Page 41 of Child In Jeopardy

Slater drew his gun and lifted his head. No sign of the shooter, but thankfully Sonya had taken cover back in the cruiser. That was where Slater wanted Lana to be right now, but there were eight porch steps between them and the driveway and another ten feet of space after that. Not especially far, but they’d be easy targets if they stood still.

Another shot came right at them, and the shooter had obviously adjusted his aim because this one smacked into the step just above Lana’s head. Lana was clearly the target here, and the shooter had too good an aim. He had to get her out of the line of fire and fast.

Cursing, Slater caught on to Lana and rolled with her to the side. More shots came. One right behind the other, each tearing up the stone and sending shards flying. Slater prayed none of them hit Lana.

They finally reached the side of the steps, and they dropped down into the shrubs. The bushes definitely wouldn’t stop any bullets, but at least this way, the shooter might not be able to see them.

“Stay down and let’s move,” Slater instructed. He wanted them away from the spot near the porch where the shooter had last seen them.

Lana had drawn her gun, too, and she kept it gripped in her hand as she maneuvered onto her belly. Her breath was gusting now, and she was probably getting hit with the mother lode of adrenaline. She had to be terrified, but she got moving, crawling away from the porch.

The shooting didn’t stop, and even though Slater hadn’t actually counted the number of bullets fired, he figured theshooter either had more than one weapon or had reloaded. In other words, he or she had come prepared for this.

But who was it?

Who was trying to kill Lana?

It was possibly Marsh, who hadn’t actually gone for that walk after all but rather had positioned himself for this attack. But it could also be the guy in the suit who worked for Leonard. If so, Leonard would have been the one to order Lana’s murder. Maybe just as he’d ordered Stephanie’s.

However, Slater’s money was on Taylor.

He had no idea if she’d had firearms training, but that wouldn’t be hard to get. And with her temper, she could want to get back at Lana—especially if Taylor was Buck’s accomplice.

I’m not working by my lonesome. I’ve got a helper. A cold-blooded one. And Lana and you are going to die.

Those had been Buck’s dying words, and while Slater had hoped it was all a lie, it was possible this was the plan Buck had set in motion before Slater’s bullet had killed him.

There was a flurry of more shots, and Slater moved so he could send his own bullet in the direction of the shooter. He double-tapped the trigger, hoping he’d get lucky and take out this person. There was no yelp of pain, though, no thud to indicate a bullet hitting flesh.

And the gunfire continued.

But Slater heard something else. The sound of a car engine, and it was moving closer to him and Lana. Hell, he hoped the shooter hadn’t managed to get into a vehicle and was now planning on ramming into them. The alarm he saw in Lana’s eyes let him know she was thinking the same thing.

His phone dinged with a text, and when Slater managed to get it out of his pocket, he saw Sonya’s name on the screen. And her message eased some of the knotted muscles in Slater’s gut.

“Sonya’s moving the cruiser between us and the shots,” he relayed.

It was a welcome ploy, but it wasn’t without risk to Sonya. The cruiser was bullet-resistant, but that didn’t mean gunshots couldn’t get through. If the shooter was determined enough, he or she could now try to kill Sonya.

More shots came, and Slater could hear them now slamming into the cruiser. He could see the cruiser, too, through the tiny gaps in the row of thick shrubs. Sonya wasn’t just maneuvering so the cruiser would be a shield. Slater thought Sonya was trying to get into position so he and Lana could be able to crawl into the cruiser through the passenger-side door.

In the distance, Slater heard a welcome sound. Sirens. Maybe Leonard had called the cops, but he was betting Sonya had been the one to do that. Even if Leonard’s assistant wasn’t the one firing those shots, Lana’s father probably would have preferred to handle this himself and not deal with the publicity that was certain to follow.

At the thought of Leonard, Slater glanced back at the porch steps. He couldn’t actually see the front door from his position, but he didn’t think it was open. He hadn’t expected it to be, but where was Lana’s father right now? Was he cowering inside, or was he waiting for his assistant to finish the job he’d started?

Sonya continued to draw fire as she backed the cruiser into place, and the moment she was dead even with him and Lana, she must have leaned across the seat because the back door of the cruiser opened.

There wasn’t an easy way to get inside it since it meant them squeezing through the shrubs that scratched and tore at them. Still, it was better than staying put where they could be shot and killed if the shooter changed positions.

The wail of the sirens got even closer, and Slater gave Lana a final push through the shrubs so she could scramble into theback seat. He was right after her, and he slammed the door shut behind them.

“Get down,” Slater told Sonya. “It’s too dangerous to try to drive out of here.”

Sonya made a quick sound of agreement and dropped down. Good thing, too, because the next shot finally weakened the side window and put a fist-sized hole through it.

Slater climbed on top of Lana, his front against her back so he could try to protect her. He knew she wouldn’t thank him for the move. She wouldn’t want him risking his life for hers, but Slater stayed put.

And waited.