Page 87 of Two Favors Repaid

Rob heard Ford’s sharp intake of breath as he caught sight of Natalie and knew he only had seconds to act.

“You can’t hit us both,” Ford laughed. “My girlfriend’s a deadly shot. If you shoot me, your partner will lose a kidney. If you shoot her, I’ll spray Emma’s brains all over the grass. It’s a bit of a Catch-22.”

No. It’s not.

Rob locked gazes with Natalie.

When her eyes went wide, he nodded imperceptibly. She understood what he was asking her to do.

You also know it’s the right thing to do.

In the early morning light, Rob might have imagined seeing Natalie’s finger tighten on the trigger. But he didn’t imagine the sound of her weapon discharging or the hole that suddenly appeared on Ford’s forehead. The killer dropped like a rock, dead long before he had a chance to pull the trigger. Emma stood very still, her expression frozen in horror.

Rob half-turned, waiting to feel the impact of the shot any instant, but it didn’t come. He reached where Melody had been an instant before, looking to grab her and restrain her, but the woman had jumped back. Rob’s blood froze when he saw her weapon wasn’t pointed at him anymore … it was pointed at Emma.

His miscalculation was going to cost Emma her life.

“You bitch! It’s your fault he’s dead!”

She’s going to shoot Emma.

A desperate roar tore from his lips. Rob launched himself at Emma. He heard the gun go off and felt the bullet go into his upper back. The pain was instantaneous and blinding. He pictured Melody’s gun in his mind, wondering what caliber it was. If it was a .22, like the one she’d used when she shot at Emma in the school, it probably wouldn’t go through him. He looked at Emma in front of him then at his stained white dress shirt.

No blood. That’s a good sign.

He fell onto his knees, grasping at the blades of grass beneath his hands. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. He heard another shot and watched the gun fall from Melody’s hand. The clearing was suddenly full of people. He recognized Special Agents Vasquez and Ramsay, in full tactical gear.

Next thing he knew he was staring at the lightening sky. Emma was there beside him, clutching his hand.

“You okay?” he said, surprised by how weak his voice sounded.

“Please don’t die, Rob. I love you.”

He laughed then clenched his teeth at the pain. He could literally feel the bullet inside him. It hurt like hell, but he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to die.

“I love you too, Emma.” He licked his lips. “Please tell me again when you don’t think I’m dying.”

Emma nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks.

#

Emma

“Rob’s going to be fine. Let the medics do their work, Emma,” Lorraine repeated for the fifth time as Emma tried to move back towards the clearing where Rob lay surrounded by three medics.

Nobody seemed to be paying much attention to Ford’s body beyond determining he was indeed dead. Melody had been dragged away kicking and screaming by a pair of agents Emma didn’t recognize. Emma hoped the woman would get the help she needed.

Special Agent Ramsay had carried Emma to the back of a waiting ambulance. He’d been uncharacteristically gentle, wrapping a blanket around her and handing her a water bottle. When she stared at it in confusion, he uncapped it for her then pushed her hand gently to her mouth.

Emma swallowed a couple sips. Her throat was so dry, most of it dribbled out onto her chin. The agent grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and wiper her mouth carefully.

“You’re going to be okay,” he said gently.

Everybody was being gentle with her. Emma knew they were just worried about her, but she didn’t need gentle. She needed to be with Rob, and she needed to know the truth.

“Why aren’t they taking him to the hospital?”

“They’re stabilizing him first,” Lorraine explained. “They’ll bring him over soon, and you can go to the hospital together.”