“With me!”Hodge ripped the front door open, and Twister was already charging through it.
Magnum covered them as they disappeared into the yard.
I rolled with Goldie behind the heavy couch, and her breathing came fast against my chest.
“Wheels—”
“You hit?”I barked out.
“No.”
“You sure?”
She nodded quickly.“I’m okay.”
I cupped her face with both hands, forcing her to look at me.“Look at me.”
Her eyes locked onto mine.“No blood?”
She shook her head.“No.”
“Stay here.”
“I’m not—”
“You stay behind this couch.”
“I can—”
“Goldie.”My voice came out harder than I intended.
She stopped arguing immediately.“Okay.”
I kissed her forehead without thinking and then I turned.
Gene hadn’t moved.Not even a twitch.Blood slowly spread beneath the chair and my stomach clenched.
He was gone.
Magnum fired another controlled shot toward the neighboring houses.“Damn it!”
Nothing fired back.
The silence afterward somehow sounded worse than the gunshots.
“House clear!”Swift yelled from somewhere toward the rear.“No movement!”
I crouched low and moved toward the shattered front window.
Glass crunched beneath my boots, and I saw outside, Twister in the middle of the yard with Hodge twenty feet away, scanning every rooftop, tree line, and parked vehicle.
“Anything?”I called.
“Nothing!”Hodge shouted back.
Magnum cursed under his breath.“Professional.”
Twister looked toward the street.“He had one shot.”
