Page 93 of Valor

“Point taken. Be safe, Dad.” He’d never said anything like that to his father and he meant it. “I’m looking forward to working with you to fix our house when this is done.”

Dad gave a resolute nod, and Allen got out of the truck. His car had only sat in the lot for a day, but it felt like weeks had passed. He turned the ignition, then the radio, his computer, and all the equipment in the car.

Now that Micha’s vehicle was out of commission, he didn’t know what Eric would be driving. He wasn’t sure what to look for other than someone following him. As he drove back to Rapid City, he kept his eyes tracking anyone behind him who might be following. When he reached Rapid, there were no cars that exited after him.

Maybe, for this hour, he could finally breathe. He pulled into the hospital as Grady pulled in with cherries flashing. He grabbed his pistol and raced for the door.

“Grady! What’s going on?”

“Gunman. First floor. Hostage situation.”

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

Heather had never experienceda hospital-wide emergency before. A scream from the end of the hall sent everyone into a panic. Heather used the distraction to get out of her bed. She’d heard the warning. A gunman was in the hospital. They were coming for her. If she could find an officer, she could tell them Micha was part of this assault on the hospital.

“Heather Sundin?” someone called her name.

She glanced around and noticed her nurse looking into her empty room. She ducked into the bathroom to avoid being seen. After counting to sixty twice, she slowly opened the door. Her nurse was gone.

People stared at her from their rooms, curiosity making their eyes wide. None of them called to her, which was good because she had no answers. She knew what Eric and Aaron looked like and would know to run if she saw them, even if they weren’t brandishing weapons.

The halls were all dark, with occasional flashing lights where the walls met the ceiling. The darkness made the hospital scarier than the noise. Hospitals were supposed to be full of light. Even when she’d wanted dark, there was always too much light.

“Ma’am, you need to go back to your room. Follow the arrows near the blinking lights.” A uniformed security guard met her at a nurse’s station.

“If patients know to follow the arrows, won’t the bad guys do the same?” The question seemed legitimate, but he didn’t answer her. He pointed the direction she’d come and stood in her path.

She headed back and went into the stairwell. Thankfully, she was able to go down to the next floor. Allen hadn’t been on that one anyway. She reached the next floor and pushed on the door. The bar clicked but wouldn’t open. It required a key card. She peered through the window, but that hallway was completely dark.

Her only other option was the main floor. That was most likely where the trouble was. If they locked down the elevators and most of the stairwells, the men would be contained on the first floor. So how could she get in there?

Her heart raced, and the adrenaline from the hospitalwide warning started wearing off. Her knees were weak, and her breathing came too fast. She finally made it back to the first floor and tried the door. It didn’t budge. Unlike upstairs, she heard voices on the other side.

Squinting through the bulletproof glass, she saw Eric standing next to Aaron halfway down the hall, bathed in the red glow of the flashing emergency lights. Going in there would be the most foolish thing she could do. Being seen was the second. She ducked down and looked up and down the stairwell. There were no sounds of feet coming or going, meaning she was alone. At least for a little while.

Her position was on the opposite end of the hospital as the parking garage, so she couldn’t find an exit and make use of that, but she could get out of the hospital on this level and hope the bright sunlight didn’t make Eric and Aaron aware she was there. She might be able to catch up with an officer outside. That was the best plan she could come up with that didn’t put her in the direct line of fire.

Keeping all pressure off the door so she didn’t make noise, she glanced at the two men through the door once more. Neither of them were looking her way, but the light from the hall was enough to cast a faint glow on the floor. If they were paying attention, they wouldn’t miss the sign that someone had left.

She reasoned that if they followed her, there had to be officers outside. Running could actually help, and if they didn’t follow her, she’d be safe. With a deep breath, she pushed open the door and ran outside, then flattened herself against the wall outside as various officers aimed their weapons at the door.

“Hold your fire!” Allen came forward, holding his hand up.

As everyone lowered their weapons, he came toward her. “Heather, how did you get out here?” He directed her back behind the barricade of cars.

Her words stalled somewhere in her chest, and she sucked in air past the stress and worry. “I had to get out. Eric and Aaron are in there.”

Allen drew her into his arms and held her close. There, with him, she was safe. She could face any obstacle, any threat. He was a man of God. No shifting sands. He wouldn’t leave her like the other officer had.

“Allen, I...” She wasn’t sure if she could admit what she felt when this wasn’t over. Eric and Aaron needed to be caught.

Allen released her and opened the trunk of his patrol car. He drew out a thick vest. “You’re not getting shot again. Put this on.”

She stood still as he helped her put it on and zip it closed, taking special attention to make sure it fit her properly. Her head swirled, and she hung back, sitting in his car as he went around to tell each group of men what they needed to know. Even though it only took a few minutes, the time felt like hours. She prayed the poor people inside were safe, though they weren’t really safe with shooters. Especially if Eric and Aaron were specifically looking for her.

Allen’s phone buzzed, and he held up his hand to let her know he wanted to hear whatever else she had to say, but he had to take the call. He pressed his phone and put it up to his ear, then plugged the other against all the noise around him.

“Pendleton.”

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