Love Inspired Suspense: October 2022 Box Set 1 of 2 by Maggie K. Black

Author:Maggie K. Black
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

Emily slowed once she left the highway. The streets of Paradise were mostly deserted at this predawn hour. There was activity around the police station, though, and lights blazed at the twenty-four-hour gas station.

Something about the scene bothered her, as if her subconscious had picked up a warning that her conscious mind was having trouble processing. She didn’t like that feeling one bit and said so.

“Does everything look normal to you?” she asked Noah.

“As normal as ever, I guess. Why?”

“I don’t know. Intuition?”

“Nothing wrong with that,” he said. “Talk to me. Maybe something will come to you.”

“It’s not that simple,” Emily argued. “Haven’t you ever gotten the willies for no apparent reason?”

“Only when taking the bar exam,” he said, smiling over at her. “Do you get these feelings often?”

She shook her head. “No. That’s the problem. I must have seen something that set off alarm bells.”

“I’m sorry,” Noah said, “I wasn’t really paying attention. Want to circle around and take a second look?”

“No. I don’t want to keep the chief waiting.”

Remaining tense, Emily wheeled into the lot behind the station and parked. Nothing looked out of order, and overhead lights blazed.

She got out and stretched.

The singing whine of a rifle bullet sliced through the darkness. Instinct kicked in. She dropped into a crouch between the chassis and car door, drew her weapon, and took up a defensive posture. Before she had time to shout to Noah to get down, the rifle fired again. This time, glass shattered.

There was a sharp cry. Men with shotguns and pistols ready poured out the rear door of the station and deployed the way a military patrol would if they came under fire.

Her radio squawked. “Zwalt?”

Emily cautiously rose up enough to reach across the driver’s seat for her mic. “I’m parked behind the main station. Taking fire.”

“You’re not hit?”

Outside her vehicle, men were shouting to each other so she raised her voice to be heard. “No, I’m fine.”

Next to her, still belted into the passenger seat, Noah made a strange noise. Emily’s grip on the mic tightened so much she was broadcasting when she shouted at him. “Noah!”

A quick assessment showed her the trajectory of the second bullet. It had shattered the rear window, pierced the top of the back seat, passed through the upright section of the passenger seat, and hit Noah in the back. His head was bowed, his eyes closed, and she couldn’t be sure he was breathing.

Grabbing his wrist she felt for a pulse, and found a strong, racing beat. That was enough for instantaneous thankfulness, followed by the urge to throw her arms around him in celebration.

Instead, she undid his seat belt, pushed open the door on the far side of the car and nudged him until he looked at her. “Get out. Stay down.”

Clambering over the seat after him she tried to shield him, “Are you hurt?”

“Yeah,” he said, sounding breathless. “Feels like a road grader ran over me.”

“Lean forward. Let me see.”

Another gentle push gave her access to his back.

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