Page 45 of Stilettos & Whiskey
“Was your mother’s helicopter shot down?” Dad growled in my ear.
Mom raised an inquiring eyebrow.
Dad, I mouthed.
Her eyes widened in alarm.
“Answer me, Julie.”
“We made an emergency landing, but we’re okay,” I said in my Debbie Sunshine voice.
There was a long pause. “How badly is she hurt?”
“She took a bullet in the shoulder. I’ve bandaged it, but we need to move. The sniper is still out there.”
Dad demanded, “What happened to Brent?”
“We had located the missing hiker, and he was rappelling down when the shooting started. His line broke and he hit the ground hard. Once I get Mom to a safe place, I’ll look for him.”
“Stay with Tess. We’re coming,” Dad barked and disconnected.
“Dad and the boys are coming.”
“The cavalry en route,” Mom said at the same time.
Smoke blew into the helicopter.
“Shit! The bushes are on fire. Let’s get you somewhere safe.”
Mom pointed to the east. “See that overhang of rock?”
“Yeah.”
“It has a hidden cave, and we’ll have the high ground advantage until our backup arrives.”
After all these years, Mom still thought like a sniper. “And the boulders will give us some protection from flying bullets.” Wrapping an arm around Mom’s waist I helped her out of the helicopter.
“Wait!”
I really didn’t like Mom’s color. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not leaving without my sniper rifle and grab the emergency supply bag too.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I pulled on the emergency pack and slung the sniper rifle over my shoulder. “Let’s go. We’re sitting ducks out here.”
Mom grimaced in pain as she moved up the rocky path. “If it’s Pete, he has arthritis. He doesn’t move very fast and he’s usually a lousy shot.” Mom sighed. “Until today.”
“Any idea why he would shoot at us?
“He thinks the government is after his gold.”
Of course, he does. God was it hot. The heat waves shimmering off the sweltering rocks, added to the feeling of being baked alive. Even the poor cactus looked wilted.
Mom staggered and fell to her knees. “I need to rest for a minute.”
“Okay.” I surveyed the area. Nothing moved and the only sound was the crackling of the brush fire. Which was spreading. Fast.
I dug a bottle of water out of the emergency pack. “Here. You need water.”
