Chapter 14
“Let’s go. We need to get out of here!” Dom blinked, staring up at Levy’s grim expression hovering over him.
One minute he was standing and talking to Kendra, the next he was on the floor.
The older man yanked on his arm, trying to get Dom up on his feet.
Ears ringing from the blast, he managed to stand. “Hurry,” Levy urged.
Somehow, Dom still held the laptop. How he hadn’t dropped it was a mystery, but he tucked it under his arm and took a few stumbling steps toward the back door as Levy pulled him forward.
He wasn’t sure what had happened, but he knew it was bad.
It was important to get away from the safe house.
As that thought formed, he abruptly stopped, resisting Levy. “Wait. Where’s Kendra?”
“Her brother has her. Hurry!” Levy yanked hard on his arm. “There’s no time to waste.”
Doing his best to gather his scattered thoughts, Dom followed Levy through the house. The US Marshal already had the back door open and was practically shoving him through it. The blast of cold air helped clear his mind.
Why did Jennifer look so familiar? Obviously, Kendra assumed the woman was involved in this mess somehow, but he wasn’t sure how or why.
He didn’t recognize her first name, had Kendra mentioned her last name?
He didn’t think so. Yet there was something about Jennifer that tugged at his memory.
An elusive thought that hung suspended in the back of his mind, just out of reach.
Levy continued pulling him away from the house. Dom abruptly stopped when he noticed nobody else had come with them. He planted his feet in the snow, refusing to budge. “Wait. I need to find Kendra!”
“She’s not my responsibility. You are.” Levy’s voice was hard. “It’s my job to keep you safe.”
“I’m not leaving without her.” Dom pulled free of Levy’s grip. As much as he appreciated the guy’s determination to get him out of harm’s way, he wasn’t about to leave Kendra behind.
Not now, not ever.
His grim resolve had him turning back toward the house. Why hadn’t Kendra and the others followed them outside? What was the cause of the explosion anyway?
“Stop!” Levy’s sharp command had him turning toward the US Marshal. His jaw dropped in shock when his gaze landed on the gun in his hand. The gun pointed directly at his chest. “You’re coming with me.”
For a moment, Dom didn’t understand. Was Levy’s job so important he’d force Dom to go with him at gunpoint?
No, that wasn’t it. A grim realization washed over him. Levy was a part of this after all.
“Move.” The gun in Levy’s hand didn’t waver. “I’ll shoot you here and now if necessary. I’ll tell the others you went crazy, lashing out at me, forcing me to defend myself.”
Dom swallowed hard. “Kendra will never believe that.”
Levy shrugged. “Doesn’t matter as long as Griff and Raine buy my story.”
Was he right? Dom didn’t know Kendra’s family very well, other than they were super protective of her. Would they believe her over a US Marshal? Maybe not.
Casting one last glance over his shoulder, Dom reluctantly moved forward. Now that he knew Levy was involved, going along with him might keep Kendra safe. Unless, of course, Levy intended to return to the Sullivan ranch later to finish the job.
He’d need to find a way to escape. How, he wasn’t sure. If only he’d insisted on having a weapon!
“Faster,” Levy ordered. “We need to distance ourselves from the rest.”
“Why are you doing this?” Dom strove to remain calm. Getting away from the log cabin was fine with him. The farther he could get Levy away from Kendra and the others, the better. But he wasn’t going to give up without a fight. No matter what. “Is this about money? Or something else?”
“Shut up and keep walking.” Levy kept his distance, the nose of the gun still trained on his chest. “Hurry. Our ride will be waiting for us.”
“What ride?” He strove to keep Levy talking. “Who’s waiting for us? Bartoli? Is he the man who hired you?”
“I thought you and the Sullivans knew more than you did,” Levy admitted. “I guess that idiot didn’t pass along as much information as we feared.”
“So why not let us go?” Even as Dom asked the question, he knew it was too late for that. Too many people had already died over this—whatever this was.
“Hurry.” Levy’s expression was stern. “We should reach the road soon. It curves around, making it easier to hide our backup plan.” The US Marshal smirked. “You never suspected me after I played my role perfectly, did you?”
“No, I didn’t.” Dom wanted to kick himself for letting his guard down. Yet the gunfire that erupted outside their previous rental property had convinced him the guy was in the clear. Now he knew that was nothing more than a setup. A way to convince them all that Levy was one of the good guys.
He wasn’t. But that was his problem now. Dom pushed forward, hoping and praying Kendra would be safe with him and Levy out of the picture.
At least for now.
As they continued walking, Dom realized Levy was right about the road. Through a pair of towering trees, he saw a large dark truck sitting off on the side of the snowy highway. He was too far away to say for sure, but he figured it was the GMC Sierra with the snow-covered license plate.
Driven, no doubt, by the relentless gunman who’d been tracking him since he arrived at the Redwood Motel. It seemed like eons ago that he’d been targeted near his vehicle. Was his truck still at the motel? Probably.
Kendra had mentioned doing a search and rescue mission near the Redwood, finding the lost woman who turned out to be Jennifer. What was her last name? Why couldn’t he figure out where he’d seen her before?
“Move it!” Levy’s sharp tone made Dom realize his steps had slowed to a stop.
Now that they’d gotten this close to their destination, he was loath to get inside the truck.
He preferred being outside than crammed inside the vehicle.
Besides, getting in with two armed men did not seem like a smart move.
“I prefer to keep you alive but will shoot if you keep stalling.”
“I, uh”—Dom turned toward Levy—“can we talk about this? I swear I’m not a threat to you or to Bartoli.”
“How’s this for talking? Get in the truck!
” Levy lifted the gun, holding it with two hands so that the muzzle was pointed at his face.
Normally, staring at a loaded weapon this close would have frozen Dom with fear.
He’d never been shot and wasn’t eager to try the experience now.
Yet oddly, a sense of calm washed over him.
Maybe Kendra’s faith in God had rubbed off on him, because he wasn’t afraid of this man at all.
If he died today, he hoped and prayed he could take Levy down with him.
“Dominic!” The faint sound of Kendra calling his name offered the distraction he needed.
When Levy glanced around to find the source of the shout, Dom lunged forward, swinging the computer down with both hands, striking Levy’s wrists with a loud crack.
He was taller than the marshal, and having longer limbs worked to his advantage.
Screaming in pain and fury, Levy dropped the gun.
Without hesitation, Dom shoved Levy, sending him tumbling backward, before turning and sprinting toward the woods.
There wasn’t a second to waste. Hunching his shoulders, Dom silently prayed as he ran, his long stride taking him quickly toward safety, even as he fully anticipated a bullet from the gunman inside the truck would strike the center of his back at any moment.
Killing him.
The crack of gunfire was loud enough to make him stumble.
The gunman must have gotten out of the truck or maybe Levy had pulled himself together long enough to find the dropped weapon.
Either way, it took Dom a moment to realize he hadn’t been hit.
Putting on a burst of speed, he disappeared behind the trees.
Yet even then, he didn’t stop. Feet slipping in the snow, he continued moving deeper into the woods, angling away from the log cabin.
Primarily, his goal was to use the thick woods for cover, to make it difficult for the gunman to hit him.
But more importantly, he needed to draw the killer away from Kendra and her family.
Levy wanted him. Alive or dead. Either for revenge or money, or both. The longer he could keep Kendra and her siblings out of this mess, the better.
Yet he also knew that much like that first night, he was leaving tracks in the snow. It wouldn’t take that long for Levy and the gunman to find him.
Still, he pushed forward. Maybe he’d buy Kendra and the others a little time to figure out what was going on, before he was silenced for good.
Dear Lord Jesus, keep Kendra and the others safe in Your care!
“Dominic!” Kendra shouted Dom’s name as loud as she could.
“Easy, we’ll find him,” Justin said in a low voice.
Would they? She shook her head, fighting a wave of helplessness.
“Levy’s a part of this.” Kendra scowled at her brother.
Griff and Raine had Jennifer’s wrists bound behind her back and tied to a chair, but there was no sign of Levy and Dom.
The explosion had sent them all tumbling to the floor, but thankfully, Griff had held on to Jennifer.
They had one perp in custody, but there were others.
Including Levy. Once Justin had glanced outside to see there was nobody around, they’d gone out the back.
It was the only way Levy could have gotten Dom out of there.
“The gunman targeted him too,” Justin protested. “Maybe he just wanted to get Dom to safety?”