Mountain Guardians--A K9 Collection by Christy Barritt

Author:Christy Barritt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

“The street behind the Ashford Inn, I don’t know the name,” Zoe said to the 911 operator. She peered through the tree branches, needles scratching her cheek, to see what was going on out front.

Was that…?

“No,” she gasped.

“Ma’am, what is it?” the operator asked.

Jack was on his knees, his hands interlaced behind his head. Facing a man with a long rifle.

Zoe was about to scream, when Jack charged the gunman. They stumbled out of view and a gunshot rang out. Zoe shoved branches aside to get a better look.

Jack was down, motionless in the snow. And the shooter was standing over him.

“He’s going to kill Jack.”

“Ma’am—”

She bolted out of the cover.

Don’t be stupid. Don’t sacrifice yourself, because then Jack’s death won’t count for—

His death? No, she wouldn’t let that happen.

She was smart. As a kid, she’d outwitted a rare genetic disease. She could certainly figure out a way to save Jack.

“How close are deputies?” she said into the phone.

“Four, maybe five minutes away.”

“I’m going to distract him.”

“Ma’am, I have to advise you—”

She pocketed the phone and took off through a backyard, still out of view, screaming at the top of her lungs. She hoped to both lure the shooter away from Jack’s defenseless body and get some Neighborhood Watch action going. The more people who came out to see what was going on, the less likely the guy would commit murder on someone’s front lawn.

She heard a door open at a neighboring house. Good, people were paying attention. As she crossed through another backyard, she came face-to-face with the shooter. “Don’t shoot, please don’t shoot!” She put her hands together and prayed.

“I’m not going to shoot you,” the man said.

Of course not. He wanted to kidnap her.

She kept praying, prayed that the police would arrive, prayed that Jack would be okay, even if she was taken on his watch.

“Ma’am, are you okay?”

Her eyes popped open.

“Am I okay? What an odd question coming from the guy who’s trying to kidnap me and beat up an innocent man.”

“That man out front? I don’t know how you can call him innocent, considering he was chasing you through the neighborhood. That’s why I came out here in the first place. And I certainly have no interest in kidnapping you.”

“Oh, right,” Zoe said. From an innocent bystander’s perspective, Jack had been chasing her, even though he’d been trying to protect and defend her. To this bearded guy, it probably looked like Jack was the perpetrator.

“There’s been a misunderstanding,” she said, walking toward the front where Jack had been assaulted. “The man out front is actually with Search and Rescue. He protected me from an attacker.”

The bearded guy shook his head in frustration. “Why didn’t he say so?”

“Well, in his defense, he probably assumed you were the bad guy. But you are…?” she prompted.

“Billy Arndt. I live across the street.” He pointed to a brick bungalow where a dog was barking insistently from the window. “My dog, Tank, knew something was up. When I checked the window, I saw you running from that guy and figured I’d assist.

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