The Baby Assignment. Christy Barritt
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apprehension welling in him at the gravity of the situation. “Stay here. Lock the door. Get in a closet. Understand?”
He didn’t have time to rationalize or reassure her. All they could focus on now was survival. Time was of the essence.
Macy’s eyes widened, but she nodded, looking shell-shocked.
He gripped her shoulder. “You’re strong. You can do this.”
Before she could say anything else, he shut the door and waited until he heard the lock click in place. Then he ducked behind a corner, careful to remain covered. Footsteps pounded toward him in the distance.
A bullet whizzed through the air, hitting the wall in front of him. Tanner fired back, missing the shooter by mere inches.
More footsteps scrambled in the waiting room.
Another bullet hit the plaster behind him. He had to put an end to this. It had been risky bringing Addie out today, but Tanner had followed procedure. That procedure had gone totally wrong, unfortunately.
Lord, please keep Macy and Addie safe. Please. He’d never forgive himself if they were hurt on his watch.
In an instant, both Macy and Addie’s faces flashed through his head. Despite his history with Macy, he still felt an unusual surge of protectiveness about her.
His presence here could have put her in danger, and he couldn’t live with himself if something happened to her because of him. Even if the woman had left him and turned his life upside down.
He peered around the corner again and raised his gun. The smoky, acidic smell of ammunition filled the air as this place of healing became a place of violence. The irony hit him, but he couldn’t linger on it now.
A masked gunman ducked for cover behind a plush chair. The man popped up when he spotted Tanner. Before the man could take a shot, Tanner fired. The assailant yelped and fell out of sight.
Tanner knew this was far from over, though.
Where were the other gunmen? Just what were they planning?
He grabbed his phone and called his office. “Immediate backup needed. We’ve got an active shooter situation at the Third Day Psychotherapy Center. Three gunmen.”
“Backup is en route.”
Before Tanner hung up, another gunman stepped out from behind the glass-enclosed reception area and raised his gun. The bullet grazed Tanner’s biceps.
He flinched but ignored the pain. Instead, he fired back, hitting his target on the shoulder. The man groaned and retreated.
Silence stretched through the air.
Who were these guys? They shot like professionals, like people who had experience. And that fact didn’t settle well with Tanner.
He assumed Addie’s mom was fleeing from a domestic situation, an abusive boyfriend or husband. But if this current incident was connected with Addie—and he believed it was—then this was much bigger than he’d surmised.
Slowly, Tanner crept toward the waiting room. He had to see what was going on out there and try to get a read on things. As his foot hit broken glass, he looked down. A trail of blood led to the back exit.
Had all of them retreated or just one?
Remaining close to the wall, Tanner continued to check the area. He had to make sure everything was clear before he went to get Macy and Addie. He wouldn’t relax until he saw them again and knew they were safe.
Just then, another bullet shattered the silence of the room. The fish tank behind him exploded, and water gushed to the floor.
Tanner dove behind the couch, his pulse pounding in his ears. This place was a battle zone.
He glanced at the office door where he’d placed Macy and the baby. At least he knew no one had gone in there. They were safe. He planned on keeping it that way.
Another thought rammed into his mind.
What if there was another way into that office? What if those gunmen had only been a distraction while another man went after Addie and the woman he’d once loved?
Macy froze beside the heavy wooden desk as silence stretched outside the room where she and Addie were hidden.
She’d heard the gunfire. The shouts. But she had no idea what was going on out there. She had no way of finding out—unless she opened a door, which she had no desire to do.
Tanner probably hadn’t realized there were two doors that led into the room, and she hadn’t had the chance to tell him. He’d probably assumed the other doorway was a closet. In reality, it connected this office with the reception area.
Leaving Addie on the floor, Macy had locked that door and shoved a bookshelf in front of it. Would it be enough? She prayed it was because she was out of options in here.
A slight noise caught her ear, and she raised her head high enough to peer over the top of the desk.
Her gaze stopped at the door that was partial blocked by the bookshelf. The door handle jiggled ever-so-slightly.
Her breath caught.
That wasn’t Tanner. Or was it? No, he would announce himself.
She gripped the edge of the desk, hardly able to breathe. Fear rippled up her spine, fear like she’d never felt before. How was she going to protect Addie if these gunmen confronted her? She had nothing to defend herself with. Nothing that would stop them. Macy had no doubt they would kill her if she stood in their way.
She swallowed hard. She didn’t want it to come to that, but she’d do whatever necessary to protect this child, even if it meant sacrificing herself in the process.
Who were these men? She assumed they were connected with Addie. It was the only thing that made sense to her. But she supposed they could in some way be tied with the counseling center. An angry client suffering with a psychotic break maybe. It had happened before, though never to this extreme.
It didn’t matter right now.
Survival was the only thing that was important.
She glanced beside her. She’d placed Addie out of sight beneath a heavy wooden desk. The baby lay on the carpet there, oblivious to danger but getting agitated by the minute. Thankfully the child hadn’t screamed amidst the commotion. It made Macy wonder if Addie was accustomed to chaos and unaffected by it. Children had the amazing ability to cope throughout life’s traumas.
Thank goodness she couldn’t crawl yet. Macy hoped the baby was safer there, out of sight, than in her arms. Macy remained beside her, comforting her. Praying. Warding away worst-case scenarios.
Her back ached as she hunched over. Her legs cramped from the confined quarters. But those things were the least of her worries.
This wasn’t ideal. None of it was. But Macy couldn’t stand out in the middle of the room like an open target.
And she could no longer just stay here defenseless. Certainly there was something in this room she could use as a makeshift weapon. There had to be.
Before she could lose her courage, she scrambled out from her hiding place. With trembling hands, she opened the door to the supply cabinet behind her.
She scanned the shelves there. Was there anything she could defend herself with? A stapler? Not ideal. She picked up a bottle of toner, and an idea fluttered through her mind.
She ducked back under the desk, unscrewed the cap on top, and waited.
Her stomach clenched tighter and tighter with each second that passed. What was happening on the other side of that door?
Addie let out a little squeal, and Macy tried to shush her. The sound was so