Read Online Emergency Response by Susan Sleeman - Free Book Online Page B

inner door.
    â€œGun!” Noah suddenly shouted and his powerful arms came around her and hurled her to the ground.

SIX
    N oah landed on his shoulder, the smell of damp concrete coming up to meet him. He made sure he took the brunt of the fall while cradling Darcie securely in his arms. Pain razored through his body, but he held fast to Darcie.
    Bullets slammed into the wall above them. Fast. Fierce. To a layperson, it probably sounded like a submachine gun’s staccatoed bursts, but Noah recognized it as a semiautomatic fired rapidly. He covered Darcie fully and held her in place. He hated putting his back to the shooters—it made him vulnerable—but there was no way he’d let a bullet touch her without going through him first.
    â€œYou okay?” he asked, glad that oxygen had found its way back into his lungs.
    â€œOkay?” Her voice rose. “Okay? Someone is shooting at us. No, I’m not okay.”
    â€œI meant did I injure you on the takedown?”
    â€œOh, that. I might have scraped my knee. Again.” She shifted, trying to get up.
    He tightened his arms. “Stay down until I’m sure it’s clear. They won’t hang around for long.”
    â€œIf I agree to stay plastered to the sidewalk will you loosen your grip?”
    He relaxed his arms a fraction, but didn’t leave even a finger’s width between them.
    He wished he could get up or at least lift his head to assess the situation. To check for pedestrians caught in the crossfire. But bullets continued to pelt the wall, raining shards of brick down on them. Another bullet pinged off a parking meter and embedded in the concrete just shy of his head.
    He pressed Darcie harder to the ground and curled his body around her. Regret over pushing her face into the concrete had him back off a bit. She didn’t speak, but he knew it had to be uncomfortable. Physically and mentally.
    The gunfire finally stopped and tires screeched on the street. The smell of burning rubber and fumes from oil burning on the engine filled the air.
    â€œThey’re taking off,” he said.
    She tried to squirm out from under him.
    â€œNot yet,” he warned and kept her in place. “We’ll wait for officers to come out and clear the area.”
    â€œIsn’t that overkill?” she asked, her voice muffled by police sirens winding up.
    â€œNothing is overkill when it comes to making sure you aren’t harmed.” The words came out with more force than he’d intended, catching him by surprise.
    â€œI know you’re uncomfortable,” he said quickly to hide his heightened emotions. “But I wouldn’t put you through this if I didn’t think it absolutely necessary.”
    She didn’t respond. They lay there, Noah’s adrenaline ebbing and his awareness of her as a woman growing. Her unique scent. The way she felt in his arms. Much like he’d imagined many times before his past mistakes came to mind and popped the bubble. They could never be together. Not a woman who lost a child and a man who gave one away. The worst combination possible, in his mind.
    â€œLockhart,” an officer called out from the precinct door. “Shooters have taken off. Patrol is on their tail. Hang tight while we clear the area.”
    Noah rolled away and Darcie shifted to face him. He glanced up and down the street for the first time since they’d hit the ground. Several officers were helping pedestrians, but Noah didn’t see anyone who’d sustained injuries.
    Please, God, let that be true.
    He sat up and so did Darcie. She ran her fingers over the wall, slowing at the scars left by the bullets. He spotted a slug on the ground and picked it up. Great. A full metal jacketed 9 mm. Common ammo that wouldn’t lead to their shooter. Still, the bullet didn’t rule out a gangster. They often owned Tec 9 semiautomatic rifles because they were cheap. Add a thirty-round magazine and