Page 27 of Wyoming Bodyguard (Sunrise Security #1)

“R eid! Holy shit. You’re shot.” Madden spun toward the now open doors to the emergency room. Two doctors ran out. “Help! My friend needs help. Now.”

Reid groaned and pressed the palm of his hand to the side of his head. “I’m not shot, you idiot. The glass from the windshield got me. I’ll get it checked later. We need to go after that asshole.”

Before Madden could argue, Reid threw open the driver’s-side door then hunched onto the passenger seat.

Gritting his teeth, Madden jumped into the truck and slammed the door shut. Reid was a grown-ass man who knew his own limits. If he said he was good enough to wait for medical attention, he trusted Reid’s instincts.

The black truck raced out of the parking lot and turned toward town.

Madden slammed on the gas and the vehicle lurched forward. The shooter had a good lead, but a meadow that stretched alongside the straight, two-laned road allowed a perfect view of the truck as it sped forward.

Reid hung his head in his hand. He sat straight, gaze fixed on the distant taillights. A sheen of sweat coated his pale face.

Madden cast him a quick glance. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” Reid snapped. “Keep your focus on the truck. I’ll call the sheriff’s department.”

Madden didn’t respond, but his partner’s surly response had him doubting his decision to pursue the shooter instead of insisting Reid get medical attention right away. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and urged the truck faster, pushing the pedal to the floor.

The sound of Reid’s voice as he spoke on his phone filled the space, but Madden focused on the chase. He couldn’t let this guy slip through his fingers again.

“Sheriff’s department is aware of the situation,” Reid said. “They’re sending deputies to cut him off from the opposite direction. There aren’t any other roads for this jackass to turn off before he hits town. As long as we keep on his tail until they get into place, he won’t get away.”

Madden chanced another look at his best friend. He swallowed his fear then zeroed in on the truck. He crept closer. Each inch he traveled stretched on like miles. Cool air poured from the vents, but it did nothing to beat back the heat consuming him from the inside out.

Blue and red lights flashed ahead, and the distinct call of a siren loosened the tension bunched at the back of Madden’s neck. They had this bastard right where they wanted him.

The black truck stopped in the middle of the road.

“What the hell is he doing?” Madden asked.

“Looks like he’s turning around.”

He closed in on the vehicle, but the driver made a three-point turn and sped toward them.

“Shit,” Madden muttered.

The truck ate up the center of the country road. The space between the two vehicles diminished by the second.

“No matter what, don’t let him get past you.” Reid’s command came out on a choked whisper.

Images of Lily’s crumpled body after she’d fallen from her horse and the pain displayed on her beautiful face time and time again flashed in his mind. She’d been hurt too many times, her life turned upside down and inside out. He had to put a stop to it any way he could.

“Hold on, man,” he yelled. As the truck closed the final yards, Madden cranked the wheel to fishtail the back end of the truck toward the center lane.

Metal crashed against metal, shoving Reid’s vehicle off the road.

The back end spun toward the gravel shoulder.

Madden braced himself. The force of the collision whipped him forward.

His ribs slammed against the steering wheel and his forehead bounced against something hard.

He squeezed his eyes shut as his head wobbled with every motion.

The sound of shattering glass rang in his ears.

The tires lifted on one side, balancing the truck in the air until gravity pulled it back down again.

The vehicle landed with a bone-crushing thud. Madden opened his eyes. “Reid. You all right?” he asked as he unhooked his seat belt and searched out the back window for the shooter.

The black truck rolled into a ditch on the other side of the road.

“Damn, dude. A little heads-up would have been nice.” Reid groaned and leaned back against the seat. He lifted a shaking hand and gingerly rested his fingertips on the bloody gash on his cheek then rummaged in the glove box for his Glock. “What are you waiting for? Go get the bastard.”

Madden grabbed the gun and jumped out of the vehicle. Sirens grew louder, but he couldn’t wait for the deputies to get here before apprehending the driver. He trained the gun in front of him with his finger on the trigger.

The black truck lay on its side on the opposite side of the road, the driver’s window pointed toward the sky. Smoke rose from the hood.

Moving slowly, he approached the vehicle. Gravel and broken glass crunched under his boots. “Don’t do anything stupid,” he yelled. “I’ve got a gun aimed your way, and sheriff’s deputies will be here any second. There’s no way out.”

No sound came from the truck, no movement.

Madden lifted himself on his toes to see inside the vehicle. A man he didn’t recognize slumped over the steering wheel with his eyes sealed shut and blood trickling down his face.

Shit.

He didn’t want this asshole to get away but also didn’t want him dead. At least not before he told him why he’d gone after Lily and her father.

The hum of engines approaching caught his attention. Two deputy’s cruisers came to an abrupt stop at his side, and an ambulance wailed behind him. He kept his gaze fixed on the unmoving driver.

Deputy Silver and Deputy Hill climbed out of one car while Deputy Sanders parked and hurried out of the second. All three carried their weapons and wore matching scowls.

“He alive?” Deputy Hill asked, tilting his head to the wrecked truck.

Madden stayed rooted to the spot. “Not sure. He hasn’t moved.”

Deputy Silver walked forward with her gun trained in front of her. “We have you surrounded. Put your hands up. No sudden movements.”

Deputy Sanders rounded the hood of his cruiser and walked down the grassy embankment on the side of the road. He moved methodically, weapon in place, and managed a peek inside the broken window. “Eyes closed. Lots of blood on the seat.”

“Is he dead?” Madden asked.

“I’m reaching in a hand to check your pulse,” Deputy Sanders called out to the unresponsive man. “You have three guns trained on you. Don’t do anything stupid.”

Madden tightened his grip on his weapon. Anxiety rippled across his skin.

“He’s alive, but barely,” Deputy Sanders yelled. “He needs medical assistance right away.”

Madden’s shoulders drooped and he let his arm fall to his side as the emergency responders raced past him.

“Sanders, can you give me and Reid a ride back to the hospital?” Madden asked, turning his attention back to his own truck.

The passenger door squeaked open.

“Yeah, no problem. What’s wrong with him?” Deputy Sanders jogged behind Madden to his partner’s totaled vehicle.

Reid stumbled out. His face was white as a ghost. Sweat fell from his brow and mixed with his blood.

“Shit,” Madden said, racing to Reid’s side seconds before he pitched forward.

Madden looped an arm around his waist and kept him from smashing his face on the pavement.

He absorbed Reid’s body weight as Reid’s muscles went slack, sticking to him like a burr as they folded onto the ground, his unconscious friend in his arms.

* * *

The young deputy guarding Lily’s father’s room burst inside, eyes wide and hand on the butt of the gun at his hip. “Get on the floor and cover your head. Gunshots were fired outside of the emergency room.”

“What?” Tremors took over Lily’s body and she slid off the chair. Her knees hit the floor, and she wasn’t sure if she should lie down on the cool tile or stay where she was and pray. This couldn’t be happening. Not again.

“You’re going to be fine. I’m not going anywhere. No one will get through me. I promise.”

She stared at his earnest, blue eyes and wanted to believe him. But too many bad things had upended her life and the only person who’d kept her safe was nowhere in sight.

Terror fisted her throat. Oh God. Madden said he was stepping outside to speak with Reid. She sank lower to the floor and grabbed her father’s hand. He might not be awake, but she needed his comfort. “Is the shooter still outside? Is anyone hurt?”

“I’m not sure yet,” the deputy said. “Just sit tight. I’ll tell you as soon as I have more information.”

Time froze even as the minutes ticked by on the clock mounted on the wall. A hundred scenarios with a hundred horrible outcomes played out in her mind. She kept her hand latched on to her father’s.

What felt like an eternity passed when the radio attached to the deputy’s uniform crackled, but she couldn’t understand the torrent of words and codes sputtering through the speaker.

Her guard pressed the button on the side of the communicator. “Copy that.”

“What’s going on?”

Heavy footsteps pounded down the hallway. Nausea swam in the pit of her stomach, and she pressed a hand to her mouth to keep from getting sick. She stared at the door handle, wanting the door to swing open and Madden to come sweeping inside.

More voices spoke at rapid speed on the radio. Lily held her breath and listened for anything she could understand. Anything to tell her what the hell had happened.

The deputy nodded then crossed to her and extended a palm. “You’re safe. You can get up.”

Accepting his hand, she rose on shaky legs. “Can you please tell me what happened?” Her question came out as more of a command, but she didn’t care if the snap of her words offended him.

“There was a shooting in the parking lot. The shooter fled the scene and civilians gave chase. The shooter and a civilian are being transported to the hospital to be treated for injuries.”

Madden.

She squeezed her eyes shut against the crushing certainty that Madden was involved in this new disaster.

Needing answers, she found her phone and called him.

The line rang in her ear, spiking her blood pressure with each passing second.

When his voice message played, she disconnected, and tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.

Fear lined her lungs, stealing her breath and smothering her heart.

“Hey, it’s okay,” the young man she’d all but forgotten about said. “You and your father are fine.”

Unable to speak, she shook her head. She wasn’t fine. Not without Madden. Not without the hope he brought into her life for a different future filled with beautiful dreams and the promise of love.

She choked out a sob. She loved Madden. She may not understand how it was possible to fall so hard and so fast for a man she’d despised for so long, but she couldn’t deny it.

Didn’t want to. But if she’d lost him before she’d had a chance to tell him where her heart lay, she’d never get over the devastation.

The soul-crushing desire to see Madden set her feet in motion. She ran for the door.

“What are you doing?”

She didn’t waste a second to respond and hurried into the chaos of the wide hallway. Doctors and nurses spoke with panicked patients and their loved ones. People in hospital gowns and street clothes huddled on the floor, fear clear on their faces.

Lily maneuvered through the throngs of people toward the waiting room. That’s where Madden had gone. Maybe he’d still be there. Hope quickened her pace until she spied the waiting room—upturned chairs scattered around the empty space, the television droned in the corner, and no Madden.

Disappointment crushed her windpipe. An overwhelming sense of hopelessness threatened to take her out at the knees, but she couldn’t succumb to her emotions. She had to find Madden. He’d been strong for her countless times. Now she needed to stand strong for him.

The shriek of sirens shifted her toward the emergency room doors. An ambulance screeched to a halt, and she darted outside. Fear tripled her heart rate as the sun hit her in the face.

An emergency responder with her blond hair pulled into a stubby ponytail jumped from the cab and hurried to the back of the ambulance.

“Who’s hurt?” Lily asked, her voice distant in her own ears.

A male medical responder hurried from the passenger side and brushed her aside. “Sorry, ma’am. I can’t give you that information. Please stay back.”

A doctor emerged from the hospital. “What do you got?”

The woman yanked open the back door and jumped inside. “Large gashes on side of the head as well as injuries from a car accident. Another unit is en route with a second victim. More serious injuries.”

Oh God. Each word slammed against Lily like an arrow, sharp and right on target. She moved from side to side, lifting onto her toes to see inside the tall vehicle.

A deputy’s cruiser sped into the lot and came to an abrupt halt behind the ambulance. The sound of doors opening and closing penetrated the fog engulfing Lily, but she kept her focus on the gurney being lowered by the medical professions.

A light touch on her shoulder jolted her senses. She spun around and gasped. “Madden!” Joy exploded inside her, and she threw herself into his arms.

Burying his head in the crook of her neck, he held her tight.

She waited a beat before pulling back just enough to see his face. A trickle of blood on his forehead told her he hadn’t walked away completely unscathed, but it could have been so much worse. “Are you okay? What happened? I was so scared you were hurt.”

He squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed hard. “I’m fine but Reid…he’s hurt.”

The thump of the gurney hitting the pavement echoed in her ears. She glanced over her shoulder in time to see Reid being wheeled into the hospital, doctors and nurses already at work to save his life.

“He has to be all right.” Madden’s voice cracked. “I should have gotten him help first. I shouldn’t have taken off before I knew he was okay.”

She flattened a palm on his cheek, trying to make sense of his words but not wanting to ask when he was spiraling. “He’s strong and stubborn like you. He’s going to be fine. I know it.”

He leaned into her touch. “I hope you’re right.”

A second ambulance blared its siren and spend into the lot.

“Who else was hurt?”

Anger flashed through the worry in Madden’s eyes. “The man who shot Reid. The one responsible for putting us all through hell and trying to kill you and your father. And if the asshole lives to see another day, I’ll make sure he pays.”