both entrances of the side yard. His hands flexed again, and the urge to hold cold metal against his palm was strong. Sean moved to stand beside him. Curiosity about the man burned in John, but now wasnât the time.
A movement to the right caught Johnâs attention. His muscles tensed. The shape of a tall man carrying an automatic weapon was clear for a moment before a shadow swallowed him up.
âCombatant at three oâclock,â Sean whispered.
âI see him.â John had to deal with this. He couldnât let these people get hurt. âMake sure they all get inside,â he said at a level barely considered a whisper.
Keeping to the shadow of the building, John made his way toward the armed man. Moving on instinct and some buried muscle memory, John prepared for hand-to-hand combat.
His first priority would be to disarm then disable. He mentally pictured the tactics for neutralizing his opponent. As he closed in on the man, John heard the faint, telltale sound of boots on the ground behind him.
He flattened himself against the wall just as Audrey bumped into him. He knew it was her by the fresh apple scent of her hair. He ground his teeth together. She needed to be inside, where she was safe.
A foot away the masked man stopped, as if sensing he wasnât alone.
John held his breath. He didnât know what Audrey planned. He didnât like being out of sync with his partner. They needed to be of one mind for an assault to work. That he considered her as a partner was something heâd deal with later.
He touched Audreyâs hand. Using his index finger, he tapped her palm twice, though what he was trying to convey to her lurked beyond his mental reach. Frustration crimped the muscles in his shoulders. They were going to get themselves killed.
Audreyâs fingers curled over his and pulled him toward her, obviously wanting him to go with her to the safety of the church. He resisted. This could be their only chance to catch this guy. She elbowed him lightly before she squeezed his hand and then stretched her arm to the left in a semicircle. Then she moved their joined hands to his chest and thumped. He squeezed her hand, not comprehending her message.
She thumped him again and then stretched her arm past him to the right. It dawned on him that she wanted him to go behind the man while she confronted from the front. He didnât like it. He brought her hand to his face and shook his head no.
She released her hold on him and broke away. She was going to take this guy on herself.
Gritting his teeth, he made a wide sweep so that he ended up behind the perp.
A bright spotlight beamed on the man. âHalt, sheriffâs department. Drop your weapon.â
The man brought his rifle barrel up. John slammed into him from behind, wrapping his arms around his torso and trapping his arms at his side, making it impossible for the man to fire at Audrey, as they went to the ground with John landing on top of the intruder.
John swiftly sprang up enough to dig his knee into the manâs back, keeping him glued to the ground while he wrestled the guyâs hands behind his back.
Audrey was there in a flash with a set of handcuffs. John slapped them over the manâs wrists and secured him in a tight hold. He patted him down by rote, vaguely aware that some part of his brain had given the command.
He found a money clip holding some cash and a blank key card. No other weapons and no identification. A shudder worked over John. Heâd washed ashore dressed nearly the same, also without ID. Had John and this man worked together? If so, why was this guy trying to kill him?
He yanked the man to his feet. Audrey grabbed the manâs rifle from the ground. The sheriff and several other deputies rounded the corner of the building with their flashlights aimed at them.
âAudrey!â The deep timbre of the sheriffâs concerned voice rang out. âYou okay?â
âYes,
A movement to the right caught Johnâs attention. His muscles tensed. The shape of a tall man carrying an automatic weapon was clear for a moment before a shadow swallowed him up.
âCombatant at three oâclock,â Sean whispered.
âI see him.â John had to deal with this. He couldnât let these people get hurt. âMake sure they all get inside,â he said at a level barely considered a whisper.
Keeping to the shadow of the building, John made his way toward the armed man. Moving on instinct and some buried muscle memory, John prepared for hand-to-hand combat.
His first priority would be to disarm then disable. He mentally pictured the tactics for neutralizing his opponent. As he closed in on the man, John heard the faint, telltale sound of boots on the ground behind him.
He flattened himself against the wall just as Audrey bumped into him. He knew it was her by the fresh apple scent of her hair. He ground his teeth together. She needed to be inside, where she was safe.
A foot away the masked man stopped, as if sensing he wasnât alone.
John held his breath. He didnât know what Audrey planned. He didnât like being out of sync with his partner. They needed to be of one mind for an assault to work. That he considered her as a partner was something heâd deal with later.
He touched Audreyâs hand. Using his index finger, he tapped her palm twice, though what he was trying to convey to her lurked beyond his mental reach. Frustration crimped the muscles in his shoulders. They were going to get themselves killed.
Audreyâs fingers curled over his and pulled him toward her, obviously wanting him to go with her to the safety of the church. He resisted. This could be their only chance to catch this guy. She elbowed him lightly before she squeezed his hand and then stretched her arm to the left in a semicircle. Then she moved their joined hands to his chest and thumped. He squeezed her hand, not comprehending her message.
She thumped him again and then stretched her arm past him to the right. It dawned on him that she wanted him to go behind the man while she confronted from the front. He didnât like it. He brought her hand to his face and shook his head no.
She released her hold on him and broke away. She was going to take this guy on herself.
Gritting his teeth, he made a wide sweep so that he ended up behind the perp.
A bright spotlight beamed on the man. âHalt, sheriffâs department. Drop your weapon.â
The man brought his rifle barrel up. John slammed into him from behind, wrapping his arms around his torso and trapping his arms at his side, making it impossible for the man to fire at Audrey, as they went to the ground with John landing on top of the intruder.
John swiftly sprang up enough to dig his knee into the manâs back, keeping him glued to the ground while he wrestled the guyâs hands behind his back.
Audrey was there in a flash with a set of handcuffs. John slapped them over the manâs wrists and secured him in a tight hold. He patted him down by rote, vaguely aware that some part of his brain had given the command.
He found a money clip holding some cash and a blank key card. No other weapons and no identification. A shudder worked over John. Heâd washed ashore dressed nearly the same, also without ID. Had John and this man worked together? If so, why was this guy trying to kill him?
He yanked the man to his feet. Audrey grabbed the manâs rifle from the ground. The sheriff and several other deputies rounded the corner of the building with their flashlights aimed at them.
âAudrey!â The deep timbre of the sheriffâs concerned voice rang out. âYou okay?â
âYes,
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