Page 35 of Run to Ground
His commanding tone had Jules scrambling to her feet even before her brain processed the words. Theo fell in behind her, urging her forward with the fist clutching Viggy’s lead pressing against her back. Although she knew she was running, moving as fast as she could go toward the door, Jules’s legs felt so, so slow—nightmare slow. Her breath caught in her chest as she sprinted toward the school entrance, trusting that Theo would be right behind her, keeping Dee safe.
Hugh slammed through the doors, gun drawn but held low. “Get inside!” he bellowed, his usual good-natured expression sharp and focused. He ran, slightly crouched, toward the stone school sign. Taking cover behind the monument, he scanned the area behind them, squinting against the bright sun.
The entrance grew closer, although it still seemed agonizingly far away. Her breaths clawed their way out of her throat in rough heaves, and Jules couldn’t stop her brain from picturing a bullet tearing through Theo’s broad yet vulnerable back and into Dee—sweet, lovable Dee. Even though she knew, sheknewthat Theo was wearing a bulletproof vest, the image kept running itself through her frantic brain.
They were only five strides away from the entrance, then four, then three. Hope began to trickle into Jules, even as each gasp for air caught in her lungs like a sob. They were so close. Dee would be all right. She had to be all right. Jules repeated in her mind like a mantra,Dee will be safe. Dee will be safe. Dee will be safe.
Just two steps away now. Jules reached for the door handle, ready to jerk it open, when the glass panel next to the entrance exploded into an opaque cobweb of shattered glass, the safety film the only thing keeping it from spraying them with fragments. Jules automatically jerked away, her back bumping into Dee and Theo.
“Shots fired at the high school,” Hugh’s voice barked from Theo’s radio.
“Inside!” Theo snapped, drowning out a rush of tense radio transmissions. He used his body to propel her forward again. Her hand shook as she fumbled for the handle, jamming her knuckles against it before she managed to grip the metal. Her fingers felt thick, clumsy, as she closed them around the handle and jerked open the door. There was barely enough room for her to fit through the opening before he was shoving her into the entry.
“Take them,” Theo ordered, shoving the end of Viggy’s lead and Dee toward her. Jules automatically grabbed both the dog and the girl. “Go! Get away from the door.” Turning, he reached toward his holster as he sprinted back outside.
Clutching Dee and Viggy’s leash, Jules watched Theo run back into the line of fire. He’d saved them. And it might be the last time she’d see him alive.
* * *
Slightly crouched, Theo ran, his gun up and ready as he scanned for the shooter. He’d never thought Monroe would have a school shooting. They’d trained for an active-shooter situation, but it had seemed like such a remote possibility. An attack like this was something that happened elsewhere, somewhere they didn’t know every kid and parent at least by name.
He rushed toward Hugh. The six-foot-high stone slab bearing the wordsMonroe High Schoolwas the best cover in the area, providing both concealment and fairly good protection from the bullets. Theo just had to cover an open stretch of ground in clear view of the shooter to get there.
Gunshots rang out, so distinctive yet so foreign here, at what should have been a peaceful place. A dart of pain sliced his forearm, and he went faster even before his brain processed that a bullet had grazed him. The sound of gunfire was louder, and the section of his brain that had gone on autopilot—hours and hours andhoursof training kicking in and directing his actions—told him Hugh was returning fire, attempting to give Theo the few seconds he needed to reach cover.
It felt as if he were miles away, but suddenly he was there, next to Hugh, and he had to slam on the brakes so he didn’t run full tilt into the stone. Panting, more from adrenaline than from exertion, Theo crouched behind the sign.
“Shooter’s position?” Theo asked as his breathing steadied.
“No fucking clue.” Dropping his magazine, Hugh reloaded his Glock. “Second floor of Tornado Block, maybe?”
“Not the second.” Theo brought up a mental image of the dilapidated apartment building that looked like it was a strong wind away from collapsing completely—hence the nickname. “No openable windows on this side. Unless he’s on the roof. Or behind the dumpsters at the southeast corner.”
“Angle’s wrong for him to be ground level.” Hugh shifted slightly, which was the equivalent of a jiggling knee for most people. The man knew how to be still.
“Roof then.” Theo’s gaze scanned the area, as much as he could see with the stone barrier blocking his view to the north. A flicker of movement behind the school doors caught his attention. Jules and Dee had run through those doors. Panic darted through his gut at the thought that they might be coming back through them.
Hugh’s grunt was affirmative.
“What’s the… Shit.” One of the doors swung open, and someone charged outside. It was Jules’s oldest brother—Sam. The teenager’s gaze darted around, his face drawn with fear. Theo’s muscles tightened as he crouched, ready to run out to get Sam to safety. A bullet struck the corner of the sign they hid behind, and Theo ducked automatically. Hugh was going to have to give him some cover so Theo didn’t get picked off the second he took a step toward Sam.
“What’s the shit?”
Shit, shit, shit!“Check it out. At your four.” The person had quit firing, and Theo risked a glance toward Tornado Block, ready to sprint into the open.
“Shit!” Hugh echoed Theo’s thoughts. “Cover me.” Then he was running toward Sam.
The voice in his head had changed tofuck, fuck, fuck!“Hugh, you asshole,” Theo hissed even as he crouched, getting into position. Leaning out just far enough to see Tornado Block, Theo scanned for any movement, any sign of the gunman, while mentally swearing at Hugh. Theo was the one who should’ve gone to get the boy to safety. It would’ve been easier to run across that open space than to watch his partner do it. If anything happened to Hugh… Theo had to cut off that line of thinking before it completely destroyed his focus.
The seconds ticked past, horribly slowly. Theo kept his gaze and his weapon aimed at the top of Tornado Block. The mechanical equipment scattered over the flat roof offered too many hiding places. He paused, catching the slightest flash of light reflecting off metal. Was that the shooter? He stared at the spot until his vision blurred.
At the sound of swearing, Theo risked a quick glance toward his partner. Although Hugh had reached Sam, the teen shied out of his reach.
“They’re inside!” Hugh yelled, giving Sam a push toward the front entrance. His words must have convinced Sam, because he started running in that direction. Hugh followed, trying to provide some cover for the kid.
Thesnapof a gun caught Theo’s attention, and he immediately began returning fire. He aimed where he’d seen the reflected light and pulled the trigger. There was a slight movement on the other side of the rooftop condensing unit, and Theo lined up his sights on the new spot before shooting again.
A quick glance showed that Sam had reached the entrance and was ducking through the door. The glass above him shattered as a bullet connected with the pane. Theo expected Hugh to follow the boy inside, but he didn’t. Instead, Hugh turned and ran back toward Theo.
