Page 43 of Beachcomber Danger

“How are you, kid?”

“Not too good, sir.”

Shana put an arm around his shoulder in as motherly a gesture as a bombshell blonde in a short dress and heels could possibly manage.

“Take your time and tell me what happened.” Dane spoke quietly and calmly. The kid relaxed, but Dane would bet it was Shana’s arm around him and her hand holding his. She towered over Ronnie, making him seem smaller than the skinny teenaged kid he was.

Dane had never been a skinny little teenager, never shy, never intimidated or awkward. Not until recently if you counted some recent interactions with Shana. But he wasn’t counting those. Any awkwardness with her had been erased once they’d made love again.

He smiled at Ronnie.

The kid took a deep breath and blew it out.

“There were two men wearing black masks—”

“Two men? Are you sure?” Andrews said.

“Let him tell his story, Liam.” Dane used Andrews’s first name and put a hand on the man’s shoulder. His partner, such as he was, had just been shot and he deserved some consideration.

“I don’t know. They were in black and wearing masks and they moved fast. One of them could have been a woman. I think.”

“What happened? They came inside?”

“They burst in the back door. They went straight for Sassy and grabbed her. I yelled. I stood there and just—”

“What about Goodley?” Andrews prompted.

“Agent Goodley had been in the office—the living room—and he came out with his gun and yelled at them to stop. He had his badge out and yelled loud that he was Secret Service and kept his gun aimed.”

He paused and looked down. “I didn’t do anything. I just stood there watching.”

“Where were you standing?” Dane asked.

“I was in the dining room. I’d been sitting at the table and I stood. They looked right at me and had guns pointed. I yelled out of panic and then I froze.”

“What happened when Goodley came into the room with his gun?” Andrews prompted again, more patient this time. Dane saw the red rimming his eyes, saw the whiteness of his skin, knew he was on the edge.

“As soon as Agent Goodley came in the room shouting, they took Sassy and held a gun to her head. The other one aimed the gun at Goodley. I don’t know what happened next or why the masked man shot his gun. Maybe it was something Goodley said. I don’t know what he said. He was yelling. Then he was shot and slammed back against the refrigerator and the two men took Sassy out the back door.”

“I called Cap then.” He looked at Dane for confirmation. He could see it in the kid’s eyes. He needed someone to absolve him.

“You did the right thing, Ronnie.”

“I got a towel and held it over Goodley’s wound. He told me to press hard, but it didn’t stop the bleeding.”

Cap said, “When I found them, Ronnie was with Goodley on the floor pressing the towel. I think it saved his life or he could have bled out.”

Dane wasn’t sure this was true. The bullet wound hadn’t hit a major artery in spite of the generous amount of blood spattered in his kitchen. It struck him that normally Sassy would have cleaned the place up. She always had whenever it had been called for in the aftermath of whatever craziness had transpired. She would have been the one to set things to right while he and Shana were off taking care of the culprits.

Shana squeezed his arm. It struck Dane that the kid was too skinny. When this was all over he’d take him down in the basement and set him up with a workout in his private gym.

“I stood there and did nothing like I was frozen in place. I’m such a loser.” Dane could see the shame strangling the kid’s soul. “I didn’t even go outside to get the license plate number.”

“But you did call the police,” Shana said.

“Cap. I called Cap. Cap called everyone else. Andrews got there first because he’d been on his way. Goodley told me he was on his way. Me and Sassy were just talking about getting something to eat when the two men crashed through the door.”

“They took Sassy but they might not know it was Sassy.” Dane said out loud what he’d been thinking.