Page 4 of Lack of In-between
While he knew more coffee at this hour was a bad idea, he had a deep unwillingness to leave yet. In a few minutes, the other people would be out the door, and he’d be alone out front with Rose. He finished his coffee and set the mug down with a clunk just as headlights swept the front of the diner. Squinting into the brightness, he watched as the van maneuvered around, finally backing into a spot on the far edge of the parking lot.Odd.
Rose’s laughter caught his attention, and he glanced over, watching as she joked with the couple while she made change, then ducked her head in thanks as she placed a small wad of bills into her apron pocket. The man’s gaze connected with Wolf’s, and they offered mutual nodded greetings; then with an arm around the woman, the man steered her to the door.
He didn’t know why, just something stirring in his gut, but it said to keep watching, so he did. The man had opened the passenger door of their car, standing close to the woman, when the van’s lights flicked back on, spotlighting the couple in the bright glare. Wolf saw the van begin to move and was up and over the counter a breath later, wrapping his arms around Rose as he took her to the floor with him, twisting in midair to land on his back, then twisting again to put his body between her and the front door. They’d hardly stopped moving when he heard it, a sound he’d never gotten used to, even when it was part of the everyday cacophony of noise.
Pop. Pop, pop. Pop.
Measured and deliberate, this was a marksman squeezing off as few rounds as were needed, not playing Hollywood stuntman and spraying the entire front of the building.
An instant later, the plate glass in front of where he’d been sitting exploded, shards recoiling off the wall at Rose’s back and cascading down around them.
Pop. Pop.
Louder, the shots were nearer the building now, and he could hear the echoes bouncing off the surrounding woods. Rose was breathing heavily, her face tucked against his shoulder, eyes squeezed tightly shut. Wolf heard the cook cursing, but the sound was growing fainter, likely as the man moved farther away from the front of the building.
Pop, pop, pop.
A beam of light appeared on the wall behind Rose, van headlamps providing proof of passage through the counter for a bullet. The shots were getting closer, the shooter having moved to fire through the empty window towards the most likely hiding place.
“Rose.” He breathed her name, lips pressed to her ear. She startled, and her fingers tangled in the front of his shirt. “When I say go, I want you to crawl into the kitchen. Be careful of the glass, but go as fast as you can.”
Her response was scarcely audible, but he heard the murmured, “No,” as she shook her head.
Pop.
“Yes.” He pushed the word out between gritted teeth, because another beam of light shone through the counter overhead. Gravel and glass ground underneath someone’s foot, and he knew the shooter was likely looking for an angle where the counter wasn’t protected by the outside wall or booths. It’s what he would do. “On three.” Wolf pulled in a deep breath, filling himself up with Rose’s scent. “One.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Two.” He released her and reached for the gun nestled in a holster on his six. “Three.” He pushed Rose away and rose on his knees, gun preceding his body as, with his other hand, he deliberately knocked a row of coffee mugs off a shelf and away from the kitchen door.
Pop.
From behind him, he heard the ratcheting slide of a scatter gun being racked. He glanced over his shoulder to see Rose on her ass next to the kitchen door, shotgun in hand. Her face was pale, features twisted in a combination of rage and fear.Jesus.
A metallic clunk from inside the window area sounded, and his mind drew the comparison immediately: a gun being laid on a hard surface.They’re climbing inside. Within a split second, he’d evaluated what was known—vehicle, one shooter—and what he could extrapolate—single individual attempting entry—and stood with a fluid movement, gun leveled at the booth where he’d been seated only moments before.
A dark figure sat in the window opening, arm outstretched for a gun laid flat on the table. The van was jammed against the couple’s car. He didn’t see the couple and had a faint hope they’d avoided the crash that had mangled the open passenger door. The van’s passenger door also hung open, and he saw another dark form behind the wheel.
Wolf squeezed the trigger, aiming at the table next to the gun. With his trajectory, the bullet would likely skip off the surface and out into the darkness. The bullet dug a furrow in the table, spraying plastic splinters and debris up into the figure’s face. A scuff of shoe sole just behind him indicated Rose was on her feet, and not anywhere near out of the line of fire.Dammit woman.
“Come on.” That shout was from the driver of the van.Male. The shooter twisted and leaped off the wall, crying out as they landed.Also male. Wolf squeezed off another round into the darkness, incentive for the now-limping shooter to stay on the move. He couldn’t shoot the van from this position without going through the glass on the door, and there was too much risk of a ricochet back inside the building where he and Rose stood.
“I don’t have a clear shot.” Even as he ran the scenario through his head, Rose came to the same conclusion, her voice carrying a tone of frustration. “White cargo van, no rear windows, no company logo. No front plates.”
Wolf kept part of his attention on Rose, listening to her clear description of the vehicle with a sense of wonder. He’d honestly expected her to go through the door as told, not take hold of a gun herself and stand beside him. A little pissed she hadn’t done what he’d wanted—and a lot impressed by her courage—he stood shoulder to shoulder with her as they watched the van back away from the car, shooter installed in the front passenger seat. Both figures wore face coverings and hats to hide their identities. The shooter had been medium build, unremarkable. Wolf winced when he heard a distinctive metallic crunch just before they changed gears.
“You okay?” He didn’t look away from the van, disappointed when they pulled out of the parking lot in a fashion that denied him any glimpse of the license plate. Tires barked on the highway as they roared away, headed out into the country.
“Yeah, you?” Her question was crisp, voice strong.
Wolf saw movement in the couple’s car, two heads tentatively appearing from beneath the dashboard. “You wanna make the call and I can check on them?” He gestured towards the booth table where the shooter’s gun still rested. “Gonna leave that as is. Long as we don’t let anyone near it, I’ll count it secured until the cops get here.”
“Okay.” When he looked at her, she was staring out the window where the van had disappeared, shotgun gripped in one hand, down at her side. Anger had won the battle and was evident in her clenched jaw. “Motherhumpers shot up the diner.”
He wanted to grin at her creative language, but his gaze latched on the floor just beside her. Red was puddling out from under the door. “Shit.” He lunged for the door and shoved, but something was blocking it from the other side. Wolf put his shoulder to the surface and pushed hard, only gaining a couple of inches.
“Here.” Rose’s voice came from beside him, and he looked up to see her grip the frame of the out-door and pull, swinging it wide. She blocked it open with the side of her foot, and he moved past, automatically going to a crouch as he ensured the room was clear of action. A man lay on the floor just behind the in-door, slumped to the side, head hanging loose on his neck. “That’s not Gary.”
“Gary?” He reached out and laid two fingers along the man’s pulse point, digging deeper when he didn’t feel a steady thump. “He’s dead.”
“Gary’s the cook. I don’t know this guy.” She moved away, and the door thudded against his hip. “Hey, y’all okay?” Indistinct voices responded to her, he assumed the couple from the wrecked car. “Okay. Just stay where you are. We’ll call the police and get help. Keep pressure on it.” Heat hit his back and he looked up to find Rose hovering over him, trying to get a look at the dead man. “Nope, I definitely don’t know him. The woman out front got hit, sounds like it’s not serious.” She dug in her apron pocket and pulled out a cell phone. Tapping on the screen, she stared at it for a minute, then lifted it to her ear. “Dale’s diner. Someone shot up the place. We’ve got a 10-109A and 10-109D.” She paused, but before he could wonder at the unfamiliar codes, she nodded. “Correct. One walking but injured, and one dead.”
