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Authors: Delores Fossen

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BOOK: Trouble with a Badge
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The van continued toward the hospital until Levi could no longer see it. Not good. He didn't know if they'd stopped out front and were already making their way inside. Either way, Levi had a really bad feeling about this.

“Get down on the seat,” he told Alexa.

She did. Just as the bolt cutters finally broke through the chain. The second it fell, Levi took hold of Tasha, ready to get her the heck out of there.

“Get down!” Mack shouted before Levi could take a step.

The shot rang out, the bullet slamming right into Mack.

Chapter Sixteen

Alexa could have sworn the gunshot blast roared through every inch of her. And she saw Mack's entire body jolt when the bullet hit him. She prayed that the shot had gone into his Kevlar vest.

But no, it hadn't.

It'd gone into his right leg, and even in the darkness she could see the blood start to spread across his jeans.

Alexa caught on to his arm and pulled him back into the cruiser, but then someone caught on to her.

Levi.

He dragged her across the seat and into the building and did the same for Mack. The moment he had them inside, he shut the door. At least he tried, but the hinges must have been messed up because there was still a gap of several inches.

“I would have had you stay in the cruiser, but I didn't want you to have to drive out of here,” Levi told her, his words rushing out. “Because those shooters would have likely gone after you.”

Yes, and with Mack injured, she might not have even had him for backup.

Mack hurried inside, but he would have fallen if Jericho hadn't taken hold of him. He sat Mack against the wall and began to rifle through the first-aid kit. Alexa helped with that. There wasn't a second tourniquet, but she unwound some gauze and used that to put pressure on the wound. Maybe it would be enough to stop him from losing too much blood.

“How bad is he hurt?” Dexter asked.

“It's not that bad,” Jericho answered, but Alexa wasn't sure if he was lying to keep Mack calm. He called for an ambulance, not that one would be able to get there anytime soon, and the medics wouldn't be able to come into the building until the area was secure.

It wasn't.

Jericho made a second call to the night deputies and Jax and requested backup. Again, it would take time for them to get there, half an hour or more, but at least help was on the way.

There was another shot. This one slammed into the door, nearly making it through that narrow opening. Even though Alexa hadn't seen any gunmen outside, they had probably gotten out of that van.

“Should we try to get everyone back in the cruisers?” Dexter asked.

Levi shook his head. “The shooters are too close.”

He was right, and with Mack and Tasha's injuries, they wouldn't be able to move that fast. The rickety door sure didn't help, either, because the third bullet went straight through it.

“We need to move,” Levi insisted.

No one argued with him.

Jericho hooked his arm around Mack's waist and hauled him to his feet, and Mack took hold of Tasha. She looked as unsteady as Mack, and both had already lost plenty of blood.

“You remember the layout of this place?” Jericho asked Levi. Years ago this had been the county's only hospital, and all of the Crocketts and just about everybody else in the area had come here at one time or another.

“Yeah.” Levi looked at the hall ahead of them and then the one that stretched out on both sides. He tipped his head to the right. “We'll duck into one of the rooms, and when the gunmen come in after us, we can pick them off.”

Not a bad plan since they had four shooters, including her, but Alexa had no idea how many gunmen were responsible for those shots tearing into the building. Tasha had said two men had held her captive, but there could be more out there.

They hurried down the hall, and despite the tourniquets, they left a trail of blood behind them. Maybe a trail the gunmen would follow so Levi could put his plan into motion.

Levi tested the doors along the way. All locked. He brought up his foot, no doubt to knock one of them down, but a sound caused them all to freeze.

Another shot.

But this one sounded a lot closer than the others.

That one shot was the only warning they got before the men barreled through the back door. Not two but three of them, all dressed in black and wearing ski masks. They took cover in the recessed area by the hall and started shooting.

Directly at them.

Tasha screamed, but Alexa wasn't sure if the woman had been hit again because Levi pushed Alexa against the wall so she wasn't able to see. In the same motion, he kicked at the door. Across the hall, Dexter did the same to that door. Jericho returned fire, and Alexa would have done the same thing if Levi hadn't muscled her back into place. Protecting her again.

The door that Levi was kicking finally gave way, and Jericho, Mack, Levi and she all hurried inside. Levi immediately pushed Alexa away from the opening, but she looked behind her, expecting to see Tasha.

She wasn't there.

Neither was Dexter.

Oh, God.

For several horrifying moments, Alexa thought they'd been killed. Then she saw them in the room across the hall. Dexter had obviously gotten through that particular door.

“No windows in here,” Jericho relayed to them when he checked out the room. “But there's a door that leads to the next room over. And another door on that side.”

Jericho tested the knobs, but both were locked. Good. That meant no one could get through without them hearing them. It also meant they might have an escape route if they got pinned down.

“Do you need the flashlight?” Alexa whispered to Jericho.

“No, and keep it off. If the gunmen see it, they'll know exactly where we are. If they don't already.”

Maybe those men hadn't seen which rooms they'd ducked into. But Alexa figured if they didn't know, they'd soon find out.

“Stay down,” Levi told her. He took up a position by the door he'd bashed in and glanced out.

Just as a bullet smacked into the wall right next to him.

Alexa caught hold of his jacket and pulled him back, but Levi didn't go far. He was obviously watching to make sure those gunmen didn't get any closer. Or to make sure some didn't come from the other side of the hall. Maybe the person behind this had called for backup, as well.

Two more bullets came.

Then silence.

Alexa wasn't sure which was more unnerving, because the silence could mean the gunmen were on the move. Coming toward them.

She glanced around. It wasn't a big room and had likely once been a doctor's office, since there was still an old desk and a toppled chair. That sparse furniture was the only thing in the room they could use for cover, but maybe it wouldn't be necessary if they managed to shoot any gunman who tried to get in there.

Maybe.

Alexa slipped the flashlight into her pocket and got her gun ready. Waiting. And shivering so much that her teeth were chattering. She was wearing a coat, but the cold seemed to be going straight through it.

She didn't want to think of how cold Tasha must be. And how terrified. Here Tasha had probably thought she was close to being rescued, but now they were all being targeted by those men in the ski masks. Of course, the upside was that at least Tasha was alive, and that meant Violet wasn't an orphan. Alexa ignored the little tug that caused in her heart.

“It's me,” someone called out. “I'm here to help.”

Alexa instantly recognized that voice, and it put her heart right in her throat. She wasn't at all sure this was someone who wanted to help.

Because it was Marshal Lockwood.

* * *

L
EVI
WASN
'
T
SURE
who groaned louder. Him or Alexa. This was not the kind of help he needed right now.

No way could he trust Lockwood, and it was entirely possible the marshal was one of the gunmen who'd been shooting at them. Especially if Levi went with the theory that the person behind this was using Tasha to draw out Alexa. The timing of Lockwood's arrival was certainly suspicious.

“Lockwood might call off the attack if I offer to surrender,” Alexa whispered.

“Not a chance,” Levi said.

Jericho added, “No way in hell.”

“I wouldn't actually surrender,” she argued. “But if he thought that's what I was going to do, he might let down his guard.”

“No, he won't. He's a marshal, and if he's guilty, he'll assume you're trying to trick him.”

She shook her head. “But we have to do something fast. Tasha and Mack need to get to the hospital.”

“I don't need you to make yourself bait for me,” Mack quickly assured her, though each word was indeed laced with pain.

Levi made eye contact with her. Well, as much eye contact as he could manage in the dark room. “I'll find another way,” he promised, and hoped like the devil it was a promise he could keep.

“Did you hear me?” Lockwood shouted.

Levi didn't answer, but one of the shooters fired off three rounds. Maybe so they wouldn't think Lockwood was in on this attack. Or maybe because the marshal was genuinely now their target, too.

“Deputy Crockett?” Lockwood tried again.

Levi used the sound of Lockwood's voice to try to pinpoint his location. Definitely not in the same area as the shooters. He was at the opposite end of the hall, maybe trying to close in on them from that direction.

“Don't,” Alexa said when Levi made a quick glance out the door. Again, she pulled him back. And again, someone shot at him.

“Did you see Lockwood?” Jericho immediately asked.

“No. The hall's too dark.” Especially at that end where there weren't any windows or doors. “I can't see Tasha, either.”

Which was a good thing. It meant Dexter had moved her deeper into the room so he could stand guard by the door. That might prevent her from being an easy target if the gunmen rushed them.

Levi's phone buzzed, the sound knifing through the room, and he wasn't exactly surprised when he saw the name on the screen.

Lockwood.

Levi answered it, but he sandwiched the phone between his ear and shoulder so it wouldn't tie up his hands. Now he had to make sure the marshal didn't tie up his attention, as well. Because this call could be a distraction.

“What do you want?” Levi snapped. He didn't sound even a little friendly, but he did keep his voice as low as possible. “And why the hell are you here?”

“I'm trying to help you.” Lockwood didn't bother with the friendliness, either, but he did sound riled that Levi had asked him that. “Where are you? I can try to come to you.”

That wasn't going to happen. “Where are you?” Levi countered.

Lockwood didn't hesitate. “East side of the building in the hall.”

Exactly where Levi had thought he'd be from the sound of his voice. Levi wasn't sure though if the marshal was actually still there since he could only hear him from the other end of the phone line, and Lockwood was whispering.

“How'd you know we were here?” Levi asked, and he listened to try to figure out if Lockwood was moving closer.

Again, no hesitation. “Tracking device on the cruisers and your truck. I put them there during the incident with the gunmen.”

Levi had to bite back some profanity. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I wanted to be able to find Alexa if Marcos got to her.”

“Or maybe you're the one who wanted to get to her,” Levi countered.

Lockwood didn't hold back his profanity at all, and it wasn't exactly a whisper, so Levi was able to determine the man hadn't moved since this conversation had started.

However, Levi couldn't say the same for the gunmen.

It'd been at least a minute since they'd fired a shot, which meant they could be making their move. Levi did something about that. He leaned out just a fraction and fired a shot in their direction. He didn't see the gunmen, but he heard them scurry around, and a few seconds later they sent two bullets right in Levi's direction.

Good.

Levi didn't like getting shot at, but he didn't want to risk being ambushed, either.

“I'm not the one trying to kill Alexa,” Lockwood insisted. “And why the heck did you bring her here?”

Levi was asking himself the same thing. Yeah, he'd wanted to save Tasha, but he should have tied up Alexa and left her someplace safe. Too bad someplace safe seemed to be a pipe dream, what with Lockwood monitoring their every move. If Levi had left her at the sheriff's office, Lockwood could have just gone after her there, and Levi wouldn't have been around to protect her.

“Did you shoot the kid with the explosives?” Levi asked Lockwood. “And don't lie. I already know you were in the area.”

More profanity from Lockwood. “I was there, but I didn't shoot him. Someone shot me in the arm and I had to get to the ER for some stitches. If you don't believe me, call the hospital.”

Oh, he would, but not right now.

“Who shot you?” Levi pressed.

“Don't know. Didn't see him until it was too late. But whoever it was fired the shot through a silencer.”

That would explain why Levi had heard the swishing sound. Well, it'd explain it if Lockwood was telling the truth. It was possible he hadn't been shot at all but was using the injury to make himself look innocent.

“Do you have a plan for getting Alexa out of here?” Lockwood asked.

“Yeah,” Levi lied. “The plan starts with getting you out of the building. I don't want you anywhere near Alexa.”

Before Lockwood could come back with a quick answer or more profanity, Tasha made a sound. A sharp groan of pain that seemed to echo through the building.

“She hit her arm,” Dexter quickly explained.

So, not another injury, but Tasha's groan had been loud enough for Lockwood to hear.

“Is Alexa hurt?” he asked.

“No.” And Levi debated how much he should say. He decided to go with the truth to see how Lockwood would react. “It's Tasha who's hurt. She's not dead. Someone's been holding her captive all this time here at the hospital. What do you know about that?”

“Nothing. And that's not right. I saw her body,” Lockwood insisted. “Tasha's dead.”

The marshal seemed as convinced of that as Levi had been when Tasha had called him. So, maybe that meant Lockwood hadn't been involved in her abduction, after all. However, that didn't mean he was innocent of coming after Alexa. Lockwood had a very strong motive for silencing her since her testimony at Marcos's trial could end up sending him to jail.

BOOK: Trouble with a Badge
5.49Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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