Redemption FinalWPF6 7 by L. E. Harner Read Free Book Online Page A

was
the second shot. I heard it, but we were both running toward the cave, trying
to get out of the open. Our packs are still out there. I should—“
    “No! You stay here. We still don’t know who was firing or if
they’re still there. Hand me the water.”
    Diane passed the water bag to Gabe and held the folded T-shirt
where he could reach it. He worked silently his long fingers probing around the
wound. He carefully washed away the sand and pebbles, until he found the crease
oozing blood, just below Uriah’s hairline.
    “There you are,” he murmured. Then he looked at Diane. “It
really is just a flesh wound. It will ooze for a while, but there shouldn’t be
any further blood loss. The more immediate concern is whether there is trauma
to the brain. I don’t feel any other bumps or knots. How did he fall? Did he
land hard on his head? Hit it on the canyon wall or stones?”
    “No. He landed on me. The rest of the scrapes are from me dragging
him out of the way.”
    “Okay, good. He’s been unconscious since the first shot?”
    “Second, but they were really close together. Is he going to
be all right?” Diane was more than a little afraid of the answer. Gabe put his
arm around her shoulder and gave a squeeze.
    “He’ll be okay, Dee. From what I saw, Uriah has a hard head.”
He smiled when he said it, but she saw the worry on his face, despite the
reassuring words.
    “S’damn straight,” Uriah murmured.
    ****
    Gabe forced himself to maintain his professional detachment,
as far as he could, but there was no denying the relief he felt went deeper
than a casual acquaintance or than was appropriate for a doctor and patient. He
checked Uriah over once more, now that the big man was able to answer
questions, he shone the pen light from his first aid supplies and made Uriah’s
eyes cross as he moved his finger from left to right in front of his face.
    “Okay, Uriah. Everything seems to be working fine, but
you’re going to stay right here for a while.”
    Uriah immediately started to struggle to sit up and ask
questions. “What happened? Did somebody shoot at us?” His hand started to
travel to his head, but Gabe stopped him.
    “Hold tight. Just stay still for a minute. Diane? Don’t let
him move. Sit on him if you have to. I need to take a look around—“
    “What? No,” Diane protested. “Someone’s out there with a
gun. Gabe, just stay here. He can’t get to us from under the stone over hang.”
    Gabe’s gaze met Uriah’s for a long moment, and it was as if
some silent communication passed between the two of them.
    “Uriah, please. I’ll be right back. You know I have to
look,” Gabe said quietly. “Dee, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. I’ll be
careful, and I’m not going to go far. Just enough to look and see if this nut
job is still out there waiting for target practice. Gabe thought long and hard,
then went to his pack and removed his gun from the zippered compartment on the
back. As far as guns went, this one would do the job if the guy was close, but
it was useless against a long-range rifle with scope.
    Gabe hadn’t liked the idea of bringing a gun into a National
Park, but Marcus and Michael insisted. Part of his practice involved providing
medical care for the employees at Enwright Security. He’d been involved in a
few of the their covert operations over the last couple of years. Graeme, the
company’s chief of security, insisted that made Gabe a potential target for
retaliation. When Gabe had scoffed at the ridiculous thought, Graeme had looked
pointedly at his own leg and his cane. It was message enough. Sometimes there
was no logic, except in the mind of a mad man.
    So, Gabe had trained and was reasonably proficient with his
Sig and with basic hand-to-hand, if absolutely necessary. He staggered as he
got to his feet, but didn’t slow down, even as Dee tried to reach out to stop
him. He had to keep moving, because he knew his body was hovering on the brink
of