If You Know Her: A Novel of Romantic Suspense

Then he eased back. “Ezra said he was sending a car out.”
    Hope nodded. “It got here a couple hours ago. One of them is here—Keith, I think? The other said there was a call he had to see to—left about ten minutes ago.”
    Remy frowned. “Ezra will have his ass.”
    “That’s the impression I got when I heard Law talking to the deputy.” Hope shrugged. “I don’t think the other deputy believes what he’s being told. It’s the one who flirts all the time, Ethan, I think.”
    “Shit.” Remy pressed his lips to her brow. “Go backin there with them. I want to talk to Keith, see what’s going on.”
    She glanced at the door. “I want to come outside, damn it. We’ve been cooped up in here all day.”
    “And that’s how it’s going to be for a little while longer. Sorry.” He pushed a hand through her dark hair, then cupped the back of her neck, pulled her close for a kiss. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
    She scowled and then headed back into the room, her hands shoved deep into her back pockets.
    Remy watched her for a minute and then headed for the front door. As he was walking out, he heard footsteps behind him. Glancing back, he saw Law and he scowled, but ignored him.
    He caught sight of Keith’s shadow just as he was circling around from the back. “Where’s your partner?” he called, striding down toward the edge of the porch.
    Keith sighed. “Shit.”
    The front screen door banged open as Law came outside.
    “Reilly, you’re not supposed to be outside,” Keith said. “Would you get back in there before the sheriff kicks my ass even harder than he’s already going to do?”
    Law shrugged. “Your ass ain’t my concern.”
    Keith glared at him and leaped up on the porch. As Law headed their way, there was a cracking shot—as it echoed, Keith lunged for Reilly. Remy hit the ground.
    Law’s scream echoed through the night.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE
     
    N IA HEARD HIM SCREAM .
    She didn’t have to look to know who it was.
    She bolted for the door, but Hope caught her arm. Wide-eyed, she said, “We have to stay inside.”
    “You do that—stay inside,” Nia snapped.
    “Damn it, if we go out there, that just makes it
easier
for him,” Hope said, her small, slim fingers clutching Nia’s arm with surprising strength.
    “Fuck—”
    There was another gunshot. Nia whirled around and hit the lights. “We need to stay down,” she said, her voice brusque. “Let my arm go. We need to get the lights out. It’s dark out now—with the lights on, we’re too easy to see. And the guys outside, it’s even worse.”
    Hope went white. Then slowly, her fingers uncurled from Nia’s arm.
    Nia didn’t absolutely
plan
on going outside. Not if she didn’t have to. But she had to know—
    Crawling on her hands and knees made the few feet between the living room and the front door seem twice as long. She hit the lights with her fist and then gave her eyes a minute to adjust before she cracked open the door. She saw Remy out there, bent over Law.
    Holy fuck—he was sitting up.
    The color came back into her life, her heart started to beat and she let herself breathe.
Thank You, God
, she whispered. “Law,” she whispered, keeping her voice low.
    He shot her a pained look.
    Remy was using his tie as a tourniquet, tying off Law’s right leg. There was a wet, glistening pool of blood forming underneath.
    Nia didn’t see the deputy anywhere.
    She cracked the door open wider. “Get in here,” she said quietly. “Now—”
    A bullet hit the door, shattering glass, splintering wood.
    She barely managed to keep her scream behind her teeth.
    Law shook his head. “I think that means I’m supposed to stay out here.” He gave her a tight smile, then shifted his gaze down.
    It didn’t catch any light—that was the nice thing about the guns she’d picked up. That matte black made them damn hard to see in the dark. She recognized it from months ago. He’d kept it. For some reason, it made her smile. “I’m going to wait right here for a few minutes.”
    Remy slid her a look. “Get in there, the three of you stay together,” he said softly. He glanced at Law’s gun—a subtle glance, one that didn’t move his head at all, then back at her. “You got another?”
    With a mean curl of her lips, she whispered, “Bet your ass.” It was in her bag in the living room.
    “With you?”
    “Yes.”
    “Get together. Find a place and hide.” He had his body curled around in a way that hid