backward and kicked the door closed.
Another bullet struck the front door as Adam landed on the floor with Claire on top of him. In one swift move he rolled over and covered her with his body. He heard her sob and felt her tremble as he continued to shield her from the gunfire that shattered the cabin windows and streaked over their heads.
Adam had never felt so helpless in his life, but there was no way he could make it outside to confront their attackers without being shot down. His mind raced to find a solution as the barrage grew heavier, but nothing came to mind.
He and Claire were at the mercy of someone who wanted them dead, and they might very well succeed in their mission. All he could do at the moment was lie still and try to protect Claire and hope that no stray bullet found its mark.
Terrified, Claire tried to lie still, but she couldn’t control the fear that shook her body. She jammed her fist in her mouth, but it only softened her crying a bit. She closed her eyes and said a prayer as the bullets continued to strike the front door and the window next to it. She cringed beneath Adam as the shattered glass hit the floor.
When would it stop? Surely they had to run out of ammunition at some point.
Adam pressed his mouth to her ear and whispered, “Don’t be afraid. You’re going to be all right. They should get tired of this soon.”
She didn’t respond but wondered if he really meant it or if he was only trying to comfort her.
Then just as suddenly as it had started, the shooting stopped. Neither Adam nor Claire moved for a minute or two. Then he slowly raised his head, cocked it to the side and frowned as he listened. “Do you think they’re gone?” she asked.
“Maybe,” he said. “I’m going to get up and check. Don’t move until I get back.”
He crawled away from where she lay to the front door and stopped as he pulled his gun from its holster. Then slowly he reached up, grasped the door knob and pulled the door open. He waited, as if expecting a bullet to strike, but nothing happened. After a minute he crawled out onto the porch and disappeared from her view.
The eerie silence sent new chills through Claire. She listened for any sounds outside but heard nothing. The minutes ticked by without Adam’s return, and a feeling of panic began to grow in her mind.
Had their attackers left? If so, where was Adam, and why didn’t he come back? A new fear flashed in her mind. What if they had knocked him out? Or worse yet, stabbed him, and he was lying in the yard bleeding to death.
The more she imagined what was happening outside, the more frightened she became. She had to find out where he was.
She crawled to the front door and hesitated a moment before she pushed up on her good leg and peeked out. No sign of Adam. Taking a deep breath, she hobbled onto the front porch and leaned against the railing.
Which way would he have gone? Earlier, Peter’s car had been parked on the left side of the house, and she faced in that direction. Holding on to the railing, she hopped on her good foot until she’d reached the far end of the porch, but she couldn’t see around the edge of the house. She leaned over the banister and tried to peer around the side of the cabin, but it was no use. Before she could straighten up, a hand clamped down on her shoulder. She screamed and whirled to face her attacker.
* * *
Adam reached out and grabbed for Claire as she toppled backward, but she slipped from his grasp and hit the porch with a loud thump. Still holding his gun, he leaned over and glared down at her. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Claire grabbed her ankle, massaged it with both hands and gulped a deep breath. He couldn’t tell if it was fear or anger behind the look in her flashing eyes. “I was coming to check on you. I was afraid they’d killed you or something.”
He tried not to smile at her remark, but it was impossible to keep a straight face. His mouth twitched from a frown into a grin, and he cocked an eyebrow. “Or something? Is that worse than being killed?”
The teasing tone of his voice appeared to pacify her some, and a small smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. She rolled her eyes and swatted at the hand he held out to help her up. “Never mind that. I was coming to check on you.”
“Then I suppose I should thank you, but I believe I told you to stay where you were until I returned.”
She nodded. “Yes, you did, but I’m sure you remember I’ve never been very good at taking orders.”
He stuck his gun back in his holster and shook his head. “No, you never have been.” He squatted down beside her, and his gaze raked her. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Are they gone?”
He nodded. “It looks like it. We can leave now.”
She sat up and stared at him. “Do you think Peter and James came back?”
“I suspect they were the ones. Who else would want to shoot us? But this makes no sense. James Lester doesn’t have a history of violence. Why now?”
Claire’s face warmed, and she stared down at her clasped hands. “It could be because of what I told them.”
He leaned closer. “And what was that?”
She took a deep breath. “That my father knew Peter had killed a man and that he was involved in some illegal activities. And I was going to see that he was brought to justice.”
Adam’s eyes grew large, and his mouth gaped open. “Why would you tell him such a thing?”
“Because it’s true, and I intend to do it.”
“But, Claire, he was going to kill you because of it, and it looks like they came back to finish the job.”
“Maybe they just wanted to scare us. At any rate, they might have gotten tired, or maybe they ran out of ammunition, or they thought no one could have lived through such a barrage. Who knows? But whatever the reason, they’re gone now.”
Adam sighed, reached down and picked her up again. “We’re not going to figure it out right now, so we’d better get you to that hospital. Hopefully this time we can get to the car.”
She stiffened as his arms tightened around her. “I really don’t need to go to a hospital. If you’ll just take me home...”
“Save your breath, Claire,” he interrupted. “We’re going to the hospital to see what a doctor says. And from the looks of things, you’re in no condition to argue with me.”
She clamped her lips together and glared at him as he carried her down the porch steps. He glanced around once more before he headed through the forest.
She didn’t say anything as he plodded through the thick growth of the woods and ducked under low-hanging branches, but he couldn’t help thinking about how close she had come to death tonight. If he hadn’t been there, she would now be lying next to the cabin with a bullet in her head.
Adam’s
