After The Sunrise

AFTER the SUNRISE, a short story introducing Kat Martin’s Maximum Security series, plus an excerpt from her new novel, THE CONSPIRACY.

They Called Him the Hero of St. Andrew’s

When an active shooter in full body armor strides down the center aisle of St. Andrew’s church, Kurt Layton knows he’s the congregation’s only hope of survival.

As petite, auburn-haired Erin McCallum looks into the barrel of an assault rife wielded by a ruthless gunman, she knows she is going to die.

But sometimes, in the instant between life and death, a connection is forged between two strangers—as strong as steel and as timeless as eternity.

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Excerpt From After The Sunrise

EXCERPT: AFTER THE SUNRISE

Chapter One

Three gunshots and an eruption of screams. After five years in Afghanistan, Kurt Layton recognized the sounds. Sitting in an empty pew at the back of St. Andrew’s church, he dropped to the floor out of sight and crawled toward the far end of the pew, then along the outside aisle toward the shooter, who strode down the center aisle pulling off rounds.

Every second meant death. People crying and shouting raced for the exit while Kurt ran toward the gunman, his Beretta solidly in hand. He caught a glimpse of the shooter, full camo, armored vest, assault rifle, ducked and kept moving.

The gunman pulled off a round and Kurt heard the sound of a body hitting the floor. He was as close as he was going to get. He popped up forty feet away, saw the shooter’s weapon pointed at a young woman with auburn hair crouched at the end of a pew, read death in the gunman’s face as he pointed his weapon at the woman.

One chance to save her. No room for error. With the guy in body armor, Kurt took the only shot he had, aimed at the shooter’s head, and fired. A single bullet and the man went down hard, his head a mass of blood and brains, the woman in the aisle screaming, folded in on herself as if she tried to disappear.

She was covered in blood, streaks of crimson in her shoulder-length auburn hair. She was shaking head to foot, but she was safe. Kurt checked the area in all directions, looking for a single shooter, but had seen no sign of one. Rounding the gunman’s body, he caught the woman’s wrist and drew her gently to her feet.

“You’re safe. It’s over. He’s dead. He can’t hurt you now.”