among them.
“It doesn’t look any different, does it?”
“Hmm?” Gavin turned off the engine and faced her, pocketing his key.
Alexa lifted a hand and made a waving motion to indicate the clinic. “Look at it, Gavin. Noah was almost killed here. A sniper with a bone to pick with me shot out the window, and it looks like nothing has changed. Like the whole episode was just erased. Isn’t that crazy? Someone gets shot, and the world keeps going.”
Briefly, his warm hand covered hers. Her entire arm tingled. Then his hand was gone.
“Lexie, no one has forgotten. Trust me. Something like that tends to stay with you. But people have to go on.”
“I know. I’m being silly, I guess.” She slid her hand to the door handle. “Let’s do this.”
“It’s not silly. And wait for me.”
Alexa rolled her eyes, but she waited for him. He sauntered around the vehicle to get her door. Like a gentleman. She knew that it was more about scoping the scene for possible threats than being a gentleman, but it was nice nevertheless. When he was convinced it was safe, he opened the door for her to get out.
Glancing around, she saw that it was a busy day at the clinic. There was a multitude of cars and buggies in the parking lot.
“I wonder if they have a full staff today,” she murmure
d.
Gavin shot her a look. “No.”
“What?” She gave him her best innocent look. Judging from his glare, it wasn’t that convincing.
“You know what. You can’t work until the stalker is caught.”
The moment she entered the clinic, a chorus of greetings met her ears. Within a minute, she was surrounded.
“Are you okay?” Megan caught her in a hug, holding on tight. The urge to cry swamped her. She hadn’t realized how much she’d grown to like the other girl. She’d held herself aloof for so long. It was hard to remember the last time she was hugged by another person. It felt good. She hugged her back before stepping away.
“I’m good. Really. But I have to be off until things settle down.” It was hard to speak around the lump in her throat.
Megan nodded, but her eyes were giving Gavin some serious attention. He didn’t acknowledge her, his eyes sweeping the clinic. Feeling an unexpected surge of amusement, Alexa bit back a grin. He was well aware of the other girl, and it made him uncomfortable. She could see his cheeks flushing under Megan’s stare.
Several of her Amish patients approached her, speaking in soft Pennsylvania Dutch, which in this area was mostly German flavored with their own dialectal changes, including a few English words sprinkled in. Alexa had taken five years of German, plus had studied in Germany for a year in college. Although she didn’t understand everything, she understood more than enough to hold a conversation. While they normally spoke English in public, the Amish people she’d gotten to know knew she appreciated the opportunity to use her German skills.
Suddenly she realized that Gavin was waiting for her. Excusing herself, she walked through the door to the nurses’ station. Megan approached her. “I’m glad you’re here. Dr. Quinton is out now. He came down with the flu. He didn’t even call in. Just sent an email. It must be pretty bad. That man never calls in sick, but it’s okay. Some doctor from Erie came down as our replacement. He’s nice enough.” Megan lowered her voice. “He’s kind of arrogant, though. Like he’s better than us.”
“Oh no! Who’s the doctor?” Alexa asked.
“Dr. Jackson.”
She heard Gavin’s sharp intake of breath. Before she could turn to him, the new doctor came out into the waiting room. He was a handsome man. Dark hair. Blue eyes. And he bore a definite resemblance to Gavin. The doctor started to speak. His startled glance landed on Gavin. He paled, turned red and his words stuttered to a stop. Alexa guessed what was going on a split second before Gavin spoke, his tone brittle. Bitter.
“Sam.”
The doctor straightened. He flashed a charming smile at the group, but even to a stranger like Alexa, it reeked of discomfort. “Gavin! How nice to see you. It’s—”
“No time for a family reunion, Sam. Alexa is just here to collect her things. She’s going to be out for a few days.”
The doctor didn’t like that; she could tell instantly. “Now see here, Gavin. I know you have a job to do, but so do I. This clinic is desperately short on nurses.”
“That may be the case, Sam. I can’t do anything about it, though. As long as she works here, the maniac after Lexie will continue to be a danger to the rest of the staff and your patients.”
Megan caught Alexa’s eye. Lexie? she mouthed. Alexa grimaced. Then she bit back a groan. Dr. Jackson was glaring at Gavin as if he was at fault for the whole situation. Gavin, she could see, was uncomfortable. He was still doing his best to remain professional about the matter.
Alexa couldn’t believe this was happening. Her best course of action was to ignore them, get her stuff, and then she and Gavin could be on their way. She kept her spare diabetic kit and her favorite tea in the cupboard in the nurses’ station. The locker that she’d been given smelled, and she hadn’t been able to get odor out. Walking over to the cupboard where she kept her stuff, she turned the latch to open it.
A loud click came from inside the cupboard. Confused, she paused. Shrugging, she reached out to pull the cupboard open.
“No! Get away!” Gavin roared. He flew at her and brought her to the ground. Pain shot up her arm when her elbow slammed into the tile floor. He hovered over her, protectively, blocking the room from her view.
The cupboard that belonged to her exploded, taking the rest of the cupboards with it. Debris flew. Particleboard showered upon them in dust and small chunks.
Her personal cupboard had been rigged with a bomb. She got the message. This was personal. The man who was after her had said he’d punish her. That bomb had been put there just for her.
A sizzling sound erupted in the ensuing silence. Alexa smelled smoke. There was a fire somewhere.
Her stalker was determined to kill her. He didn’t care how many lives he took in his attempts. He would never stop until she was dead.
* * *
Flames shot up the exploded particleboard cupboard. Leaping to his feet, Gavin grabbed the fire extinguisher from the wall and doused the rapidly expanding flames with the thick white foam. The flames hissed and sputtered, but gradually they were smothered and died out.
“Clear the place,” he bellowed at receptionist. She jumped as if waking up and then ran from the room. He could hear the smoke alarm going off and the commotion of people being evacuated from the clinic.
He bent and scooped Alexa up in his arms, carrying her outside.
“Over here!” Megan was motioning to him from the parking lot. Still carrying Alexa, he moved that way. He deposited her in a sitting position on the hood of his cruiser.
“Lexie.” Gavin scooted back from her, running his gaze up and down her from head to foot, checking to make sure she wasn’t injured. He could hardly wrap his mind around what had happened. He’d been a cop for four years. In that time, he had seen some pretty bad stuff. But nothing had left him feeling as shaken as seeing that cupboard explode, knowing that Alexa had almost been blown up right in front of his eyes.
“Alexa, can you hear me?” Sam asked, standing on her other side. All sign of the spoiled older brother was gone. Now, Sam was in doctor mode.
She’d be in good hands. Sam might not have been his favorite person, but he was a competent doctor.
Gavin swiped a gentle hand down her hair, removing some dust and debris. When he saw the way his hand shook, he dropped it.
“I’m fine, guys. Stop hovering.” Alexa pushed herself up off the car into a standing position.
It brought her face close to his. Too close. All he could think of, looking into her shocked blue eyes, was kissing her.
The moment that crossed his mind, he was horrified. No way did he just think about kissing her seconds after she avoided a bomb. But he had.
Gavin stepped back from her. Both to get some distance between him and the woman who was proving to be too distracting for his own good, and to survey the damage.
There were no flames on the outside of the building. Nor did he see any smoke. It looked like he might have extinguished all the fire inside. He used his radio to call the explosion in to the station. The clinic was now a crime scene. He also made sure to tell the dispatcher to send out someone from the bomb squad.
Sam was beside him. He hadn’t seen his brother for several years now. He hadn’t changed much. The arrogant swagger he’d been sporting a few minutes before the explosion had proved that. Still the entitled older son. The one who was important, and who expected everyone else to fall over backward to do what he wanted.
Which wouldn’t have been bad if it had ended there. His brother’s attitude he could ignore. What he couldn’t ignore was what his brother had done to him, and in the end, what he had taken from him.
Now wasn’t the time to think about the past. Gavin had a psychopath on his hands.
“Sam, for the safety of the employees and the patients here, you’ll have to close the clinic for a few days. Until we have the perp in jail.”
Gavin avoided his brother’s eyes. In this instance, he was in charge. His brother had to listen. Gavin needed to protect the innocent from a vicious stalker spiraling out of control.
“Don’t worry, Gavin. We’ll close. As of right now.”
Gavin relaxed his shoulders, allowing the tension to drain from them. He’d been prepared to do battle over this issue, but was glad he wouldn’t have to.
He watched as the emergency crews—the fire department and the bomb squad—arrived. Then another police vehicle followed. Voices swelled around him as the people visiting the neighboring establishments saw that something big was happening at the clinic.
“Gavin—”
“I have a job to do, Sam.” Gavin glanced at Alexa. Surely, he could leave her with Sam. His brother was married now, so Lexie wasn’t in any danger from his charm and charisma.
He needn’t have worried. His Lexie had no intention of being left behind. She ignored the doctor’s outstretched arm and command to remain where she was and moved to Gavin’s side.
That’s when it hit him. Did he really just think of her as his? Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. He felt empty admitting that to himself. He’d been okay with being a perpetual bachelor. He’d had a job he was good at, friends he could trust and a life he was comfortable with. Any stray regrets had been pushed aside. Now, those regrets were pushing back, staring him in the face.
And the biggest regret was watching him with blue-gray eyes.
Eyes he could get used to seeing every single day.
What was wrong with him? He needed to focus.
“Gavin?”
He slanted a grin at her. “Stick with me.”
“You got it.”
He winked at her. When he saw Trevor Stone from the bomb squad talking to Parker and the chief, he walked over, aware of Alexa at his heels. Good. At this point, he definitely did not want to let the woman out of his sight. She was in too much danger. A man who went through the trouble of planting a bomb in her space wasn’t going to quit. Gavin felt as if someone had reached in and tied his stomach in a large knot.