Alex (In the Company of Snipers) Read Online Free PDF Page B

the sheriff to show he could rig a shower so she could get that hip of hers cleaned, maybe wash her hair, too. Being clean always improved a person’s outlook.
    He took out his cell phone and snapped a couple pictures of her battered face for evidence, berating himself for not thinking of that earlier when she had looked a whole lot worse. That would have been the smart thing, but no, he was too caught up in feeling sorry for himself then. Guilt poked at him. He should have handled finding her a whole lot better.
    An inexplicable wave of tenderness inundated him. His unwelcome houseguest was sound asleep. For tonight, she was safe and warm, guarded by two working dogs and one grouchy ex-Marine. He tucked the blanket under her chin. She didn’t move, but something stirred inside of him. He brushed a strand of dirty hair off her clean face. Realization flooded a part of his heart he thought had long ago died.
    She needed him.

    By morning, the sun shone bright through the high trees. Kelsey was still sound asleep when he got up, and Alex felt better about going for help this morning. She wasn’t as close to death’s door as he had thought. When he cracked the door to his bedroom, she still lay on her side, with one hand on Whisper. The dog had moved to the floor beside her. He didn’t budge when Alex quietly gathered his boots. With his muzzle on his chin, Whisper watched his master intently.
    Alex scribbled a note on an old scrap of paper so Kelsey would know that he had gone for help and would be back soon. He left the last of his bottles of water and the Advil on his counter. She would need them the minute she opened her eyes. He paused to listen to her breathing, slow and steady with no whimper or congestion. A little food and water had gone a long way. A little soap hadn’t hurt either. Overall, she had a few bumps and some nasty scrape, but last night could have turned out a whole lot worse.
    He opened the cabin door and whispered to the dogs, “Out.” After they took care of their business and rousted a few chipmunks from last year’s woodpile, he ushered them quietly back into the cabin. “Stay.”
    Once again, Whisper took up his post at Kelsey’s side. Crazy dog. There was definitely something going on between him and this woman, although most of it was probably in Whisper’s hard head. Kelsey would be in good company until he got back, and that’s all that mattered. Slinging his backpack over on shoulder, he shut the door quietly and locked it from the outside, just in case. He didn’t need any more surprises. Neither did she.
    As he hiked back to the service station, he discovered last night’s storm had caused quite a bit of damage. Trees were torn up, branches scattered everywhere, and when he crossed the road to the gas station, he noticed the power lines were down as well. Mother Nature had left a trail of destruction. To top it off, local phone service was out.
    Fortunately, the clerk at the station had shown up to check his business for storm damage. He was in the middle of clearing fallen branches and shingles out of the parking lot when Alex stepped out of the trees. According to the clerk, it would take a month of Sundays before utilities this far out in the woods were back online.
    Alex listened to the man ramble. It was then he noticed the flyer taped inside the store window. Kelsey’s sad eyes stared back at him from behind the glass.
    “What’s her story?” He nodded toward the picture, downplaying his interest.
    The man shook his head. “She’s a mean one by the sounds of it. Got an Amber Alert on her two little boys, too.”
    “Why’s that?” Alex asked evenly.
    “Guess she up and run off. Left her husband. Poor man’s been looking for her over a week now.”
    He studied the flyer. Kelsey Durrant. According to the paper, she was five feet tall, long brown hair, brown-eyed and twenty-six years old. Known to have psychotic breaks. Left home with her two young sons in a 1978 blue