Tate scoops his gun from the floor as he charges Greg. I go for my woman.
“Gentry!” A bump is blossoming on the side of her head, she’s limp. Something falls from her blood soaked hand. I slide her into my lap. “Sweetheart. Sweetheart!”
“Medic. Medic. Man down,” I shout. “Need a medic.” I fumble, checking for her pulse.
More people in uniform rush in. More dogs. Tate’s shouting orders. Jarrett’s in my peripheral as I hold Gentry to my chest.
“Ayla. Where’s Ayla?” I yell, still holding Gentry to my chest.
Jarrett squats before me, Ayla is in his arms and Stone’s beside them both.
“Dada.” Reaching for my little girl, I cuddle her to my other side, covering her face with desperate kisses.
“Ambulances are in route,” Jarrett says. “Everyone is seized. I’ve called your father. He’ll meet you at the hospital. I’ll stay at the house and assist.”
“The dogs?”
“Tate called a mobile vet. She’s here. She’s working on Duke now. I’ve got the Homefront. Take care of your family.” He stands and backs away when the EMT walks up.
CHAPTER 18
Gentry
They’ve kept me in the hospital for twenty-four hours due to the concussion and Sayer’s insistence. He hasn’t left my side except to shower in my bathroom. Even then, he bribed a nurse’s aide to stay with me so I wouldn’t be alone.
Paul and MaryKatherine dropped clothes off last night and said due to the circumstances they’d rescheduled their trips and have been at the house with Ayla. They called earlier to say some of the guys have already completed most of the repairs and cleaned up the messes at the house.
Jarrett stopped by on his way back from the vets after checking on
Duke. The bullet grazed his shoulder, but the bone is okay. Several stitches and some drugs to keep him sedated with a promise he’ll be okay soothed my guilt.
All of this is my fault.
There’s a knock on the door before the Sheriff walks in. I’m already dressed and in the wheelchair ready to leave. I want to go home. Sayer stands beside me, placing his hand on my shoulder.
Tate smiles. “You doing okay?”
I nod. “Little headache but it’s under control.”
“Wanted to give you guys a little update. There’s not a lot I can share, but … The crime team did find a jammer at the work site. The fingerprints belonged to Deputy Michaels. He’s currently under investigation and singing a couple tunes of blackmail and gambling debt with a side of drugs. The DA is working on their case for Greg Archer. The home videos of the attack you were able to provide were a big help.”
He pauses, studying his hands before meeting my gaze again. “Based on what Greg said on the video about your sister, we’ve been looking at some of the Archer family properties that are more isolated. We got a court order to investigate further. We’ve hired Jarrett and his cadaver dogs to see if they could be of help.”
I meet his gaze. “He murdered my mother even though they couldn’t prove it. I suspected the same fate for my sister. Finding her body, and maybe the evidence that he did it would at least give me closure.
“How badly did I injure him? I-ah-didn’t hit the femoral, did I?”
Tate chokes down a snort. “Ah, so close, but no cigar.”
He stands. “You’re in the clear, debriefed and the video from your security supports your claim of self-defense. Now we have to wait to see what our justice system can do. The judge is… let’s say an advocate of real justice. That said, you two need to be careful and watch your backs.
“Truthfully, Greg Archer is not a favorite even in his own family. His heavy handed and sloppy criminal antics threaten to expose the more elaborate schemes of the rest of them. So this could go away quietly depending on what he chooses to do or say. I could see them turning their backs on him.”
He glances at Sayer. “I am thrilled that it exposed one of my department’s employee’s. Maybe the rest will leave of their own accord.
“I’m going to be following you home just for fun. I’ll be downstairs waiting when you’re ready.”
After he leaves, I look at Sayer. “I’ve brought nothing but trouble to you.”
