Trust Me by Anna Wells

her ear.  She screamed
in response, not knowing or understanding what was happening around her as
Donovan threw himself on top of her, shielding her against the onslaught of the
bullets passing over them causing them to fall to the ground.
    “Fuck, stay down!  Where are your keys, we've got
to get inside.  We're sitting ducks on this front porch.  Are they in
your purse?”
    Alaina nodded dumbly in response, still experiencing
shock over the turn of events.  Someone was shooting at them and she had
no idea why. Donovan pulled her towards the shelter of the trees by her front
door.  She noticed he had a gun in his hands as he reached for her purse
lying at the base of her front porch.  He quickly grabbed it and handed it
to her as he pressed her closer to the wall of her house. 
    Alaina searched frantically for her keys and pulled
them from her purse. “I found them.”
    “Good, let's get the hell inside.  I'll cover you
while you open the door.” 
    Alaina was shaking as she inserted the key, Donovan
stood behind her using his body to protect hers.  The door opened and as
they dove inside another shot rang out and hit the inside wall opposite
them.  They were both lying on the foyer floor as Donovan managed to kick
the door closed with his foot. 
    He pulled out his cell phone.  Raising the phone
to his mouth he began issuing commands, “We need back up immediately. 
We've just been shot at, and from the looks of things they haven't gone
yet.  No, we're both all right and we're in the house, but I think they
may be planning to move in closer and there are too many windows in this damn
place.”  He hung up the phone and turned to Alaina, “You need to stay low
and away from any windows.  I don’t suppose you have a basement?” 
 It was his intent to move them to an area in the house where they would
be the least vulnerable to attack.
    Alaina shook her head.   “Sorry,
no basement… typical California house. Donovan, what's going on? 
Do you know who’s shooting at us?”  It was difficult for her to grasp
everything that was going on since it was all happening at once, but it
occurred to her that Donovan was acting more like an FBI agent instead of
lawyer.
    “I think we're safest in the foyer, it seems to have
the least amount of access, disregarding the front door of course.  At
least here it will be difficult for anyone to sneak up on us.  Lean up
against the side wall and stay sitting on the floor.”
     Alaina did as he asked but not without noting
that he'd ignored her questions which infuriated her. “Donovan, in case you
didn't hear the first time, I asked who's shooting at us and I expect an
answer!”
    Donovan had his cell phone next to him on the floor
with the obvious intent of keeping his hands available for his gun.  He
hadn't foreseen the possibility of a direct attack on Alaina and unfortunately
the situation was going to force him to tell her things he wasn't ready to
reveal.
     Now he had to decide how much he was going to
disclose. “I'm not exactly certain who shot at you, but I suspect it was
someone from the OAS.  They probably think that you either know too much
or you have additional information from your father that was not in the donated
records with the historical society.” 
    He searched her face for some sign that would indicate
the truth. Something, anything, that would tell him what her role was within
the organization, but all he found was confusion.  She was either a very
good actress or a victim of her father's manipulations; unfortunately Donovan
still couldn't determine which one.
    “Wait, why are you assuming that they’re shooting at
me and not you or both of us for that matter?  You know there are a lot of
nuts in California. It could have been anyone!  What aren't you telling
me?  What the hell is going on?”  Alaina was losing patience. 
He was being too vague in his explanations and being shot at was enough to make
anyone lose their