Under the Lawman's Protection

A bullet?

“Get down,” he ordered hoarsely, practically throwing himself on top of Leah.

“What happened?” she asked in a muffled tone.

He didn’t want to scare her, but he couldn’t lie to her, either. “I’m pretty sure someone is shooting at us. Sit down at the base of this big tree and hold Ben in your lap. My backup will be here soon.”

Leah did as he asked, sliding to the ground and hugging her boy close. Isaac could hear her murmuring something, and he leaned down, trying to hear what she was saying.

It was then he realized she was praying.

Dear Lord, keep us safe in Your care! Give Isaac the strength and the courage to defeat our enemy. We ask this in Christ the Lord. Amen.

Normally he wasn’t the praying type, but right now, Isaac couldn’t deny they needed all the help they could get. And if that meant praying, he was all for it.

* * *

Leah cuddled Ben close, whispering prayers as a way to keep them both calm. She felt terrible about how he had been crying on and off, clearly not understanding what was going on. To be fair, she didn’t really understand, either.

Why would someone come after her and Ben? Not just once tonight, but twice? She was very grateful she was here with Isaac rather than being alone.

“There, do you hear that?” her brother’s friend asked softly.

She couldn’t hear anything beyond the thundering of her heart. She was about to shake her head when she heard the faint wail of a siren.

Help is on the way!

“Maybe you should call them and let them know where we are,” she suggested.

“No, the light from my phone would be a beacon showing our location to the shooter. As it is, he already knows we’re on the move. But from the angle of the bullet, he must still be up in the trees somewhere, which is good for us, as that means he isn’t in the process of making his way over here on foot. Unless he has a partner.”

“But why is he shooting at all? I don’t understand.”

Isaac scowled. “He was probably trying to take me out of the picture so that he had a clear path to get to you.”

She swallowed hard, wishing she hadn’t asked.

The radio on Isaac’s lapel crackled and he quickly muffled the sound with his gloved hands. “ETA?” he whispered.

“Less than five.”

“Shooter in the tree line on the south side of the street,” he murmured. “Stay down.”

“Ten-four.”

Leah began reciting the Lord’s Prayer. She could feel Isaac’s gaze on her and she couldn’t help wondering if he wasn’t a Christian. Not that she should be surprised, because her brother went to church only when she forced the issue. And even then he mostly attended for Ben’s sake.

“We’re not beat yet,” Isaac said when she’d finished her prayer. “We’re going to be fine as soon as my teammates Caleb and Deck get here.”

“I know. But praying keeps me calm. I take it you don’t have the same experience?”

He gave a brief shake of his head and averted his gaze. “Nope. The only times I go to church are for weddings or funerals. And truth be told, in my line of work it’s more of the latter.”

She knew very well what he meant. Hadn’t she learned that firsthand? Her father had died in the line of duty, as had one of his colleagues. And on top of that, she’d lost her husband to a drunk driver on his third DUI offense.

Too much loss for one person to handle.

Since the last thing she wanted to think about was the dangers associated with Shane’s and Isaac’s respective jobs, she twisted around so she could see the road.

“Red lights in the distance,” Isaac murmured in his low, reassuring tone. “My team will be here soon.”

“Thank You, Lord,” she murmured.

“Amen,” Ben said in a small voice. Her eyes welled up with tears at her son’s sentiment. At that moment she was grateful she’d taken him to church every week.

“See, Ben? We’re safe now.”

“But, Mommy, I’m cold,” he whined.

“I know, sweetie.” She brushed her lips over Ben’s forehead. “Mr. Isaac’s friends will be here soon and then we’ll be able to get into a warm car, okay?”

“We’re hiding in a cluster of trees at your three o’clock,” Isaac murmured into the radio.

“Ten-four.”

“They’re not going to search the trees across the street, are they?” Leah asked, trying not to be too blunt, for Ben’s sake.

“No, getting you two to safety is our main priority.”

Once again she was glad she wasn’t out here alone. So far, Isaac had proved to be dedicated in his mission to protect her and Ben.

Maybe her brother had chosen wisely after all. Even though she never wanted to be married to a cop, especially seeing what her mother had gone through after losing her father, being helped by one who was determined to protect you wasn’t all bad.

The red lights grew brighter and soon she saw two sheriff’s-department vehicles park behind Isaac’s ditched Jeep. First one dark figure climbed out of the car, dressed in full SWAT gear, and then a second figure joined him. Within minutes, they made their way over to their hiding spot amid the trees.

“Hey, Isaac, what’s the deal? Haven’t you had enough adventure for one day?” the shorter of the two asked in a low voice.

“Knock it off,” he growled, not looking the least bit amused. “Listen, I need you and Caleb to create a wall of armor so that we can get Leah and Ben down to your vehicle. I’m fairly certain the shooter was on the other side of the road.”

“No problem. We’re ready.”

“Okay, Leah, I want you to slowly stand up, while keeping your head down,” Isaac instructed.

“Okay.” Rising to her feet was easier said than done, since her legs had gone numb. Plus Isaac hadn’t moved back very far, so there wasn’t a lot of room to maneuver.

But then Caleb, or was it Declan, reached down and helped her up. Isaac stayed behind her, while the other officer took Ben. Clustered together as one, they slowly moved across the muddy terrain, heading in the direction of the vehicles. When they reached the nearest one, Leah set Ben on the rear seat and climbed in beside him. One of Isaac’s friends brought over the booster seat and soon Ben was securely fastened inside.

“Stay here,” Isaac said in a low voice. “The windows are bulletproof, so there’s no reason to be afraid. We’ll be out of here soon enough.”