“I’m very sorry about that. But until I know more about the attack, it’s the best way to keep Violet safe.”
He didn’t argue with that. Not verbally anyway. She braced herself for the questions that Levi was no doubt ready to ask.
But Levi didn’t ask her anything.
That was when she realized he had his attention nailed to the rearview mirror.
That put her heart right back in her throat, and Alexa whirled around in the seat to see what had put that look of concern on his face.
An SUV was coming up behind them.
“You said you stole this vehicle,” Levi reminded her. “But what would the other hired thug be driving?”
“Probably Tasha’s SUV. We used it when we escaped from the apartment in Austin. It’s dark green.” She studied the vehicle behind them, but the headlights were too bright for her to see much.
“Why didn’t you use her SUV when you got out of there with the baby?” he asked, snagging her attention.
“The hired gun’s car was closer. After they shot Tasha, I grabbed the baby from her arms, jumped in our attacker’s car and got out of there as fast as I could.”
Levi sped up a little and then cursed when the vehicle behind them did the same. “Why isn’t the baby in an infant car seat?” he asked.
That certainly didn’t steady her heartbeat. It started to race again. “Her infant carrier was in Tasha’s SUV, and I couldn’t get to it before I had to hurry away from the gas station.”
Alexa knew where this was going. The baby was vulnerable on the backseat with nothing to restrain her. The newborn was too young to roll over and fall, but a collision could be deadly.
Thankfully, they were already at the edge of town where there were businesses and shops. Yes, it was late and all of them were closed, but maybe the possibility of being spotted would stop the killer from launching a full-scale attack.
Maybe.
“I’ll get back there with her,” Alexa said, climbing over the seat, and she hoped the precaution was just overkill.
It wasn’t.
“We’re still a minute or two out from the sheriff’s office,” Levi said. “It won’t do me any good to call for backup now. We’ll get there before Jericho could respond. Just hold on to the baby and stay down.”
Alexa did indeed hold on to the baby, but she lifted her head just enough to see what the heck was going on. And she didn’t like what she saw.
Oh, no. Not this.
The SUV was right behind them, well past the mere tailgating stage. And now that Alexa got a better look at it, she knew for a fact that it was Tasha’s vehicle. That meant the person or persons inside had come to try to kill her. The driver didn’t waste any more time. He rammed into the car.
The jolt was instant.
It threw Alexa forward, slamming her against the seat in front of her. Thankfully, it didn’t do the same to the baby. Alexa put her body over the newborn’s, hoping it would be enough to protect the little girl.
There was another jolt.
Then another.
The car jerked to the right, and that was when Alexa realized the killers were trying to force them off the road.
And it was working.
The SUV was much larger, and the driver used that size when he sped up until the vehicles were side by side. Alexa couldn’t actually see through the heavily tinted windows, but the SUV bashed right into the driver’s side of their car.
“Hold on,” Levi warned.
The car lurched to the right as the SUV pushed them off the road and onto the sidewalk. Levi barely missed a concrete bench, but the front of the car bashed into the brick front of an antiques store.
Again, Alexa flew forward, somehow managing to keep the baby sheltered. But the jostling woke the little girl and she immediately started to cry.
Levi started to curse.
Alexa knew why—because they were stopped. They were now sitting ducks. The vehicle was angled so that the front end was against the door of the antiques shop.
“Call Jericho and tell him what’s going on,” he said, tossing her his phone.
Somehow, Alexa managed to press the Call button, even though her hands were shaking like crazy. Jericho answered on the first ring.
“Levi and I are at Saunder’s Antiques Store,” she relayed. “And we need help. There’s one gunman, maybe more.”
Jericho didn’t ask who she was or why this was happening. Nor did he ask about the crying baby. “I’m on my way,” he said and hung up.
Alexa took the baby from the seat and tried to soothe her. Maybe the newborn wouldn’t be able to sense the tension and fear in Alexa’s own body. If she did, there was no way she would stop crying.
Levi drew his weapons. Not just the primary one from his waist holster. He also took out a smaller gun from a slide holster in the back of his jeans and handed it to her.
“Use it if you have to,” Levi instructed.
Alexa took the gun from him, but she shook her head. “What are you planning to do?” she asked when he opened the car door. “You can’t be thinking of going out there. This idiot is a killer, and he might have help with him.”
However, Levi was indeed going out there.
He stepped out just as the driver of the SUV lowered his window. Using the other side of the car door for cover, Levi took aim at whoever was in the SUV.
“I’m Deputy Levi Crockett,” he shouted over the cries of the baby. “Step out of your vehicle now.”
She held her breath, hoping the killer would do just that. Then she might be able to learn why Tasha had died.
But that didn’t happen.
Alexa caught just a glimpse of the gun in the driver’s hand before the shot blasted into the car.
Levi cursed and dropped down behind the door. But not far. He stayed high enough to deliver two shots into the driver’s side windshield of the SUV.
Yes, it was risky because he didn’t know if this armed thug had someone else inside with him. Maybe a captive or hostage. But it was even riskier to let the shots continue with Alexa and the baby inside the car.
His shots obviously didn’t put the driver out of commission, because the guy fired another shot. Like his other bullet,
