Chapter Fourteen
More shots slammed into the SUV, each one rattling through Alena’s bones.
“Get down!” Cal barked, throwing his arm across her as the safety glass shattered and flew. Tiny shards peppered her skin, sharp stings that barely registered through the adrenaline pounding in her veins.
She ducked low, heart hammering, and yanked her gun free. Cal already had his gun drawn, scanning the trees. Another round hit the hood, then the side mirror exploded.
“Where the hell are they?” Alena muttered, trying to track the shooter. Shadows shifted in the dense trees, but nothing solid, no clear target.
Her stomach twisted hard. Please, God, don’t let this bastard be anywhere near the sanctuary.
Cal gave a quick voice command, his phone chiming as it connected. “Raines, shots fired on the approach road to Cedar Ridge. We need backup now.”
He cut a sharp look at her. “Text Noah. I want every gun we can get out here.”
Her hands shook as she tapped out the message, but she forced herself to move fast. Backup. Now. Road to Cedar Ridge. Shots fired.
Whoever this shooter was, he wasn’t letting up—and they needed to shut him down before David or anyone else inside the sanctuary got caught in the crossfire.
The gunfire kept coming, steady bursts that made the SUV shudder with every hit. Alena ducked lower, teeth clenched, glass crunching beneath her boots. They were pinned tight.
Cal’s phone buzzed, and she saw the response from Raines. On the way. Fifteen minutes out. Seconds later, Noah’s reply came through: ETA 20 minutes. Hold tight.
Fifteen to twenty minutes felt like a lifetime under this kind of fire.
Another buzz lit up her screen. This one from the Crossfire Ops guard stationed at Cedar Ridge. Locking down now. Do you need me out there?
“No,” Alena muttered, fingers flying as she typed back. Stay inside. Don’t leave the building. David could be the main target.
Her chest clenched at the thought. If this was about drawing them out, David was the easiest way to hurt her. To hurt Cal. That possibility terrified her more than the bullets slamming into steel.
“That was the guard at Cedar Ridge,” she let Cal know.
Cal’s gaze cut to hers, hard and determined even under fire. “You tell him not to leave David?”
She nodded, her throat tight. “He’s staying put. David’s safe for now.”
Safe for now. The words echoed like a prayer, fragile as glass, as another round chewed into the hood just inches from the windshield.
Cal lifted his head, just enough to peek above the dashboard. Alena’s pulse spiked, and she grabbed his shirt, yanking him back down. A shot cracked against the glass where his head had been a split second earlier. Shards rained down across the console.
“Damn it, Cal,” she hissed, her heart hammering in her throat.
“He’s in the trees,” Cal said, his voice steady, too steady. “Passenger’s side, close. He’s on the ground, not elevated.”
Another round hit, this one low, chewing into the metal just below her door. The bastard was zeroing in.
Cal looked at her, his jaw tight. “I can get out on my side, drop low, and circle around. If I can flank him—”
“No,” Alena cut in, sharply. “That’s too risky.” Her pulse raced, every instinct screaming to keep him right here beside her.
“We don’t have a lot of options,” he shot back, eyes locked on hers.
He was right, and that made her blood run cold. Sitting here wasn’t going to cut it. Sooner or later, one of those bullets would punch through the wrong spot, and they’d be done.
“I’m coming with you,” Alena said, her voice low but firm. She already had her gun gripped tight, her finger brushing the trigger guard. “I’ll cover you while you try to circle around.”
Cal gave a sharp shake of his head. “You can’t get a clean shot. Not from this angle.”
She risked a glance through the spiderwebbed glass, her stomach twisting. He was right. The line of sight ran too close to the Cedar Ridge building. If she missed or if the shooter shifted, she could put a round straight into the sanctuary. Straight into David.
“I can’t aim without risking someone inside,” she admitted, frustration burning hot in her chest.
Cal’s eyes flicked to her, steady and resolved. “I know. But we don’t have a choice.”
Another round hit the SUV, tearing through the rear quarter panel. The whole frame rattled. Metal shrieked as the vehicle took the punishment. It was only a matter of time before one of those bullets found them.
Alena’s grip tightened. They were seconds away from being trapped in a coffin of twisted steel.
Cal had his hand on the door handle when the acrid bite of smoke hit her nose. Alena’s head snapped toward the windshield. Flames leapt across the road, thick smoke rolling up into the branches. Some kind of incendiary device had gone off, turning the narrow road into a wall of fire.
“Cal,” she whispered, her voice tight.
“I see it.” His jaw clenched, eyes darting between the flames and the tree line.
The crackle of burning brush filled the air. Heat already seeped through the glass. Before Alena could speak again, another blast rocked the ground. Behind them, fire surged up in the other direction, cutting off their escape.
Hell. Trapped.
Her pulse hammered in her ears, louder than the gunfire. They were boxed in, with a shooter waiting for them to make a move and flames closing fast.
“What now?” she muttered, forcing the words through her clenched teeth.
Cal’s eyes met hers. His gaze was intense, determined, and like her, he was no doubt calculating what they had to do to survive.
Alena pressed her back to Cal’s, their shoulders locking as they tried to cover both sides. His heat steadied her, but the chaos around them didn’t let her breathe easy.
Shots cracked again, sharp and relentless, snapping bark off the tree just feet from her head. At the same time, the fire hissed and spit, clawing at the underbrush. The heat rolled in waves, and the smoke burned her throat.
She forced herself to look through it, blinking hard. The flames were shrinking, burning through the brush fast, but they weren’t out of danger. Not even close.
Her gaze flicked toward Cedar Ridge, the roofline visible past the smoke. Instinct screamed at her to make a run for it, but another thought shut her down. If the shooter shifted fire toward the sanctuary, toward David, she’d never forgive herself.
She tightened her grip on her gun, heart pounding. They had to end this out here.
The flames were finally sinking into ash, but the smoke still clawed at her lungs. Her eyes watered, stinging, and every cough felt like it rattled her ribs.
“We need to move toward the main road,” Cal said, voice rough from the smoke.
She nodded, keeping low as they edged forward through the thinning haze. Her pulse kicked harder when she caught the flicker of movement. A shadow darted behind a tree, right between them and their only way out.
“Got him,” she whispered.
The figure leaned out and fired, bark exploding from the tree inches from her head. Adrenaline jolted through her, sharp and cold.
She couldn’t be sure if it was Dexter or Arneson. Both men were dangerous. Both men had reasons to want them dead.
Alena raised her gun and squeezed off a shot. The bullet slammed into the tree, high enough to miss but close enough to make the shooter flinch back. She fired again, then again, her rounds tearing splinters free. Each shot bought them a heartbeat, maybe two.
“Keep him pinned,” Cal said, shifting to flank.
She didn’t argue. She kept her finger steady on the trigger, forcing the bastard to stay behind cover.
The gunfire behind them cut off, sudden and sharp. For a moment, all she heard was the crackle of dying flames and her own harsh breathing. Then came the sound of boots pounding through the brush. Someone was running.
Her gut tightened. The first shooter wasn’t holding back anymore. He was coming straight for them.
“Keep your eyes on the guy behind the tree,” Cal ordered, his voice clipped. “I’ll handle the one closing in.”
Alena swallowed hard, pressing her shoulder tighter to the trunk for cover. She hated splitting their focus, but she didn’t argue. If either shooter broke free, they’d both be done.
Her hands tightened on her gun, eyes locked on the tree where the second bastard still hid. Any second, he’d lean out again. She just had to be ready.
Behind her, she heard Cal shift, preparing to intercept the runner.
The air felt too thin, smoke stinging her throat, fear spiking sharply. They were caught between two attackers, and the next few seconds would decide if they made it out alive.
The crack of a shot split the air, bark exploding inches from her shoulder. The bastard behind the tree had leaned out again.
Alena raised her gun and squeezed off another round, this one lower.
The bullet chewed into the trunk, sending a shower of splinters flying.
It wasn’t close enough to hit him, but it forced him to duck back.
Better to waste a bullet than risk hitting someone who might be walking the trails near Cedar Ridge.
Her lungs burned as smoke curled through the thinning brush. She reset her grip, braced for his next move.
Behind her, Cal’s gun barked, sharp and steady. She flinched at the closeness of the sound. They were pressed back to back, his body solid against hers, but she couldn’t see what he was firing at. The pounding in her ears made it worse, the not knowing.
“Stay on him,” Cal ground out, his voice low but fierce.
She tightened her grip, eyes fixed on the tree.
The gunfire cracked through the smoke and then came a sound that froze Alena’s blood. A sickening thud.
Her heart lurched. Cal.
“Cal—”
“I’m good,” he cut in, breath rough. “Not me.”
Relief swept through her in a dizzy rush, just as her brain caught up. He’d hit the runner. Somewhere out there in the haze, a body had gone down.
Before she could take it in, movement snapped her attention back to the tree. The second shooter bolted, his boots pounding hard against the dirt. He whipped around as he ran, his arm snapping up. Muzzle flash lit the smoke.
Bullets ripped into bark and earth around them, forcing her to duck lower. The bastard was covering his escape, keeping them pinned down.
“Damn it,” she hissed, fury sparking through her chest.
She kept her sights trained, but the smoke and trees swallowed him up. In seconds, he was gone.
Alena held her breath, straining to hear through the ringing in her ears. No more shots. Only the faint hiss of smoke curling off the scorched brush.
She glanced at Cal. He gave a tight nod, and together they eased away from the tree, guns still raised. Each step felt like it carried a lifetime.
The fires had burned themselves down to smoldering patches, the smoke drifting low and gray. It stung her eyes, but not enough to hide the shape sprawled in front of the SUV.
A body.
Her pulse hammered harder. They crept closer, cautious, every sense still on high alert. The closer they got, the clearer the details became. The shooter wasn’t a man.
It was a woman.
Alena’s breath caught as recognition hit her like a punch. The ski mask had slipped back just enough to reveal her face.
Kara.