Personal Justice by Rayven T. Hill Page B

barrel of his weapon, directly at the tree where Jake waited.
    He glanced to his left. The officers were fifty feet away, still approaching.
    Forty feet.
    Thirty feet.
    The killer spun his head to the left and stopped short in the middle of the street.
    “Put your weapon down,” an officer yelled. “Now.”
    The gunman whirled to face the cops, crouched, and fired a shot. It missed, and the officer fired back, the bullet whining through the spot the shooter occupied a split second before. The hitman leaped aside, sprang to his feet, and ran for cover, back the way he came.
    Jake watched the officers pursue the maniac until they were out of sight.
    Several minutes later, they returned empty handed.
    The cops had called for backup. The surrounding streets would be thoroughly searched, but the would-be killer was undoubtedly long gone.

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 21
     
     
     
    Wednesday, 9:18 a.m.
     
    ANNIE HAD HEARD gunfire coming from the street, and when she looked out the front window, she saw Jake standing on the sidewalk, the pair of officers dashing across the lawn of the neighbor’s house. She was relieved to see Jake was unharmed, but his vehicle was nowhere in sight.
    A few minutes later, Jake came in and explained what had happened. “Matty and Kyle are okay,” he said. “They were safely inside the school before any of this started.”
    She heard the whine of sirens in the distance. More than one vehicle was approaching the neighborhood, and officers would immediately set up roadblocks and scour the area.
    Annie was concerned at the brazen persistence of the gunman. He’d obviously done some research and knew Jake would be dropping Matty at school. Or perhaps he assumed as much and had alternate plans. Either way, she believed the would-be assassin would make another attempt. It was obvious he was after both of them.
    Jake appeared to be unfazed by the alarming incident, but she knew he was concerned and wouldn’t take this standing still. And neither would she.
    “If you drive me to pick up my car,” Jake said. “I should run down to RHPD and fill out a report.”
    While Annie went to get her handbag and keys, Jake gave Hank a call to fill him in. When Annie joined Jake, he told her the detective was shocked and deeply concerned for their safety. Hank was doing an interview at the moment, but would soon be on his way back to the precinct and would meet them there.
    They locked up the house, got into Annie’s car, and headed out.
    Officers already swarmed the neighborhood, cruisers and cops everywhere, stopping cars and canvassing houses in the area. An officer waved Annie down, and after a cursory glance through the window, they motioned her through.
    Jake’s vehicle was still where he’d left it. Someone had closed the driver side door, and though it was the least of his worries, he was relieved to see it hadn’t sustained any damage.
    He drove it home, Annie following in her Escort. He left it in the driveway, got back into Annie’s car, and turned to face her as she pulled out of the driveway.
    “I think we should get you a vest,” he said. “This guy’s determined.”
    Annie glanced over at her husband. It would be a good idea if both of them wore bulletproof vests for now. Jake had one at home that had saved his life in an earlier case, and she would ask Hank if they had one small enough to fit her.
    She turned her eyes back on the road. “I’ll wear one if you wear yours,” she said.
    Jake agreed. “It’s a deal. We’ll talk to Hank.”
    In a few minutes, Annie pulled into the precinct parking lot and eased into one of the guest spots. She stepped from the vehicle and looked around, half-expecting to see the gunman waiting. He wasn’t, and she and Jake went into the precinct.
    Captain Diego watched them come through the front doors and called them over. He stood in the doorway of his office, his usual pleasant face twisted into a frown of concern. He smiled grimly and greeted