Snowfall on Haven Point(104)

Her stealth seemed to take forever, but finally she was close enough to see inside the room. Marshall stood near the outside door, and across the width of the kitchen, the woman she had met at the Lights festival—Jackie Scott, she remembered—faced him, holding an ominous-looking black revolver in hands that shook as much as Andie’s did right now.

In an instant of blind panic, she could focus on nothing but the gun and she had a flashback to that night in her living room when she had been certain she would die, when Rob had held a gun to her chin with deadly intent in his eyes.

Breathe, Andie. She forced herself to look again. This was different. The woman wasn’t pointing the gun at Marshall. She was pointing it at herself.

She hadn’t seen Andie yet, she realized—but Marshall knew she was there. His glance flicked toward her and she saw a wild surge of panic in the blue depths, then he looked quickly away. He was trying not to draw attention to her.

Always, always protective.

The woman was obviously having a breakdown of some sort. She was babbling something about not wanting to go to jail, about her son, about being sorry.

“Come on, Jackie. Give me the gun. You don’t want to die, right?”

She frowned at him. “Yes. Yes, I do. It’s better than jail.”

“Dead is dead. You can’t fix anything then, only bring more pain to those who love you. Come on, give me the gun.”

To Andie’s horror, Jackie pointed the gun at Marshall. It wobbled back and forth with her trembling, but she was only ten feet away from him. At that distance, it would be tough to miss.

“I told you to stay back,” she said. “You can’t stop this.”

He was going to try anyway, Andie realized at once. Like Jason, he intended to try saving someone who didn’t want to be saved. His muscles were tensed, ready. He shifted all his weight to his left leg and crutch.

His gaze flickered to where Andie waited in the hall and he inclined his head slightly, telling her without words to get out.

He intended to take on a delusional woman holding a handgun, armed with only an aluminum crutch.

Oh, she loved him. In a stunning moment of clarity, she realized a big part of the reason she loved him was because he would always be ready to step up, to help where he was needed, no matter the personal cost.

She couldn’t let him risk his life. Not this time, at least.

Heart pounding, she armed her Taser and eased into the room. She could do this. She had practiced repeatedly and knew just where to aim. The big downside of a Taser, of course, was that she had only one shot, but she would keep the pepper spray ready just in case.

If she were trained in law enforcement, she would probably have to announce herself and order the woman to put down her weapon or something.

Good thing she was simply a woman trying to protect the man she loved.

From here, she had a perfect shot at the woman’s back—the spot she knew from the training she underwent when she purchased the Taser was the absolute most effective place to aim a Taser, as a hit to the large muscle groups there was most likely to result in neuromuscular incapacitation.

She held her breath, took aim and—guided by the laser sight—fired. The two electrodes shot out almost soundlessly and found their target. Instantly, Jackie collapsed like a thousand-pound sandbag had just dropped on her, as every muscle holding her upright contracted.

Andie dropped the Taser—still connected to the convulsing woman by the wires—and rushed forward to pick up the handgun just as the hallway behind her seemed to explode with people.

Cade Emmett was at the front of the line, leading EMTs and a few other police officers from his department. “What happened? Is she having a seizure?” he demanded.

Marshall looked as stunned as if Andie had reloaded and fired at him.

“Andie tased her three seconds before you came in.”

“Seriously?” Cade gave her an appraising look.

“It worked, didn’t it?” she said. “The electrical charge will continue for a full thirty seconds. I think she has about fifteen more. Here. Take this.”

She gave the handgun to Cade, then went straight to Marshall and threw her arms around him. He was safe and warm, and she never wanted to let go.

The sudden impact rocked him back a little on his crutches, but his arms came around her and held her tight. “That was amazing. You were amazing,” he said.

She had debated even purchasing the weapon, worried she wouldn’t be able to actually fire on a human being in a stressful situation. When it came to protecting those she loved, apparently she could.

“What can you tell us about the situation that would help the EMTs?” Cade asked. “This is Jackie Scott, your admin, right?”