Threat of Darkness(64)

 He grimaced as he swung the rifle around again and aimed it at the cringing little boy.

 Sam saw Lindy lean forward to shield Danny with her body as best she could.

 The kidnapper gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger.

 Fire erupted from the end of the muzzle. The sharp crack inside the small space was deafening.

 Everything blurred as Samantha screamed and lunged forward.

 To her surprise, the only pain she felt when she landed was a smarting from the impact of her knees and elbows on the flooring.

 Unbelieving, she took stock of herself. She hadn’t been shot! So what had happened?

 She stared at the tableau spread before her. The assailant had fired, all right, but Danny remained unscathed.

 Ben Southerland had made a wild dive in front of his family and had taken the bullet meant for the boy. Ben now lay at his wife’s feet. Blood was spreading from his wound, soaking through his shirt and pooling on the floor.

 Lindy was reaching toward him when he gave a guttural, wordless roar. He raised his head. Faced the gunman. Lifted the stolen Glock in both hands and pulled the trigger for the second time that night.

 Samantha was stunned as the bullet flew true and buried itself in the chest of the man who had been trying to kill the child.

 The impact threw the target backward. His rifle flew from his grasp and landed off to the side, no longer a threat.

 Samantha was at Ben’s side almost before the other man’s body hit the floor. She felt for his pulse, then rolled him gently so his face wouldn’t be visible to the survivors.

 Her gaze met Lindy’s. “I’m sorry.”

 The other woman sagged back against the wall as if her bones had suddenly vanished. That was when Sam noticed that Lindy, too, was wounded. The would-be assassin’s bullet had apparently passed through Ben and had grazed Lindy’s arm.

 “Let me see that,” Sam ordered, slipping into her professional persona.

 “No.” Lindy quickly assessed her whimpering, clinging son, then said, “Danny’s okay. That’s all that matters. You should tend to your partner. He needs you more than I do.”

 There was no way Sam was going to argue with that conclusion, particularly since she’d been worried sick about John.

 “Okay.” She glanced at the other woman’s discarded purse. “If you can manage okay, check to see if your cell phone works up here and try to call for help. If you get through, tell them we have an officer down and two wounded.”

 “What about him?” Lindy pointed with a trembling finger. “Is he dead, too?”

 “Yes. He took Ben’s bullet square in the chest and he’s not bleeding. That means his heart’s stopped. We don’t have to watch either of these guys anymore.”

 “Okay.” She gave her son a weak smile. “Get Mommy her purse, will you, honey?”

 Rather than try to stand when she knew her legs were too wobbly, Samantha crawled the short distance to John and pressed her fingertips against the side of his neck.

 She drew a ragged breath and thanked God. Pulse strong, respirations even and deep.

 As much as she longed to roll him over onto his back, cradle him in her arms and tell him how much she loved him, she knew better. For his own good he’d have to remain perfectly still until help arrived, unless there was a worsening of his condition.

 That sensible conclusion made her smile through tears of relief. Being a nurse was an advantage in most situations but right now she wished she were less aware of correct medical procedures and freer to react to the urgings of her heart.

 Placing one hand lightly on his shoulder she continued to monitor his vital signs and silently give thanks for their survival. Everything had happened so fast she was still reeling.

 Her hand gently stroked John’s upper arm through his rain-soaked sleeve as she watched the steady rise and fall of his breathing. God was good. Life was good—and promising to get better.

 Across the room, Lindy was saying, “That’s right. In the mountains. Hold on a second.” She covered the phone with her hand. “They want to know if you still have the tracking device on you?”

 Sam blushed. “I must. It was hidden in my purse and that’s right here.”

 “Okay,” Lindy told the police. “Just follow the signal from whatever it was you gave Samantha Rochard. That should lead you straight to us.” Her brow was furrowed. “Yes. We’ll be right here waiting for you. We wouldn’t think of leaving.”

 “I did it for Danny’s sake,” Sam insisted as soon as Lindy laid the phone aside.