AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Joe! I’m in the bathroom!”
“Get into the bathtub!” He grabbed his phone and called 911 to report the gunfire. They were pinned in the room like ducks sitting in a pond. And he grimly realized they could be injured or worse before the police could get there.
CHAPTERFOUR
Elly huddled on the floor in front of the vanity, shaking at the sound of gunfire. In her mind’s eye, she saw the skaters falling again, awash in blood. It was only when she heard another round of gunfire that she realized she needed to move.
She crawled to the bathtub, lifting herself up just enough to make it over the rim and down inside. She turned so that she was lying face down. Every muscle in her body trembled with fear. Images of dead and injured people flashed through her mind. It was difficult to dissect what had happened earlier from what was going on now.
Partially because she’d awoken crying and drenched in sweat from a terrible nightmare. One in which the shooter had aimed and fired round after round into Joe’s body. Nausea swirled in her stomach, and she had to fight the urge to throw up. She’d pushed the sweaty blankets aside and had come here to the bathroom to wash up. Until the sound of gunfire had sent her diving down to the floor.
And back in time.
“Elly? Are you with me?” She could hear Joe’s voice getting closer and easily imagined him making his way across the motel room to find her.
“Yes.” Her voice was little more than a croak.
Another barrage of gunfire exploded through the night. A bullet ripped through the bathroom wall, shattering the mirror above the sink. She instinctively ducked lower, covering the back of her head with her hands.
Please, Lord, make it stop!
“Elly.” Joe’s voice had her glancing up. He was in the bathroom, crawling over the edge of the porcelain tub. It was too small for the two of them. She tried to scoot over to make room for him, but he draped his body across hers, propping himself on his elbows and knees. “Stay down, okay? Help is on the way.”
“A-are you hurt?” Her teeth were chattering although she didn’t feel cold. It took her a minute to realize she was in shock. A phenomenon she’d learned about in her EMT training program but had never experienced firsthand.
There was a lot she’d learned but hadn’t put into practice. Until now.
“I’m fine.” He shifted his weight to move his hand over her arm, then down her back. “No injuries?”
“Not that I know of.” She pushed the words through her tight throat. “How did he find us at the motel?”
“I don’t know.” Joe’s tone was grim. “The only possibility is that he got my license plate number earlier.”
That didn’t make any sense. Granted, the shooter could have gotten the number from when they were out in front of the homestead, but how did some loner with an assault rifle trace the license to Joe? She wasn’t a cop but had learned enough from her older siblings to know that wasn’t an easy task for the average citizen. “Who is this guy?”
“That’s a good question. Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer. Not yet.”
She didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t naive, she knew police work took time. But it seemed unbelievable that this guy had managed to stay under the radar long enough to make two more attempts to get to her. Escaping three times, unless the officers who came managed to find him.
Why? That was the confounding question.
Joe shifted his weight. “Sorry, I hope I’m not crushing you.”
“It’s fine.” She could have told him she’d wanted nothing more than to be held in his arms, but not like this. Not hiding in a motel room bathtub from an evil man intent on killing them.
The sound of gunfire abruptly stopped, leaving an eerie silence behind. She wanted to believe that meant the shooter was gone, but knew better than to make assumptions.
Finally, the wail of police sirens indicated help was on the way. She told herself they were safe now. That the shooter was long gone. Yet the thought didn’t bring much relief. She couldn’t seem to stop shaking. She willed herself to calm down, but that was about as effective as spitting in the wind.
As if sensing her distress, Joe tightened his arms around her. “I’m here, Elly.” His low husky voice helped bring her stress level down a notch.
“Joe! Are you okay?” a deep male voice called out.
“In the bathroom, Steele.” Joe abruptly lifted himself up and off her. It was all she could do not to grab onto him to keep him close.
“This place is shot up pretty bad,” Steele said. “No injuries here?”
“We’re good. Better than the motel room.” Joe stood and stepped out of the tub. “I want everyone out there searching the surrounding area for this guy. We need to find him. And I also want you to check with Gary on his security cameras. This guy shouldn’t have gotten this close without alerting us.”
