Sharon Dunn - Courage Under Fire

He let out a groan as he knelt beside his sister.

Lani’s eyes fluttered open, and she lifted her head and shoulders. On impulse, he gathered her into his arms.

“She’s alive,” said Noah. His voice filled with elation. “We need to call for backup. Get some more searchers to the refuge. Someone attacked Lani and we need to find him before he escapes.”

Lani stared into Noah’s calm face. He’d wrapped his arm around her back holding her up as he kneeled and faced her.

In the waning light, she could just make out the tiniest of smiles. “Hey. Good to see you coming around.” His voice held a note of joy. Normally very stoic, it was the first time she had seen any emotion at all from Noah.

“Hey, sis.” Reed’s voice drew her attention as he kneeled off to the side. Jessie lay down beside him. The bloodhound’s big floppy ears touched the ground.

Scotty leaned in and licked her face.

The Rottweiler’s affectionate response stirred her into full consciousness. “Whoa, what a greeting.” She sat up rubbing Scotty’s barrel chest and nuzzling her face against his.

Both Reed and Noah laughed at Scotty.

Petting the dog behind the ears, Lani pulled away from Noah. Silence fell between the three of them. Her breath caught as the memory of the attack invaded her thoughts, breaking the moment of levity.

Reed spoke up. “You all right?”

“My head hurts,” she said. It was easier to think about her physical pain. She touched the sore spot where the rock had hit her.

Noah cleared his throat. “What happened?” He pulled back and squared his shoulders, returning to his old professional self. So much for the small sign that Noah Jameson was human.

Heat rose up in her cheeks. Now she would have to explain why the training exercise had gone sideways. She still didn’t know who the man was or why he had come after her. She hadn’t even gotten a good look at him. She leaned forward to get to her feet but sat back down. Pain shot through the side of her head. “Ouch.” Scotty edged in close to her, emitting a whine that suggested deep concern.

Reed leaned a little closer as well. “Take it easy.”

Noah repeated his question. “What happened? There was someone else out here. Who was he?”

The memory of that man talking into her ear, of not being able to subdue him, hit her full force. “Yes, I was attacked.” Her voice faltered, but she took in a breath and regained her composure. The last thing she wanted was for Noah to think she couldn’t handle herself.

Scotty licked her cheek. Reed put a hand on her shoulder.

Noah rose to his feet. “I thought that might be the case. We’ve got reinforcements coming in to search the area.”

“Did you see the guy?” Reed rose to his feet.

“No, it was dark. We struggled.” She glanced nervously at Noah. His expression gave nothing away. “I can give a full statement as to what happened. The guy was in good shape. I found a bike that might be his.” She gave them a summary of the attack but then kept talking. Lani bit her lip. She was rambling because Noah’s silence made her nervous. “We should try to locate that. It might be his means of escape. Certainly, it might have fingerprints or other evidence.” Why was she talking like it was going out of style?

“We’ll start searching before the others get here. Time is precious.” Noah had already signaled Scotty to stand beside him.

“I’ll help with the search. I can at least lead you to where I saw the bicycle.” She moved to get to her feet.

“You’ve had physical trauma. Maybe you should stay put,” said Reed.

Reed had shown considerable restraint. She could tell from his expression he was worried. He knew when they were out in the field, she wanted to be treated like a fellow officer not the little sister.

“I’ll be fine.” She stood up. Already she could feel the bruising and strained muscles from the fight she’d been in, but she wasn’t about to let Noah know that. “I can show where I found the bike, maybe the dogs can pick up a scent.”

Noah nodded. He pulled his flashlight off his belt and handed it to her. “If you are fine with that. Lead the way.”

Lani took the flashlight. Was that approval she heard in his voice? In all other settings, she was a confident person. She had a black belt and good instincts. Why did she always second-guess herself around Noah?

With Reed, Noah and the dogs following, Lani made her way back to where she remembered seeing the bicycle. She saw the tree where the bike had been propped. Of course, it was gone. The man must have taken off on it.

“Right here. It was right here.” She shone the light all around.

The dogs circled giving a soft alert to some sort of smell.

She saw the most likely path the bike could have gone on. The dogs picked up the scent and headed in that direction. The sky had become black with the city skyline glittering in the distance. Always a beautiful sight. She loved the city at night.

The brush grew denser as they got closer to the shore. She saw a flash of light up ahead. The dogs barked and bayed excitedly. That had to be her attacker.

Lani ran, following the light as it winked in and out of view and then disappeared close to the shore. The light must be on the attacker’s bicycle.

She ran faster despite the terrain becoming more treacherous and the pain from her injuries. With Reed and Noah right behind her, she made her way down the steep incline. The faint silhouette of a boat was visible in the moonlight. She heard a motor roar to life. The man had loaded his bike into the boat and was preparing to take off.

She wasn’t about to let him get away.

The boat had just eased away from the shore when she jumped into the water. In the distance, she could see the flashing lights of other boats.

This boat wouldn’t be able to get up speed until it was in open water out of the bay and the tangle of peninsulas and islands that made up the refuge.

Her arms cut through the surging waves. Her head bobbed above the surface. She was within feet of the boat. She willed herself to move faster. Her hand reached for the edge of the boat. She held on.

She could see the back of the man as he steered. The bike occupied two of the backseats. She pulled herself up. Water cascaded off her body. The noise was enough to alert her assailant. He shifted the boat into Neutral and whirled around.

Before she could get her bearings, he had punched her and pushed her back off the side of the boat. She splashed into the water, plunging beneath the surface like a weighted rag doll. She bobbed back up just in time to see the boat speeding out into open water.

She could hear the dogs on the shore going ballistic.

Feeling defeated, she turned and swam back toward the beach. Noah rushed out into the water up to his knees. She gasped for air.

“You all right?” He wrapped his arm around her and helped her to the beach.

The suspect had gotten away. Noah eased her down to the beach where Scotty waited to give her moral support and doggie kisses. The cold water had masked the pain of her attack. Now she could feel where there was probably going to be some soreness and bruising.

She stared out where the flashing light of the assailant’s boat merged with other flashing lights. Not many boats out at this hour. “Maybe the coast guard can catch up with him.” She didn’t hold out much hope for that happening.

Noah spoke on his radio, giving a description of the boat and the direction it was headed.

Noah sat down beside her. “That was something else, jumping in the water like that.”

That Noah was impressed with her was only a small victory. The suspect had gotten away. She was exhausted, beat and wondering if she had made the right choice following in her brother’s footsteps.