Free Outlaw Justice (Decorah Security Series, Book #13): A Paranormal Romantic Suspense Novella by REBECCA YORK Page A
Authors: REBECCA YORK
at the men. Taken by surprise by the flying furniture, they were pushed backward, into Warren, who stumbled against Candy. While all of them were wavering on their feet, Steve grabbed a cut glass bowl from the side table and hurled it at Carlton’s head.
He went down, and Steve grabbed the gun from his limp hand. In the space of heartbeats, the whole scene had changed. But unlike one of his visions, this was the here and now, and he had to get Leah away from danger.
While the bad guys were trying to sort themselves out, he picked up the table again, grasping it by one end, then whirled and hurled it through the large window in back of the sofa. The twist sent a sharp stab through his leg, but he fought to ignore the pain as he listened to the sounds behind him.
At least one of the guys was scrabbling up. Gritting his teeth, Steve snatched up Leah and carried her through the massive hole in the glass, coming down hard on the patio. The unyielding surface was a shock to his bones, and glass dug into his hands. Ignoring the pain, he pulled himself up and started toward the gate.
But the leg had already taken a beating. As he tried to run across the patio, he stumbled. Leah grabbed him, giving him support as they fled. Before they reached the gate, shots peppered the area near the exit.
They were trapped inside the high fence, but Leah led him into to the shrubbery beyond the pool deck, heading toward a large planted area at the back of the property. They crashed through a bed of azalea bushes and into a small stand of pine trees.
As they hunkered down on the ground, floods snapped on in the yard, and lights began to pour from the windows of other houses. He could hear voices of people asking what was going on.
“Is there another way out?” Steve whispered.
“That’s the only gate, but maybe we can get over the fence.”
He looked in back of them, seeing that the barrier was not uniform where it was screened from the house. Perhaps part of it had been put up by the people who owned the property behind the Pendelton’s.
Bullets crashed into the bushes, but it was clear that Warren’s crew couldn’t see Steve and Leah’s location. Not yet. And Steve wasn’t going to fire and give it away. He crawled toward the fence, every move sending fire through his leg. At the back of the yard, he found a place where two different sections joined—one board on board and one stockade.
When he pulled on the stockade section, it gave a little, but he knew he couldn’t pull it apart from the bottom. As he started to stand, Leah grabbed his arm.
“No.”
“I need leverage. You stay down.”
He stood and began to pull the section back and forth, making a larger and larger gap.
Ignoring his orders to keep under cover, she stood and began to help. But the noise must have alerted Warren and his goons to their location, because the shots began hitting closer.
“We got ‘em trapped,” Warren called out. “Spread out.”
Chapter Eleven
Steve cursed under his breath and pulled Leah down. He considered tossing her over the damn fence, but that would make her too much of a target when she was in the air.
Putting her behind him, he returned fire. He didn’t think he would hit anyone, but at least he’d remind them that he was armed.
As he’d hoped, the opposition stopped shooting and regrouped. In the lull, he led Leah along the fence several yards away, positioning them in back of a large pine tree.
He was preparing for an assault, when a bullhorn rang out.
“This is the police. Drop your weapons and come out with your hands in the air.”
In his anger, Warren had long since passed beyond rationality. Instead of obeying, the man charged across the patio toward Steve and Leah, still shooting, determined to take them down before anyone could stop him.
Two police bullets felled him, and he flopped to the patio.
“Come out with your hands up,” the booming voice repeated.
The two bodyguards followed
He went down, and Steve grabbed the gun from his limp hand. In the space of heartbeats, the whole scene had changed. But unlike one of his visions, this was the here and now, and he had to get Leah away from danger.
While the bad guys were trying to sort themselves out, he picked up the table again, grasping it by one end, then whirled and hurled it through the large window in back of the sofa. The twist sent a sharp stab through his leg, but he fought to ignore the pain as he listened to the sounds behind him.
At least one of the guys was scrabbling up. Gritting his teeth, Steve snatched up Leah and carried her through the massive hole in the glass, coming down hard on the patio. The unyielding surface was a shock to his bones, and glass dug into his hands. Ignoring the pain, he pulled himself up and started toward the gate.
But the leg had already taken a beating. As he tried to run across the patio, he stumbled. Leah grabbed him, giving him support as they fled. Before they reached the gate, shots peppered the area near the exit.
They were trapped inside the high fence, but Leah led him into to the shrubbery beyond the pool deck, heading toward a large planted area at the back of the property. They crashed through a bed of azalea bushes and into a small stand of pine trees.
As they hunkered down on the ground, floods snapped on in the yard, and lights began to pour from the windows of other houses. He could hear voices of people asking what was going on.
“Is there another way out?” Steve whispered.
“That’s the only gate, but maybe we can get over the fence.”
He looked in back of them, seeing that the barrier was not uniform where it was screened from the house. Perhaps part of it had been put up by the people who owned the property behind the Pendelton’s.
Bullets crashed into the bushes, but it was clear that Warren’s crew couldn’t see Steve and Leah’s location. Not yet. And Steve wasn’t going to fire and give it away. He crawled toward the fence, every move sending fire through his leg. At the back of the yard, he found a place where two different sections joined—one board on board and one stockade.
When he pulled on the stockade section, it gave a little, but he knew he couldn’t pull it apart from the bottom. As he started to stand, Leah grabbed his arm.
“No.”
“I need leverage. You stay down.”
He stood and began to pull the section back and forth, making a larger and larger gap.
Ignoring his orders to keep under cover, she stood and began to help. But the noise must have alerted Warren and his goons to their location, because the shots began hitting closer.
“We got ‘em trapped,” Warren called out. “Spread out.”
Chapter Eleven
Steve cursed under his breath and pulled Leah down. He considered tossing her over the damn fence, but that would make her too much of a target when she was in the air.
Putting her behind him, he returned fire. He didn’t think he would hit anyone, but at least he’d remind them that he was armed.
As he’d hoped, the opposition stopped shooting and regrouped. In the lull, he led Leah along the fence several yards away, positioning them in back of a large pine tree.
He was preparing for an assault, when a bullhorn rang out.
“This is the police. Drop your weapons and come out with your hands in the air.”
In his anger, Warren had long since passed beyond rationality. Instead of obeying, the man charged across the patio toward Steve and Leah, still shooting, determined to take them down before anyone could stop him.
Two police bullets felled him, and he flopped to the patio.
“Come out with your hands up,” the booming voice repeated.
The two bodyguards followed