Chapter 32
A phone rang, and Bean glanced around, seeing Link answering his phone. “Hey, babe, what’s—”
Link didn’t finish his greeting, and they all could hear screaming coming over the line. Bean stood, his muscles clenching.
They could hear Ansley telling Garnet to run. There were pops that sounded like gunfire, and that was all it took for Bean to make a dash for his car. He had his keys in his pocket and his phone with him. The MPs would call for backup, but backup might not get there in time.
Stanley was beside him, pulling ahead. “I’m driving your car. Get in the passenger seat.”
Bean knew he was right. There was no way he should drive right now. This was an emotional thing, and he would make bad decisions. “Fine. You drive. Get us there safe and fast.”
“You got it.”
Stanley had the car out of the parking space, and they were headed out to save Garnet and Ansley. They had to drive the speed limit on base, but once they were on city streets, they took off, moving quickly.
The worst possible scenarios flitted through his mind. He would be devastated if that bastard shot and killed Garnet. He clenched his fists, worry and fear filling him. Garnet had escaped death already this month. Could she escape it again?
Garnet followed Ansley into her bedroom and ducked into the closet. They were trapped with no exit. It was better than being outside with all the shooting. The guy hadn’t made it inside, but he was headed their way.
She hoped the MPs outside were okay. She hadn’t heard anyone scream. That didn’t mean anything, though. If the shooter hit them just right, they may not have screamed.
Another window shattered. What did that mean? Were they coming in, or was that just another random shot that hit the house?
Ansley grabbed her hand and squeezed. “I’m going to get my gun.”
“Oh, God, don’t leave me.”
“Just to the nightstand.”
“Are you still on the call?”
Ansley shook her head. “No. I dropped my phone in the hall.”
Garnet blew out a breath. “What if he’s out there in the house, creeping around?”
Ansley tilted her head to the side. “I don’t hear anything in the house. It sounds like he’s still outside.”
Garnet drew in a slow breath. “Okay. Go get the gun, but get back in here fast.”
Ansley nodded before opening the door to the closet and slipping out. Being alone was scary. She thought about leaving the closet to keep watch when the door opened, and Ansley slid back in.
“Thank goodness you came back. I was worried.”
“I didn’t hear anyone inside the house. It sounds like they’re still outside.”
A shiver raced through Garnet. “Good. I don’t want them inside.”
Ansley nodded. “It sounds like there is gunfire, then return fire. At least one of the MPs is still alive.”
“I hope they both are.”
“Yeah. I doubt they thought this was going to be a tough assignment.”
Garnet pulled her knees in tight, wrapping her arms around them. If she’d been at her house without any protection, she would probably be dead or captured. Then Jack would make her do his bidding.
When he’d called, he had to have already been close.
Now she knew she couldn’t trust him. But it was almost too late to come to that conclusion.
He’d never given her any indication she had to watch him closely.
Not that she knew him really well, but she never once thought he was dangerous, not like this.
With the MPs outside, he had to know he had been found out. He knew people were looking for him.
“This guy has nothing to lose now.”
“How do you figure?” Ansley asked.
“The MPs are outside. Someone has probably called the cops. There will be more heat on him. He is in a terrible place.”
“Yeah. He’s not rational now.”
Another window shattered, and Garnet jumped. “He’ll probably do something stupid since there isn’t anything holding him back.”
“I hope he doesn’t have enough bullets to get through the MPs. I wasn’t counting how many shots were fired. If I’d been on my game, I would have counted.”
“I wasn’t paying attention. He could have a lot of bullets, though. We don’t know what he came prepared for.”
“If it were me, I would have extra magazines. Then again, I wouldn’t be doing this,” Ansley said.
They heard yelling. She scooted back deeper into the closet. Not that she could go that deep. The closet didn’t go on forever. There was no secret passageway in the back, no place to hide.
“I’m scared,” Garnet whispered.
“So am I. I don’t like being pinned down and working without intelligence telling me where the bad guy is.”
There was more yelling outside, and then another shot. Something was going on out there, and she had no idea if they were going to make it out of here. She wanted the chance to tell Brady how she felt about him. He would never know she was falling for him if this went south.