Trouble with a Badge (9 page)

Alexa wanted to do just that, but there must have been doubt all over her face because Chase's next scowl was for her.

“I will protect the baby.” Chase stared at her. “And we really don't have time to stand around here and argue about it. We got a call on the way over. The crime lab found something on the car you drove to the sheriff's office last night.”

“The gunmen's vehicle,” she said under her breath.

Chase nodded. “A listening device had been hidden in the speakers. You probably don't remember everything Levi and you said when you were in the car, but whoever hired those guns would have heard every word.”

Oh, God. Alexa immediately tried to remember their conversation. They'd talked about Lockwood, about how she'd thought he was dirty, but they'd also talked about Violet being Tasha's baby.

“Hell,” Jericho said the moment he got off the phone. “Someone called Child Services and they're on their way over to take custody of the baby.”

“They can't,” Alexa insisted. “They won't be able to protect her if Scottie's goons go after her.”

And it didn't matter that Scottie was behind bars at the moment, because he wouldn't be there much longer. Besides, it could take hours or even days to convince a judge that the baby did indeed need protective custody. During that time Violet could be kidnapped or worse.

“They won't take the baby,” Jericho assured her. “That's why the protection detail's leaving right now with Violet. She won't be here when the social workers arrive.”

Dallas, Chase and the bodyguard all voiced some kind of agreement. Good. It was bending the law to do this, but Alexa knew in her heart that this was the best thing for Violet.

Too bad her heart was also breaking at the thought of having Violet whisked away.

“We're parked out back right by the door,” Chase explained. “We need to get out of here.”

Alexa knew he was right, but it took Levi's hand on her back to get her moving. She kissed the baby and was a little surprised when Levi did the same.

“We'll get all this sorted out soon,” Levi said. Maybe to Violet. Maybe to Alexa, too.

She prayed he was right. Alexa wanted Violet safe while they did the background checks on her next of kin and while they found whoever was behind the attacks.

Patty took the infant seat, and with Dallas and Chase on each side of her, they hurried toward the back exit. There was a black SUV parked right at the door, only about a yard away, and Alexa got one last glimpse of the baby's face before they got her inside. Within seconds Dallas drove away.

“Chase and Dallas will make sure they aren't followed,” Levi said, watching until the SUV was out of sight.

Alexa didn't doubt that, and since it was daytime it would be easier to see if someone tried to go after them. Still, she doubted daylight would stop gunmen if they were determined to get to Violet. Of course, the upside to this was that if Marcos was behind the attacks, then Violet was now safe, because Marcos wasn't after the baby, only Alexa.

Levi maneuvered her back inside and shut the door. Jericho was right there waiting for them.

“You two should get out of here, too,” Jericho insisted. He handed Levi some keys and a small piece of paper. “But don't go to the ranch.”

Alexa was thankful for that. She didn't want a repeat of Scottie's visit, and by now it'd probably gotten around that Levi was protecting her.

“The keys are for Dexter's house,” Jericho explained. “It's got a security system with motion detectors along the road. The sensors will go off if anyone drives up or tries to get near the house. Dexter had trouble with kids breaking in a while back, so that's why he had it installed. That's the security code, and park in the garage so no one knows you're there.”

Alexa knew where the house was. About ten miles outside town. No nearby neighbors, and there was only one road leading to the property. It would be easy to spot an unexpected visitor. Easy to hear one, too, with the sensors.

“Please tell Dexter thank you,” Alexa said.

Jericho nodded. “As soon as I can free up a deputy, I'll send him out to the house to help you keep watch.”

It was a generous offer, but Alexa doubted the deputies would have much free time, especially since Jax would be out of that pool of possible deputies. No way would Jax want to be trapped under the same roof with her.

“I'll call you if I find out anything,” Jericho added and opened the door. “Stay safe.”

Levi thanked him, and he stepped outside to look around. He also took out his truck keys.

And his gun.

Even though his truck wasn't parked as close as the SUV had been, it was still only about fifteen yards away.

“Move fast,” Levi instructed, and he used the remote on his key to unlock the truck doors.

Jericho walked out behind them, drawing his gun, as well, and Levi and she headed out into the parking lot. Not running exactly. But they didn't dawdle, either.

Alexa held her breath until they reached the truck. She threw open the door on the passenger's side at the same time Levi opened the driver's side door, and she started to get in.

She didn't get far.

Someone latched on to her feet, the jolt going through her entire body before she hit the ground.

Chapter Nine

Levi heard Alexa gasp, and he looked in her direction only to see her fall. Except it wasn't just a fall. It was as if someone had body slammed her.

With his gun still drawn, Levi scrambled across the seat, bracing himself for whatever he might see, but what he saw was some thug dragging a limp and lifeless Alexa behind one of the cruisers.

Damn. What was going on?

Levi didn't see any blood. Definitely hadn't heard a shot fired. He also hadn't seen anyone near the truck, so where had the guy been hiding? Maybe in the exact spot he'd just taken Alexa, that was where.

“Let go of her,” Levi ordered, and he took aim at the man. Not that he could fire a shot. The goon had Alexa positioned in front of him like a human shield.

The man didn't answer, but he flashed Levi a sick smile and started moving farther behind the cruiser and then to the other side, where Levi could no longer see them. Levi moved, too. Using the passenger's door for cover, he got out and tried to figure out what the heck he was up against.

“Jericho!” Levi shouted.

It was a big risk since the man could just gun him down, but Levi couldn't wait for backup. It was possible this man had a vehicle stashed nearby, and it was obvious that Alexa wasn't in any shape to fight back.

And Levi soon figured out why.

He spotted the stun gun on the ground.

That was why she'd been so lifeless. As bad as that was, and it was
bad
, it was still better than her being injured. However, unless he did something fast, an injury would be the least of their worries.

Levi heard the footsteps behind him and glanced over his shoulder to see Jericho coming out the back exit. He took up cover behind the edge of the building.

“There's at least one gunman by the cruiser,” Levi called out to his brother. “He's got Alexa.”

It felt like a punch to the gut just to say that aloud. He hadn't been careful enough. He hadn't protected her, and now Alexa might pay the ultimate price for his lapse.

Levi left the cover of the truck door and raced toward the back of the cruiser. He braced himself for shots to be fired. But no bullets. When he looked on the side of the cruiser, his heart dropped to his knees.

Alexa and the man weren't there.

The winter wind was gusting, making it hard for Levi to hear. It also didn't help that his heartbeat was slamming in his ears. Still, he picked through the noise and heard the footsteps.

They were coming from one cruiser over.

Levi dropped to the ground and looked underneath. Alexa was there by the rear tire, but it wasn't just one thug with her.

Now there were two.

There was a park just behind the sheriff's office, and it wouldn't have been hard for someone to hide back there and lie in wait. Still, this was a gutsy move, launching an attack like this in broad daylight.

Jericho ran from the building and dropped down next to Levi. He also had a look under the cruiser, and he cursed. Not just under his breath but out loud, as well.

“Really?” Jericho shouted. “You honestly think we'll just let you clowns leave with her?”

“You don't have much of a choice,” one of them answered. “My advice? Back off and you won't get hurt.”

No way would Levi just let them take her, but he heard something else he didn't want to hear. A car engine. And the sound wasn't coming from the parking lot but rather from the park. The goons no doubt had a getaway vehicle waiting for them there.

“Wouldn't shoot if I were you,” the same goon called out. “Well, unless you want to make sure she gets killed real fast.”

That told Levi exactly what he needed to know. Whoever was behind this wanted Alexa alive. If it was Marcos, maybe he wanted to torture her first. If it was Scottie's or Lockwood's hired guns, they could want information from her. That meant Levi had a chance to rescue her.

Not the safest chance. But nothing would be safe for her if these two managed to get her to a secondary location where heaven knew what would happen to her.

Levi went back to the ground again. And he took aim at the only semi-clear target he had. One of the men's legs.

He fired.

The howl of pain was instantaneous, letting Levi know that he'd hit his target.

“You bastard!” the man yelled, and he started to move. So did the other guy, who now had a hold of Alexa.

The shift in position gave Levi another opening because it left the wounded man in a vulnerable position. Levi fired a second shot into the guy's other leg. He wouldn't be running anywhere, but the clown did drop down, too, and he took aim.

At Levi.

Levi scrambled out of the way not a second too soon, and the shot blasted into his truck. He didn't wait for the guy to re-aim. Levi ran toward the front end of the cruiser, hoping that he could get the drop on the one who had Alexa.

Jericho scurried into the bed of the pickup, no doubt so he'd have a better vantage point and also because he could use it for cover. If his brother got a shot, Levi knew he would take it. There was no way Jericho would let this goon get Alexa into that waiting vehicle.

Levi stopped when he made it to the far edge of the front bumper, and he peered around the side. He caught just a glimpse of the man who had Alexa in a chokehold.

Before the shot came at him.

It ricocheted off the metal bumper.

The injured man might have two bullets in him, but it darn sure hadn't affected his aim. Levi needed to remedy that.

He leaned out again, and Levi kept his shot low so that it wouldn't hit Alexa. This time he double tapped the trigger, both bullets going into the wounded gunman's chest.

That stopped him.

And it clearly unnerved the second man, because he started to curse. “You must want her dead!”

Just the opposite. And while Levi wouldn't mind taking out both gunmen, it'd be better for the investigation if he had at least one of them alive.

Maybe not better for Alexa, though.

Her eyes were open. Wide with fear. Even though she couldn't move, she knew exactly what was happening to her. She also no doubt knew this could turn even deadlier than it already was.

“Put down your gun,” Levi warned the man.

The guy's gaze was firing all around. Probably because he was trying to make sure Jericho wasn't sneaking up behind him. He also glanced in the direction of the sound of that car engine.

“There's at least fifteen yards between you and your getaway ride,” Levi told him. “You're not going to make it, especially not dragging Alexa. Put down your gun, move away from her and let's talk.”

“I can't talk to the cops,” he said, but the guy was shaking now. Clearly in over his head.

Levi sweetened the pot a little. “We can give you protection in exchange for the name of the person who hired you.”

The man groaned, kicked his partner and then looked around again. Hopefully, he had reached the point where he'd figured out that he had zero chance of a clean escape. However, he was still armed, and Levi didn't want this to turn into a murder-suicide.

“You got me into this mess!” the man shouted, and he gave his partner another kick. The wounded man moaned in pain. Still alive. Barely. But he was bleeding out fast.

“If you want to help him and yourself, put down the gun,” Levi bargained.

Levi saw it then. The surrender in the man's eyes. But it was only there for a split-second before he hurried against the cruiser and put the gun to Alexa's head.

No! This was not the way things were supposed to play out.

It took Levi a moment to realize why the guy had done that. There was the sound of footsteps. Someone running from the back of the parking lot toward them.

What the devil was
he
doing here?

* * *

A
LEXA
HADN
'
T
THOUGHT
her heart could pound any harder or faster. But she'd been wrong. For a few fleeting seconds she'd thought the goon holding her had been about to surrender.

Not now, though.

Now he had his gun jammed against her temple, and as unsteady as he was, he might just pull the trigger.

Alexa tried to move, something she'd been attempting since this insane attack had first happened. No luck. The stun gun had done its job, and she couldn't make her arms or legs work. She couldn't even call out to Levi to tell him to stay down.

He wouldn't listen to her anyway, of course.

But she wanted to try. She didn't want him or his brother hurt trying to protect her.

“You idiot!” Levi snarled, and it took her a moment to realize he wasn't talking to the gunman, but rather to someone who had ducked behind the cruiser next to the gunman and her.

Lockwood.

“I can help,” Lockwood shouted back.

She certainly hadn't expected him to show up here.

Alexa doubted Lockwood would have come this close if these were his own hired guns. Well, he might if he wanted to look innocent. What better way to do that than to pretend he was trying to put an end to this kidnapping attempt? Especially since the attempt had been botched. One man was dying and there was no clean escape for the other.

“There's no one in the getaway car,” Lockwood added. “It's just these two jokers, and they left the engine running.”

Alexa wasn't sure she believed the marshal, and she seriously doubted that Levi would just trust him. But if Lockwood was telling the truth, it meant this thug didn't have anyone else to help him. That was far better than the alternative, but it didn't help her much now. After all, it would only take one person to kill her, Levi and Jericho, and the gunman was using her to prevent the lawmen from having a clean shot.

She needed to do something to remedy that.

Alexa concentrated on flexing the muscles in her arm. She managed to wiggle her fingers a little. Not much, but it was a start, and with each passing second it meant she would get more and more feeling back.

More and more fear, too.

Choking back those fears, she said another prayer for the protection detail that had whisked Violet away. Maybe there wasn't a second team of hired guns going after them. That was all the more reason to end this now so she could check on them.

“Back off!” the gunman yelled. “All of you. So help me, I'll kill her.”

He would. Alexa could feel the desperation in him. But her will to live was even stronger than that. She forced herself to concentrate on moving her right arm, since it was next to her captor's stomach. She doubted she could do much, but she prayed it would be enough.

The wounded man groaned again, and his breath rattled in his throat. His last breath. Something the man holding her must have understood, because he looked down at his fallen partner. It wasn't much of a distraction, but it might be the only one she could get.

Alexa jammed her elbow into the man and she tumbled forward, hoping to get out of his grip. She wasn't even sure she'd succeeded when she heard the blast.

Oh, God.

Had she been shot?

Everything seemed to move fast but in slow motion, too. She didn't feel any pain. Didn't feel much of anything, even when she hit the concrete. However, she didn't hit it alone.

Her captor dropped down right beside her.

Their eyes met, but his were blank. Lifeless. And that was when Alexa saw the wound to his head. Someone had shot him.

She heard the footsteps hurrying toward her, and while Alexa still couldn't move that well, she tried to get up. Thankfully, Levi helped her with that. He scooped her up in his arms and ran back into the sheriff's office. Jericho and Lockwood were right behind them, but Jericho kept the door open, looking out. He kept his gun ready, too, probably because despite what Lockwood had said, there could be other hired thugs out there.

Levi took her to the side of the break room and he eased her onto a cot. He pushed her hair from her face, no doubt checking for injuries, and she was relieved when she saw the relief in his own eyes.

Relief, however, that Levi didn't extend to Lockwood.

“You killed him,” Levi said to Lockwood.

Lockwood nodded. “I had the shot and I took it. I saved Alexa.”

So, Lockwood had been the one who'd taken out the gunman. Alexa managed to tell him thanks, but she still wasn't so sure that Lockwood had done this for her. Obviously, Levi wasn't positive, either, because he volleyed glances between the marshal and her.

“The ambulance is on the way,” Mack called out to them. “How many will the medics be picking up?”

“The gunmen are both dead,” Levi answered. “But Alexa needs to go to the hospital.”

She shook her head. “Check on the baby.”

The words weren't exactly clear, but Levi understood them because he took out his phone and fired off a text. It only took a few seconds for him to get a response from Chase, and Levi held it up for her to see.

Everything's fine here.

Thank God. That was exactly what she needed to know, but Alexa had no idea if things were fine right here in the sheriff's office. They could be in the room with the person trying to kill her.

Except this hadn't been a murder attempt.

Those men had definitely been trying to kidnap her. And the question she had was why? However, she doubted she'd get the answer from Lockwood. If he was innocent, he wouldn't know why those men had come after her, and if he was guilty, he wouldn't just tell them the truth.

Levi checked her again, his hand lingering on her cheek for several seconds, before he stood and faced Lockwood. “Why were you in the parking lot?”

Lockwood pulled back his shoulders. Obviously not pleased with Levi's tone. But Alexa was pleased. She had the same question, and tone, for Lockwood because it seemed a strange coincidence that he would arrive at the time of the attack.