Under the Lawman's Protection. Laura Scott

low, gentle voice helped keep the panic at bay. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It had been a long time since she’d leaned on a man for support, and she couldn’t deny appreciating the fact she wasn’t alone. “I’m fine.”

      Isaac opened the Jeep door and quickly threaded the belt through Ben’s booster seat. He stepped back, giving her room to get her son settled inside.

      “I love you, Ben,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

      “I love you, too, Mommy.”

      Tears threatened again, and since she wasn’t the crying type, she had to assume that they were a delayed reaction from the horrific experience of being held at gunpoint. Her son was only five years old, but she was afraid he might have nightmares from seeing the gunman grab her. She brushed the dampness away as she climbed past her son so that she could sit in the back, next to him.

      If Isaac was annoyed with her choice to stay in the rear rather than next to him, he didn’t let on. He shut the door behind her and then jogged around to get into the driver’s seat. He started the engine and glanced back at her. “Buckle up.”

      She reached for the seat belt a bit embarrassed that she hadn’t remembered. As an E.R. nurse, she’d seen more than enough car-crash victims and normally the gesture was automatic. But nothing about this night was normal.

      She rested her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. Almost instantly the memory of the masked man grabbing her from behind the wheel flashed in her brain, so she pried her eyelids open and stared out the window, willing the image away.

      When Isaac slowed down to turn onto one of the main highways leading away from town, she frowned and leaned forward. “Where exactly are you taking us?” she asked.

      “There’s a hotel that isn’t too far from our SWAT headquarters,” he said, meeting her gaze in the rearview mirror.

      “Why do we have to go all the way across town?” she asked. “There are plenty of hotels closer to my house.”

      “Yes, but I don’t think staying close to your house is a wise thing to do right now.” He was using the same calm, reasonable tone that he’d used with the gunman, and for some reason that irked her. “The guy knew where you lived and what time you were coming home. Trust me, the farther away we can get from your place, the better.”

      “I know, but what if Shane comes looking for me?” She couldn’t understand why they had to go so far away.

      “We’ll let your brother know where we are,” Isaac assured her. “Did that guy say anything to you before I arrived?”

      She didn’t really want to relive those moments, but understood that Isaac was only trying to get information. And she’d do whatever necessary to help her brother. She licked her dry lips. “He told me that if I screamed he’d shoot.”

      “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

      The sincere note in her rescuer’s voice made her eyes fill with tears, which she rapidly blinked away. She had to be strong, for Shane’s sake as well as Ben’s. She tried to recall every detail of her brief encounter. “The garage door wouldn’t open and the light I left on above the kitchen sink was out, too. Do you think he cut the electricity?”

      “Very possibly, but unfortunately, I didn’t see him do anything like that. I only saw him hiding behind your big oak tree. Is it possible you were followed? I can’t help wondering if he might have cut the power earlier.”

      The thought that she might have been followed to the birthday party at Fun Zone only put her more on edge. How could she not have noticed?

      Although why would she even look for someone following her? Being an E.R. nurse was hardly dangerous. And suddenly Leah was overwhelmed by a wave of helplessness. She closed her eyes again and prayed.

       Please, Lord, thank You for saving me and Ben from the gunman. I ask that You keep Shane, Isaac, me and Ben safe in Your care. Amen.

      Her emotions calmed down after her prayer, and for the first time since pulling into her driveway, she felt as if she was on the right path.

      If her brother had sent Isaac to keep her and Ben safe, then Leah needed to trust his judgment. And to trust in God. She couldn’t do this on her own.

      “The place I’m taking you and Ben is called the Forty Winks Hotel.” He captured her gaze in the rearview mirror. “It’s a cute establishment. We’ve used it before. You and Ben will be safe there.”

      Safe. She liked the sound of that. Oddly enough, she was glad Isaac was here, protecting her and Ben.

      But abruptly, the Jeep jerked sharply to the right, causing her to cry out in alarm. Isaac wrestled with the steering wheel in a vain attempt to stay on the road, but it was no use.

      What was going on? Leah swallowed a scream and grabbed her son’s hand, praying for God to watch over them and ignoring the way her seat belt bit sharply into her shoulder as the vehicle plunged into a ditch.

TWO

      “Leah? Ben?” Isaac fought to get free of his seat belt so he could make sure his passengers were safe. “Are you both all right?”

      Ben was crying and Leah was trying to console him. “Shh, Ben, we’re okay. Everything’s fine. Don’t cry, sweetie. Please don’t cry.”

      Hearing Ben sob ripped at his heart. Yet there wasn’t time to waste. “We need to get out of here.”

      “What? Why?”

      He didn’t want to scare Leah more than she already was, but he believed someone had taken a shot at them. “Try to keep your head down and don’t get out of the car yet, okay? I don’t think this was an accident.” He quickly called the dispatch center, giving the code for officer needing assistance. “We’re not far from Highway 22,” he informed them.

      “Ten-four.”

      He hung up and then called Caleb’s number. Thankfully, his teammate answered on the second ring. “You interrupted our family time,” Caleb mumbled. “This better be important.”

      “I’m sorry, but I need backup,” Isaac said. “I’m fairly certain someone caused me to crash my Jeep.”

      “All right, I’ll grab Deck, too.” Caleb didn’t hesitate to come to his aid, and Isaac knew he was lucky to have friends like them. “Where are you?”

      Isaac gave his location and then disconnected from the call, feeling better knowing the two men he trusted the most would be there soon. Of course, the dispatcher would send someone out as well, but Isaac needed members of the SWAT team to help him figure out exactly what they were dealing with.

      “So you think someone made us crash?” Leah asked fearfully.

      He glanced back at her, trying to figure out how much to say in front of Ben. “It’s just a hunch, but yeah. The tires on this Jeep are brand-new and I didn’t see anything on the road that could have caused this. Just stay down. I’m going to go out and make sure there isn’t someone out there.”

      “Wait!” she cried as he was about to open his car door. “Don’t go. Stay here with us.”

      He was torn between two impossible choices. If someone had shot out the tires on purpose, he couldn’t just wait for that person to come and finish them off. Nor did he want to leave Leah and Ben here alone.

      So far he wasn’t doing the greatest job of keeping Hawk’s sister and her son safe. If he’d been wearing his bulletproof gear he would be in better shape to go out to investigate.

      Isaac peered out the window, trying to see if anyone was out there. Sitting here was making him crazy, so he decided doing something was better than nothing.

      “I’m