Chapter Six #2
“Um, sure, Chief. But I don’t think Sierra agrees.” He pointed toward the house.
Beau whirled around to see her sprinting toward the porch, shotgun out in front of her.
He bolted after her, catching up just as she flung the front door open. He grabbed her and jerked her to the side as he ducked down and aimed his pistol inside.
She flung his arm off her, swearing at him in a mixture of English and Spanish.
He couldn’t help grinning. “Your accent gets really noticeable when you’re angry.”
Her eyes narrowed, but before she could say anything, Collier jogged up beside Beau, aiming his gun inside the foyer.
“Clear.” He slid in past them and swung his gun toward the right side, the kitchen area. “Clear.”
Beau rushed into the foyer, covering him from his left side. “Clear.” He motioned toward the back doors on either side of the fireplace, indicating Collier should go right while he went left. He held up his fingers, counting down from three. Two. One.
They rushed into the living area, diving and rolling past the sliders and coming up on opposite ends of the large room, guns aimed out at the deck.
Beau leaned forward, peering through the glass, looking left and right. He glanced over at Collier who looked at him and shook his head. Nothing. No sign of the intruders on the deck.
Remaining silent, they cleared all the rooms down the long hall, quickly and efficiently as a well-oiled team used to training and working together for years. The house was definitely empty. Now to see where the men had gone.
Heading up the hallway toward the living room, Beau said, “Let’s head out onto the deck. They must have had some equipment out there already and rappelled down. There’s no other exit. Let’s go.”
They emerged from the hall and Beau started swearing again. The slider on the right side was open and Sierra was stepping into the family room from the deck.
“Clear,” she said, mimicking them. “No sign of the ninjas.”
“I really wish you would stop charging off on your own like that,” Beau told her. “It’s dangerous.” He moved past her along with Collier, and they aimed their guns over the railing.
Beau stopped at the far left side, then shook his head and shoved his pistol in his holster. “I should have thought of that.”
Collier strode to him and looked down. “What is that thing?”
Sierra pushed her way in between them to see what they were looking at. “That large wooden box against the back corner of the house?”
“It’s not a box,” Beau said. “It’s a lean-to, more or less, covering a compost barrel. I never come to the back of the house down there, forgot it was even there. It came with the house, but I’m not into composting. You can see the deep footprints beside it, right at the house’s foundation.”
“They jumped,” Collier said. “And ran off into the woods on that side of the cabin. Gutsy.”
“Reckless and stupid,” Beau said. “If they hadn’t landed just right they’d have pitched over the side of the mountain.” He met Sierra’s troubled dark brown gaze. “I’m guessing they were worried about all the noise they’d made and whether someone, if not us, would call the police.”
“Speaking of police,” Collier said, “sounds like a couple of ours are on the way up the mountain.”
Sure enough, muted sirens sounded in the distance, signaling the impending arrival of one or more of Beau’s former employees.
“I can’t be seen by the cops.” Sierra hurried into the family room.
“Um, hello. I’m a police officer and have already seen you,” Collier called out behind Beau as they followed her inside. “Have you done something illegal I need to know about? I mean, other than being a Covington, of course.”
She glared at him. “Being a Covington doesn’t mean I’m a criminal.”
“The sawed-off shotgun kind of ruins your point,” Beau said drily.
“I should take that.” Collier reached for it, and she jerked it away, bringing it up toward him instead.
Beau yanked it out of her hand. “Point that at him or any of my officers again and this alleged partnership you want is over before it really begins. Hell, I’ll be the one to haul you to jail, regardless of my current law enforcement status.”
Her chin tilted up in defiance. But she didn’t try to grab the gun again.
Beau handed it to Collier.
She put her hands on her hips. “I need that. Those guys are getting away. I need to catch up to them, see them without their masks so I know who I’m dealing with. They could be the ones behind my brother’s death. I can’t go unarmed. I need protection.”
“I’m your protection,” Beau practically growled. “We do this my way or not at all.”
“Who made you the boss?” she demanded.
“You did, when you came here asking me for help.”
The sirens were getting louder now, closer.
Beau glanced toward the front windows or what was left of them. “The police will be at the house soon. You want to follow the trail, Sierra. So do I. But we do it together, as a team, or we stay here and you get to explain why you’re in Mystic Lake with an illegal firearm. Choose.”
“Chief,” Collier said. “You both need to stay so we can straighten this out. I’m not going to lie about what happened or cover up who she is.”
“That’s it. Give me my gun.” Sierra narrowed her eyes.
Beau arched a brow. “Collier, do what you have to do.”
Collier expertly snapped a handcuff on her wrist then swung her around to cuff the other one before she realized what was happening.
“What are you doing?” She twisted and jerked her arms, trying to pull her wrists out of the cuffs. “I haven’t done anything wrong. Beau. Help me. Wait, where are you going?”
“Chief?” Collier echoed. “Don’t. Please.”
Beau stopped at the front door. “I have bad guys to catch.” He ignored both of their pleas as he ran out of the cabin and sprinted off in the direction where the gunmen had disappeared.