The window was raised a few inches to allow the ocean air inside. The breeze blew the kettle cloth drapes inward so that they performed a strange ghoulish dance. With the fluttering curtains it was nearly impossible to get a clear glimpse of the interior. The man half stood, flattening his body against the wall, tilting his head to peer inside.
Sarah could make out the second man lying prone, his rifle directed at the window. She inched her way across the low grasses, moving with the wind as it blew over the land. The
Magic in the Wind 25
man with his rifle trained on the window never took his gaze from his target. Never flinched, the gun rock steady. A pro, then; she had expected it but had hoped otherwise. She could see the tiny insects crawling into his clothing.
Above her head the clouds were drifting away from the moon, threatening to expose her completely. She wormed her way through the grass and brambles, gaining a few more feet. Sarah pulled her gun from her shoulder holster.
Hearing a slight noise from inside the room, the assailant at the window put up his hand in warning. He peered in the window in an attempt to locate Damon. A solid thunk sounded loud as Damon’s cane landed solidly on his jaw. At once the man screamed, the high-pitched cry reverberating through the night. He fell backward onto the ground, holding his face, rolling and writhing in pain.
Sarah kept her gaze fixed on the partner with the rifle. He was waiting for Damon to expose himself at the window. Damon was too smart to do such an idiotic thing. The curtains continued their macabre dancing but nothing else stirred in the night. The moans continued from beneath the window but the assailant didn’t get to his feet.
The rifleman crawled forward on his belly, slipping in the wet grass so that he rolled, protecting his rifle. It was the slip Sarah was waiting for. She was on him immediately, pressing her gun into the back of his neck.
“I suggest you remain very still,” she said softly. “You’re trespassing on private property and we just don’t like that sort of thing around here.” As she spoke, she kept a wary eye on the man by the window. She raised her voice. “Damon, have you called the sheriff? You’ve got a couple of night visitors out here that may need a place to stay for a few days and I heard the jail was empty tonight.”
“Is that you, Sarah?”
“I was taking a little stroll and saw a high-powered rifle kind of lying around in the dirt.” She kicked the rifle out of the captured man’s hands. “It’s truly a thing of beauty; I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get a good look at it.” There was a hint of laughter in her voice, but the muzzle of her gun remained very firmly pressed against her captive’s neck. “You should stay right there, Damon. There’s two of them out here and they look a bit aggravated.” She leaned
26 CHRISTINE FEEHAN
close to the man on the ground, but kept her eyes on his partner by the window. “You might want to check yourself the minute you’re in jail. You’re probably crawling with ticks. Nasty little bugs, they burrow in, drink your blood, and pass on all sons of interesting things, from staph to Lyme disease. That bush you were hiding in is lousy with them.”
Her heart was still pounding out a rhythm of warning. Then she knew. Sarah flung herself to her right, rolling away, even as she heard the whine of bullets zinging past her and thudding into the ground. Of course there had to be a third man, a driver waiting in the darkness up on the road. She had been unable to scout out the land properly. It made perfect sense they would have a driver, a backup should there be need.
The man next to her scrambled up and dove on top of her, making a grab for her gun. Sarah managed to get one bent leg into his stomach to launch him over her head. She felt the sting of her earlobe as her earring, tangled in his shirt, was jerked from her ear. He swore viciously as he picked himself up and raced away from her toward the road. The one closest to the house was already in motion, staggering up the hill, still holding his jaw in his hands. The driver provided cover, pinning her down with a spray of bullets. The silencer indicated the men had no desire to announce their presence to the townspeople.