AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Much appreciated. If further info arises, I’ll be in touch.”
The call ended, but Sonny’s day had not.
Sean and Amalie were both wrapping up work for the day. Sean had everything he needed up and running, and Amalie had gone through her email and scheduled meetings with new clients.
“Are you about ready to shut down?” Sean asked.
“I just did,” Amalie said, as she stood up from her desk and stretched. “Let me check to make sure the coffee maker is off, and I’ll be good to go.”
She disappeared into the back room as Sean got up and walked over to the sofa to get their coats. As he did, he paused to look at her painting of Pope Mountain again.
“Home, sweet home,” he said, then put on his coat and picked hers up as she came back into the room.
He was helping Amalie on with her coat when her phone signaled a text. She took it out of her purse to check.
“It’s from Dad,” she said, and pulled it up, then moaned. “Oh no!”
“What’s wrong?” Sean asked.
Her hands were shaking as she showed him the message.
Sean felt a panic of his own, but he wasn’t going to let her see it.
“Okay, okay, home is where we’re going, right? Lock the office. Our car’s in the back. We’ll be there in no time.”
She locked the office door and then grabbed his hand as they headed down the long hallway to the back parking lot.
When they reached the exit, Sean paused long enough to scan the parking lot, saw no one on foot, and no one in sight, and began weaving their way through the cars to where he’d parked.
They were a good thirty feet from his car, but he was already aiming the remote to unlock the doors when movement on the roof of the building in front of them caught his eye. He looked up, and when he did, sunlight flashed on something shiny.Like the scope on a rifle, he thought, and then it hit him!
He grabbed Amalie and shouted, “Get down!”
There was a pop, and then a shattering pain that blew through the back of his shoulder as he threw himself on top of her, followed by two simultaneous shots that sent glass raining down upon them—and then silence.
Amalie was screaming, and he was struggling not to pass out.
“Easy, baby, easy. Are you okay?”
Just hearing Sean’s voice eased her panic. “Yes, oh my God! Are you?”
Before he could answer, a bearded man in dark clothing and a black stocking cap appeared and knelt down beside them.
“I’m Joe. Sniper’s down. Are you the only one hit?” he asked.
“Yes,” Sean said.
“Sorry. We weren’t looking for a woman. We’ve called the police and ambulance. Sit tight. We’ve got this, and Wolf sends his regards.”
Sean groaned as he rolled off of Amalie, then sat up and leaned back against the side of the car where they’d taken cover.
That’s when Amalie saw the blood all over her coat, and then a wide smear of it on the car behind where Sean was leaning.
“Oh my God! Sean! You’re bleeding!”
“Flesh wound. Ambulance is on the way,” he said, and then saw blood running from the cuff of his coat sleeve. “Blood oath,” he muttered, and then closed his eyes and took a breath.
“This isn’t funny, Sean Pope! You are my life and I nearly got you killed.”
