Shattered (The Protectors 11)

“He said the guy wouldn’t tell the cops who he was,” I murmured, more to myself than anything else. I looked up at Memphis and Mav, expecting to find them watching me with confusion, but their eyes weren’t on me.

I followed their gazes to see Caleb standing on the porch of the cabin. He was leaning against one of the half-rotted posts, his arms wrapped around his slim body. I turned and went to him. Pain slashed through my belly when he took a step back from me as I reached for him.

“Go back inside,” I said. “It’s too cold out here.”

Caleb’s eyes shifted to Mav. “Eli?” he asked.

“Hanging in there,” Mav said. “He’s worried about you.”

Caleb was quiet for a moment before saying, “Did Jace’s name come up in the investigation?”

“No,” Memphis said before I could tell Caleb it didn’t matter. “There’s no video footage of the incident. The one security camera with a view of the front of the Jennings’ house wasn’t working.”

Caleb looked at me. “So Jace can go back to the way things were, right?”

Irritation went through me as he threw my words back in my face. I didn’t miss the fact that he didn’t say anything about himself going back to the way things had been.

Caleb held my gaze for several long seconds, but unlike in the past, I couldn’t tell any of what he was thinking. He finally tore his eyes from mine to look at Mav. “Tell Eli I’m sorry. For everything. But I’m not coming back with you.” He let his gaze slide back to mine. “I’m not going with anyone,” he said, his voice low.

I was about to protest when a flash of red on Caleb’s shirt caught my eye. “Down!” I screamed as I lunged at Caleb, knocking him backwards. I had no hope of cushioning his fall as my heavier body landed on his. The soft popping sounds over my head had me wrapping myself tighter around Caleb as he gasped for air beneath me. A split second later, gunfire erupted all around us. I rolled with Caleb so we were somewhat blocked by the porch railing.

“Caleb, are you hit?” I asked as I began running my hands over his body. “Are you hit?” I practically shouted in his face.

He coughed and gasped, then began shaking his head. Since I knew I’d probably knocked the wind out of him, I didn’t wait for him to confirm that he was okay with words. Instead, I grabbed my gun from where it was tucked in my waistband and turned to survey the scene.

Memphis and Mav had taken cover behind their car. They were shooting in opposite directions, so I quickly scanned our surroundings. I could still hear the distinctive popping sounds, a sure sign our attackers were using suppressors on their guns. There was no way to tell how many shooters there were, but I guessed there were at least five based on the volume of shots being fired. I forced myself to focus on the woods around us and finally zeroed in on what I was looking for. I raised my gun, slowly blew out my breath and pulled the trigger. The man who’d been about to take a shot at Memphis and Mav crumpled soundlessly to the ground.

“Get inside!” I yelled at Caleb, but just as he started to crawl for the front door, I heard glass breaking and I grabbed his leg to drag him back to me. I covered his body with mine and closed my eyes at the same time that I covered my head as best as I could. A second later, there was a deafening bang followed by a bright flash of light.

A flash grenade.

I fought through the haze of pain and confusion as my ears rang.

“Jace, go!” I heard Memphis yell. “Get him out of here!”

I grabbed Caleb by the shirt and hauled him to his feet. The flash grenade had done its job and completely disoriented him, so I leaned into his body so that I could get him over my shoulder. Despite all the weight he’d lost, he wasn’t a small man and I staggered beneath his bulk as I rushed down the stairs. I managed to scan our surroundings as Mav and Memphis covered me. I was able to take out another shooter just as I reached my car. I’d had the sense to turn the car around the night before so that it was facing the path leading to the road, rather than the cabin itself. And luckily, Memphis and Mav had parked next to me instead of blocking me in.

I shoved Caleb into the car, pushing him over the driver’s seat. “Move, Caleb!” I ordered. He’d recovered enough from the flash grenade that he was able to follow my order. “Get down!” I said, when he went to sit on the seat. He squeezed himself onto the floor as best he could and covered his head. Just as he did, the passenger side window blew out. I winced as flying glass hit my face, but managed to fall into the driver’s seat. I sent a silent thank-you heavenward that I’d left the car keys in my pocket, rather than inside the cabin. I managed to get the car started and flew down the driveway toward the road.