by Linda Warren
“You have to go with Sarah,” Daniel insisted. “She needs you. I’ll give you a police escort to the hospital when this is over.”
“I’m not leaving Ethan,” Serena repeated stubbornly.
Ethan knew she had to go to court. They’d been through too much to let Boyd win now. “Serena, go…please.” He thought he said the words; he wasn’t sure. All he could see were blinking red lights and he knew he was losing consciousness. He recognized this feeling. He’d had it before.
“Ethan, I—”
“Go” was all he could manage.
“Ethan! Ethan!” Serena cried as two officers literally dragged her into the waiting car.
An ambulance pulled up, and Daniel knelt beside him. “Hang on, buddy,” he whispered, then he turned to an officer. “How many are down?”
“Five, sir, but everyone’s alive.”
Daniel closed his eyes briefly. “Make sure things are taken care of, and I’ll be at the hospital as soon as I can.”
“Yes, sir.”
Daniel hurried to the passenger side of the waiting car.
“We can’t leave Ethan here,” Serena told him angrily.
“They’re taking him to the hospital,” Daniel replied. “That’s where he needs to be right now.”
“I should be with him. I’ll never forgive you for this, Daniel.”
“I’m not sure I’ll forgive myself,” Daniel answered quietly.
Serena glanced back at the scene around them. A bloody massacre. Along with Ethan, several officers were down and the shooters lay dead, sprawled half in and half out of the crashed car, which was riddled with bullet holes. Blood was everywhere and Ethan lay in a pool of it. Tears ran down her face. Please be okay, she prayed as she watched paramedics load his body onto a stretcher.
They had a police escort, sirens blaring, all the way to the courthouse. The car pulled into a sally port, and Serena and Sarah were escorted down a corridor to the Criminal Investigations Department, where Sarah was booked in as a witness. Armed officers were everywhere—on the alert.
As they waited, Daniel called the hospital. He turned to Serena. “They’re taking Ethan to surgery. The bullet did some damage to his arm.”
Serena swallowed the painful lump in her throat. “But he’s alive.”
“Yes. I’ll drive you over there as soon as Sarah testifies.”
Serena breathed in deeply, drawing fresh air into her starved lungs. “I didn’t mean what I said earlier, Daniel. I’m just…”
“It’s okay—” He stopped speaking as Sarah was escorted to the corridor. Daniel and Serena followed. From there, they went to the appropriate elevator, which would take them to the designated courtroom. The court officials weren’t ready for Sarah, so they had to wait in a small room.
When they entered it, Sarah grabbed her and they hugged tightly. “How’s Ethan?” Sarah asked shakily.
“He’s in surgery.”
“You should be with him.”
“I know, but Ethan wanted me to go with you,” Serena replied, wiping away a tear and noticing that her hand was covered with blood and there were dark stains on her suit. Agonizing pain tore through her and she fought for control. She knew what her sister had to do, and she had to make sure Sarah did it. “You have to nail Boyd today,” she said urgently. “He’s hurt too many people.”
Sarah trembled. “I’m so scared.”
“I’ll be sitting in the courtroom sending you all my strength. Just keep thinking about what he did to Greg, to you…and Ethan and those other poor officers. You have to do this, Sarah, and you have to do it with courage!”
“I…ah…”
“You’ve been through this a hundred times with the D.A. Just do what they’ve asked you to do.”
Sarah remained silent, staring at the floor, and Serena added, “Don’t fail on us now. Their case depends on you.”
Sarah raised her head, eyes bright. “Oh, I won’t fail,” she said in a resolute voice. “I’m putting Boyd away just like he put Greg away.”
Daniel opened the door just then. “You ready?” he asked, looking at Sarah.
“I’m ready,” she replied, and Serena knew that she was. Rudy Boyd’s day of reckoning had come.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ETHAN WOKE UP in a hospital room. His left arm was bandaged and there was an IV in his right. His body burned with a familiar pain; he’d been here before. He wondered how badly hurt he was this time.
A doctor stood by the bed writing on a chart. “Mr. Ramsey, good, you’re awake.”
“How’s my arm?” he asked, and his voice sounded hoarse.
“The bullet ripped through the left medial upper arm, but missed the bone. A surgeon was able to repair the damage.”
Damage. “How bad is it?” His voice was even hoarser.
“You’ve had some vascular injuries, but the surgeon will explain all that.”
Vascular. “My arm will be weaker?” No. No.
“For now, but time will be the telling factor. All in all, you were lucky. You’ll be sore and stiff for a few days, but exercise will help that. Tonight we want to get enough antibiotics in you to stave off infection, and the surgeon wants to evaluate you again tomorrow.”
“When can I go home?”
“That’s up to the surgeon.”
“Thanks,” Ethan mumbled. He was feeling so many things, experiencing so many reactions—and he didn’t like any of them. He remembered another time and the long road back to recovery. Not again, was all he could think.
“There’s a young lady in the hall dying to visit you,” the doctor said. “Are you up to it?”
He didn’t have to ask who it was; he knew. Serena. He’d waited forever, it seemed, for her to come, but now he was having second thoughts. He didn’t want her to see him like this.
No, no, no, not now. I need time, went through his head, but what he said was yes.
When the doctor opened the door, Serena walked in and stopped abruptly. Ethan was so white that for a moment her heart stilled, then she ran to him. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” he nodded, trying to avoid that look in her eyes—that look of sympathy.
She smoothed his forehead with her hand. “I was so worried. I…” She couldn’t go on. The trauma of the day had caught up with her and she needed to be close to him. She dropped her purse, resting her face against his.
“Oh, Ethan,” she whispered in an aching voice.
Ethan breathed in her sweet scent, but something in him was shutting down. He could feel it. He needed to be alone. He didn’t know how badly his arm was injured and he had to have time to adjust before he could be himself again. And before he could be with her….
“I’ll leave you two now,” the doctor said, sauntering out of the room and quietly closing the door.
“Are you in pain?” Serena asked.
“A little,” he admitted.
“Oh, Ethan,” she said again, and kissed his chin, his cheek, then his mouth, where she lingered.
“Serena,” he groaned, and unable to resist, he kissed her softly in return.
“It was awful,” she murmured. “I saw you, and in that split second all hell broke loose. The gunfire was terrifying, and when I saw you’d been hit, I thought I’d die. Then Daniel wouldn’t let me stay with you.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to live through that again.”
“Don’t think about,” he said. “Did Sarah hold up okay?”
“She did beautifully. Boyd didn’t rattle her at all. She told her story and how Boyd shot Greg in cold blood. Boyd’s attorney tried to shake her, but she never faltered. I was so proud of her.”
“It’s over, then.”
“Yes, and not soon enough.” She looked at the bandage on his left arm. “The doctor said the surgeon plans to evaluate you in the morning and they want to monitor you during the night.”
“A casualty of taking a bullet, I suppose,” he answered in a monotone.
“I can stay here
with you,” she offered, but he was already shaking his head.
God, no. He couldn’t deal with that.
“I’ll sleep most of the night,” he said. “Medication does that to me.”
She tucked her head beneath his chin. “Did you hurt your hip when you hit the concrete?”
“Stop worrying about me,” he said, and there was tension in his voice she didn’t like. He was pushing her away.
“I don’t think I can,” she told him honestly.
“Then don’t make me feel worse than I already do.”
She immediately straightened. “I’m sorry.” She blinked back tears. “I didn’t mean to do that.”
“Serena…” He hated the way he was acting, but he couldn’t stop himself.
“It all right, Ethan.” She bit her lip to still the trembling. “It’s been an emotional day. I’ll come and see you in the morning.”
“They notified Travis, and I’m hoping to go home in the morning.”
Home. He was leaving again. And without her. She reached down to pick up her purse and took a moment to collect herself. “Well, then, I’ll leave you to get your rest.” She slid the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “Have a safe journey.” She forced herself to walk out of the room.
“Serena,” she heard him call, but she didn’t go back. She couldn’t. She couldn’t take any more of this today. What had she been thinking? He’d made perfectly clear how he felt, but she was just so ecstatic that he was alive, that he was going to be okay. And he was glad to see her; she knew he was.
She pushed the elevator button much harder than necessary. As she waited, she suddenly understood. His pride. That stubborn pride of his. He didn’t want her to see him when he was hurt, when he was vulnerable and wounded. That was why he’d sent her away—and even though she understood his motive now, a motive rooted deep in who and what he was, she felt angry. Furious. Didn’t he know what love meant—needing to be with that special person during good times and bad? Leaning on the one you loved when you were weak and knowing that love would always see you through—no matter what.
She wasn’t sure what to do now. Give up or fight for what she wanted?
The elevator doors opened and Travis stepped out. “Oh.” He seemed startled to see her. “Serena, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Have you been to see Ethan?”
The doors started to glide shut and she caught them. “Yes, he’s down the hall and to the left. Second door, I believe. I forget the room number.”
“How is he?”
“He’s fine,” she answered, and walked into the elevator. She couldn’t talk; she had to escape and sort through her feelings—and the rest of her life.
The doors closed on Travis’s puzzled face.
ETHAN SHUT his eyes in excruciating pain. It wasn’t his arm or his hip. It was his heart, and he’d just shattered it into so many pieces that it seemed impossible to mend. Impossible to heal. He wanted her and needed her. He’d come here to be with her, but he couldn’t stand letting her see him like this—like a…like a helpless cripple. But now he’d hurt her; he could see it in her eyes when he snapped at her. That look would be with him for a long time.
He was used to being strong, not needing anyone. He took care of himself and everyone else. He didn’t need anyone to take care of him, except… Her blue eyes swam before him and he felt a crack in that wall of pride. He remembered the night she’d touched him and made him whole again. The crack spread, encompassing every part of him, and he knew beyond anything he’d ever known that he was always going to need Serena. Oh, Serena, please forgive me. Please.
Travis entered the room, a horrified look on his face. “My God, Ethan, what happened?”
“I’m sure you heard it on the news.”
“You were in that shooting?”
“Yeah.”
“When are you gonna learn to stay out of the line of fire?”
“When criminals stop trying to outsmart the cops,” he replied. “Did you see Serena in the hall?”
“Yeah, and she seemed upset.”
Ethan winced. He wished he could go after her and apologize, beg her to come back, but for now he was stuck here.
“I talked to the surgeon and he said you might be able to leave tomorrow, but he has to check you in the morning and you have to have therapy for your arm.”
“That’s good,” Ethan murmured, relieved. He wanted to get out of this hospital. “The doctor I saw earlier said I had vascular injuries, but a surgeon did some repairs. With time it should heal. I don’t know how long that’ll take, though.”
Travis shoved both hands through his hair. “You have to stop all this P.I. work. I can’t handle much more of this. If anything happened to you…” His voice gave out.
“I’ll be fine,” Ethan assured him. “I just need a place to crash for the next few days.”
“You know you can stay at my place.”
“Thanks.”
Travis sank into a chair and was thoughtful for a second. “Ethan?”
“Uh-huh?”
“Was Serena the woman at your motel?”
“Yes.” He didn’t see any reason to lie. But he was glad when Daniel walked in, interrupting the conversation.
Travis stood up quickly. “I know you two want to talk, so I’ll go get your clothes and stuff from the nurses and clean up the apartment.”
“My bag’s in the rental car at the police station. The keys should be with my things.”
“Okay,” Travis answered, then squeezed Ethan’s right hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” At the door he turned. “Do you want me to tell anyone at home?”
“No,” Ethan said. “I’ll do that myself.” He didn’t want Molly and Pop fussing over him. He didn’t want anyone fussing over him. He didn’t…couldn’t… God, would he ever get past his pride?
“Okay,” Travis said.
Daniel dropped into a chair and buried his face in his hands. “I screwed up, Ethan. Bad.”
“You just underestimated Boyd’s desire to beat a death sentence. You had all your bases covered. There was nothing more you could’ve done. Some criminals find a way to slip through. You know that.”
“I keep thinking that those two beautiful women could be dead if you hadn’t acted so quickly.”
“A reflex action I learned a long time ago. I just happened to see the car before you did.”
“They figured they could race through, right in our faces, get the job done and disappear before the cops could gather their wits. They timed it perfectly. Another one of their guys was in the hotel and set off the fire alarm.”
“How did they know where Sarah was being kept?”
“A leak,” Daniel answered angrily. “We have a Goddamn leak in our department. That’s how Boyd always knows when we’re coming and why every raid turns up nothing. Boyd got to someone, and I won’t rest until I know who it is.”
Ethan shook his head. “A bad cop is a disgrace to all of us.”
“Yeah,” Daniel agreed. “The mission should’ve been aborted, but my superiors and the D.A. wanted Sarah there today—no matter what. I don’t think they even cared that her life was in danger. They just wanted to get Boyd.”
“You did, too,” Ethan reminded him.
“But not at the cost of human life.”
The silence stretched for a moment, then Daniel got to his feet. “I’m getting too soft for this job. I should’ve gone into the family business like my father begged me to.”
“You’d be bored out of your mind.”
“Probably, but I’d be able to sleep at night.”
“Did you lose anyone today?”
“No, thank God,” Daniel said. “Their car plowed into the officers at the entrance, and they have some broken bones. The officers walking behind the women were hit by gunfire, but it was minor, thanks to their protective vests. Another was hit in the shoulder. Everyone’s gonna be fine.”
“Your men were able to ta
ke out the shooters in a hurry. That’s what made the difference.”
“Yes, once we knew… God, Ethan they were just kids. One nineteen, one twenty. Some of Boyd’s faithful soldiers—willing to lose their lives for him. The other one’s only eighteen. The officers subdued him without incident and he’s talking his head off. He was sneaking around in the hotel, waiting to set off the alarm to divert our attention. Those boys had orders from Boyd to kill both women to make sure they got Sarah.”
“It didn’t work, though. Sarah testified, anyway, and now there’s nothing Boyd can do.”
“But at what cost?” Daniel stared at Ethan’s arm.
“A small price to pay,” he said, trying to make light of it. “I’ll be fine, Daniel, so get that look off your face.”
“I’m just glad you’re alive, man.”
“Me, too,” Ethan replied, and realized that he was. So he had to work at getting his arm stronger. That was no reason to act the way he was acting. Serena. Serena.
“I wish you could’ve seen Boyd’s face when Sarah walked into that courtroom. The judge ordered a recess because of the shooting, and when court convened, Boyd had this smug expression on his face—like he knew he was home free. Then Sarah walked in and he knew it was over.”
“Sorry I missed that.”
Daniel glanced around. “Where’s Serena? I told her I’d give her a ride home.”
Ethan swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth. “She left already.”
“Really?” Daniel raised his eyebrows. “Thought she’d be here until they let you out.”
Ethan clenched his teeth, pretending he hadn’t heard.
Daniel watched him for a moment. “Ethan,” he finally said, “try not to mess something up that could be wonderful for you.”
Ethan didn’t say anything. He couldn’t.
“I’d better check on my guys,” Daniel said. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”
Ethan let out a long sigh, knowing he’d already messed up. Now he had to figure out how to make it right.
THAT NIGHT Serena and Sarah sat in the den eating popcorn and watching an old movie. Gran had already gone to bed. Neither twin was really watching the movie, though. The day had been so traumatic they couldn’t concentrate. They just wanted to relax, to talk a little. Serena told Sarah about Ethan and how he’d hurt her.