Reunited in Danger by Joya Fields Page A

the house , leaving the girl’s pink umbrella to roll down the street.
    The kid in the car ducked low, hit the gas, and peeled out of the parking spot. Logan
     lowered his gun and the car sped past. Keely planted her feet, braced her right arm
     with her left, and aimed her cell phone camera at the car, taking photos until the
     car whipped around the corner and out of sight.
    Logan raced across the street, gun trained on the bleeding kid who’d shot Mrs. Beyer,
     and kicked the gun away.
    “I had to shoot him,” Peterson said, gun still drawn and pointed at the kid.
    “Self defense, Peterson. You did the right thing,” Logan said.
    Keely shoved her phone in her pocket. She wrapped her arms around herself and held
     on tight, unable to catch her breath. She’d witnessed violence before. She dealt with
     violent offenders every day at her job. But she’d never in her life seen anyone shot
     right in front of her. Bile rose in her throat at the gory scene.
    Logan handcuffed the unconscious kid and rolled him to his stomach. Then he attended
     to Margaret. “Stay back everyone,” he shouted. “Peterson, keep your gun on him.”
    Blood pounded through her head and Keely staggered around the SUV toward Margaret,
     who lay crumbled on the sidewalk, her gray church jacket bloodied by two gunshots.
     Rain puddled around her. Keely crossed the street on legs that suddenly felt like
     rubber. Her dad and Dave came out the front door, Dave holding her father’s upper
     arm to support him.
    Logan holstered his gun and yanked out his phone. “Signal 13! Signal 13! Officer needs
     assistance.” He gave the address, then added, “And a bus. Stand back, everybody.”
     He dove to his knees and pulled off his leather jacket, tossed it to the side. Then
     he yanked off his T-shirt and pressed it against the wound on Margaret’s shoulder.
    “Keely, are you okay?” he asked.
    “I’m okay,” she said automatically, staring at the slumped woman. That was a lie.
     She wasn’t okay. Margaret wasn’t moving. Keely crouched beside her and held her limp
     hand.
    The rain pounded on the trail of blood from Margaret’s body. In the distance, sirens
     echoed off the city buildings.
    “What can we do for her?” Keely asked.
    Logan lifted the shirt from Margaret’s shoulder, checked it, then held it against
     her again. At least she was bleeding. That meant her heart was pumping. Rain hit Keely’s
     eyes, mixing with her tears as she glanced around at the scene. The gunman was handcuffed
     and on his stomach, his blood mixing with the soaking rain to form a bright red river
     down the sidewalk and into the gutter. Sirens wailed, getting closer.
    When Logan didn’t move, Keely squinted up in the pouring rain to look at him. He shook
     his head slowly. “Ambulance is on its way. Let’s not move her. We don’t know what
     kind of injury she has.”
    Her thoughts raced to her father. Ben was already traumatized, and now he’d have to
     deal with this new trauma.
    A squad car squealed to a stop in the middle of the street, followed by two more marked
     cars. A uniformed officer held his gun on the handcuffed shooter as another one checked
     for a pulse. Logan stood and moved behind Keely, squeezed her shoulders as the ambulance
     double-parked in the street and two EMTs raced toward them.
    “Come on, Keels. Let’s move so the medics can do their job.” He helped her to her
     feet. Her entire body was shaking so hard she could barely walk. “Come on, baby,”
     he whispered. “Be strong.” His words and hot breath gave her the strength she needed.
    “I’m okay. I have to help my father.” Keely straightened her back and lifted her chin.
     Logan held her arm for support. Even though he was shirtless in a chilly rain, heat
     radiated from his body, warming her.
    And yet chills still chased down her spine.
    Her dad stood on the stoop. With glazed eyes, he stared at Margaret through the crowd
     of medics who surrounded