Under the Lawman's Protection

“Okay.” She couldn’t deny being relieved to know the windows were reinforced. But that didn’t stop her from searching the trees across the street, looking for any sign of the masked man.

Isaac spoke to the other two officers outside for a few minutes before he slid in behind the wheel. He cranked the key and blasted the heat. “We’ll be leaving in a few minutes.”

“Wh-what about y-your J-Jeep?” she asked, her teeth chattering as her entire body began to shake. Reaction from the night’s events had finally hit her, and she couldn’t seem to get her body under control.

“The guys will make sure it gets back to the station. We want the crime-scene techs to take a look at my rear tire. Not that there’s much left to examine.”

Leah gave a jerky nod, unable to trust her voice not to betray her. Isaac turned in his seat and pinned her with a direct gaze.

“I’m going to make sure you and Ben get someplace safe for the rest of the night,” he said in a serious tone. “Okay?”

“S-sure.” She could tell he was feeling bad about everything that had just happened, but none of this was his fault.

Of course, it wasn’t exactly her fault, either.

She suppressed another shiver, wishing she knew where her brother was. And couldn’t help wondering if she’d ever feel safe again.

* * *

Isaac inwardly winced when Leah wrapped her arms around her abdomen as if trying to keep herself from shaking.

He scrubbed his hands over his face, telling himself it was not a good idea to scoot in beside her to offer comfort. He’d managed to keep his distance from any romantic entanglements over the past few years, and this was hardly the time or the place to change his mind. Especially with his friend’s sister, no matter how beautiful she was.

Still, he wished there was a way to ease Leah’s fears. To let her know that she was handling this better than anyone could expect.

He shook his head at his foolishness and peered through the windshield. Having Caleb and Declan outside, trying to put the puzzle pieces together for him, didn’t sit well. He wanted to be out there in the middle of the action.

But Hawk was his friend and Leah was his responsibility, not theirs, though they’d both offered to help in any way they could.

As soon as he had his charges in a safe place, Isaac would need to find a way to get in touch with Hawk. Someone wanted Leah and Ben, and the only thing that made sense to him was that they needed some leverage to draw his friend out of hiding.

Hawk had mentioned that his cover was blown, and Leah and Ben were in danger. But from whom? What in the world was Hawk involved in?

“Isaac?” Caleb rapped on the window. “You need to come out here and see this.”

He lifted his hand to show he’d heard. He turned back toward Leah. “I’ll only be a minute, okay?”

She nodded, but didn’t meet his gaze. She looked so weary, as if she might keel over at any moment.

Guilt weighed heavily on his shoulders as he turned back and pushed open the driver’s-side door. He followed Caleb over to his Jeep, where Deck was standing with a flashlight trained on the rear fender.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Check this out.” Deck aimed his beam of light at the lower edge of the wheel well. “What do you think? Looks like a bullet hole to me.”

Isaac stared in shock as the implication of the small round hole sank deep. “The shooter took two shots at the tire,” he murmured slowly. “He must have missed the first time.”

“Yeah, but not by much,” Caleb pointed out. “And you both know how difficult it is to hit a tire on a moving vehicle. The average citizen could never pull this off. Our perp is a sharpshooter of some kind, maybe a sniper from the armed forces.”

“Yeah,” Isaac agreed grimly, turning to look up at his two closest friends. “Or maybe a cop, like us.”

Caleb and Deck exchanged grim glances and then nodded. “You could be right,” Caleb acknowledged. “It wouldn’t be the first time we encountered a dirty cop on the force.”

No, it wouldn’t. Isaac stared at the small round hole in the fender. Keeping Leah and Ben safe wouldn’t be nearly as easy if they had a cop or some other guy with military training on his tail.

But failure was not an option.

THREE (#ulink_693b59c8-b93d-5e9e-9a69-92f795ba64c0)

Leah was relieved when Isaac returned to the sheriff’s-deputy SUV after just a few short minutes. “C-can we leave now?” she asked.

“Yes,” he responded shortly, as if he wasn’t happy about something. He put the SUV in gear and pulled out onto the highway. The silence stretched between them as Isaac drove, taking a series of turns that made her wonder if he was making sure no one was following.

The warmth from the heater finally penetrated her chilled body and she relaxed against the seat, feeling safe at least for the moment.

She peeked over at her son. Ben’s eyes had drifted closed, as he was no doubt exhausted after his crying jag. She was glad he was able to get some rest. “What did Caleb want to show you?” she asked in a low tone.

Isaac’s eyes briefly met hers in the rearview mirror. “Evidence.”

“Of what?”

There was another long silence. “A bullet hole located in the Jeep’s fender.”

She swallowed hard. Suspecting that the tire was shot on purpose and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt were two different things. All because someone wanted to get to her and Ben? Why? What in the world had Shane gotten mixed up in? “We need to talk to my brother,” she murmured.

“I know. I tried to call him earlier, but he didn’t pick up, and there wasn’t a voice-mail box set up on his phone, so I couldn’t leave him a message. I’ll try again later.”

She was surprised to note it was only about ten-fifteen at night. For some reason, the hour felt much later. Or maybe it was just that so much had happened in such a short time. “Are we still going to the Forty Winks Hotel?”

Isaac shook his head. “No, I’ve decided to go to a different place Deck suggested. Both Caleb and he have used the Forty Winks before, and right now I’d rather go someplace with fewer ties to the SWAT team, just to be on the safe side. Deck has reserved two adjoining rooms for us.”

Adjoining rooms? She hadn’t thought much beyond getting to the hotel, but now realized she should have known that Isaac wouldn’t just leave her and Ben there alone. Of course he’d want to stay close at hand, especially after this latest close call in the Jeep. Two attempts to shoot them in less than two hours must be some sort of record. She was glad she wasn’t going to be totally alone. And having adjoining rooms would provide some modicum of privacy.

She watched the street signs, trying to familiarize herself with the area. Most of the Wisconsin-winter snow had melted, leaving a slushy, muddy mess in its wake. A quarter moon hung in the sky, but the stars were faint and difficult to see, no doubt because Isaac was driving them closer to the city.

Fifteen minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot of a place called the American Lodge. She thought the Forty Winks Hotel sounded better, but obviously she wasn’t in a position to argue. The Lodge wasn’t very big, but there were two stories. She leaned forward and tapped Isaac’s shoulder. “I’d rather be on the ground floor if possible,” she said. “Ben is at the age where he climbs everything, and I don’t want to risk him going over the balcony.”

“No problem,” Isaac murmured. He drew up in front of the lobby. “Stay here and wait for me, okay?”

She nodded and rested against the seat cushion, wishing she had a change of clothes with her. Her jeans were splattered with mud from their mad dash to the trees. Hopefully, Isaac would ask for some basic toiletries at the front desk.

Ben was still asleep in his booster seat and she wished she didn’t have to wake him up. After everything they’d been through, he deserved a little peace.

Isaac returned from the lobby with two key packets in his hand. He handed one to her and then drove around the side of the building. “We’re in rooms 10 and 12, last two on the first floor.”

“Okay.” She turned, released the seat belt and eased Ben out of the booster seat.

“Do you want me to carry him inside?” Isaac offered.