by G. K. Parks
Carter doubled-over and heaved uncontrollably.
“You’re cleaning this when we get back,” the third man said. “The car. The gun. All of it.” He turned back around. “Pussy.”
Diego glanced at the man in charge. “What the hell are we doing?”
“Taking back what’s ours.”
“I thought this was about a payday, a means to an end. What we just did, that put targets on our backs.”
The third man laughed. “How naïve are you? They were already hunting us. Now they know we’re hunting them right back.”
Diego ran a hand through his hair, wincing when he brushed against the welt. He glanced down at his fingers. Blood. His DNA was in the system. They might identify him. Then again, after the cop came out of the fridge with the piece of glass stuck in her neck, it’d be hard to find any blood evidence in the store that didn’t belong to her. She’d bled rivers. Frankly, he was surprised she’d stayed conscious as long as she had.
“Still,” Diego glanced at Carter who had curled up on the back seat, clutching his stomach, “what did tonight accomplish? We almost got caught. I stayed in that store for almost an hour. The owner might be able to identify me, and he escaped.”
“I know.” The third man held up the detective’s badge. “But we got what we came for. And Carter, here, finally became a man.” He wrinkled his nose at the disgusting smell coming from the rear of the car. “Just remember, you killed a cop tonight. That’s all they’re going to care about. So if you even think about changing your mind or opening your big mouth, remember they want you dead or buried in some deep dark hole for the rest of your life.”
“But what’s a badge going to do for us?” Diego asked. “I thought you wanted to snag some police uniforms.”
“This is better.” The third man examined his prize. “I never thought we’d bag a detective. This,” he flashed the badge at Diego, “comes with a lot more perks and opportunities. We’re going to live like kings.”
* * *
“Careful,” a voice said as I was lifted off the ground. The motion made me sick, and I coughed up more blood. “We have to hurry.” The EMTs slammed the rig doors closed. The one in the back checked the IV. “The lines are wide open,” he called to his partner. “Notify the hospital to have an OR ready. They’ll have to take her immediately into surgery.”
“Do you think they wrote that using her blood?” another voice asked, but their conversation made no sense to me.
The words swirled around, getting lost in the agonizing abyss. My world went dark. My last thoughts were of my parents, Emma, and Brad. I had to hang on for them. I had to tell Brad.
By the time I opened my eyes again, I couldn’t remember what happened. But terror flooded my senses. Someone wanted to hurt me. My head throbbed in time to my heartbeat. He was close. I remembered him hovering over me, staring at me. He had a gun. He was going to kill me.
I screamed and shoved myself backward. I had to get away from him. He was hiding in the dark. Where was my gun?
“Whoa, easy, Liv. Easy.”
The room was a dingy white, and the lights were too bright. Everything spun and wobbled. But despite the brightness, the darkness encroached, threatening to black out the world. Not again. It hurt to breathe, but I couldn’t stop gasping.
“Liv, look at me. You’re safe. I got you.” Brad took my hand and reached for my face. He stared into my eyes until I actually saw him and not the images floating around my subconscious. “I’m here. I’m right here.”
“Brad?” I clutched his hand, realizing I was on the brink of passing out. “What happened?” Something was wrong with me. I just didn’t know what.
He eased me back against the pillow. Concern furrowed his brow and etched lines around his eyes. “You don’t remember?”
I squinted, hoping to recall details, but everything was a blur. I tried to force myself to think, and panic overtook my senses again. Somewhere in the room, something started beeping. My breathing bordered on hyperventilating.
“Liv, I won’t let anyone hurt you. I’m not leaving your side. Not ever.” The emotion in his voice scared me more than whatever memories were lurking just out of reach. His gaze flicked to something behind me, but I couldn’t turn to see what it was. Instead, I clung to his arm like it was a lifeline. He grasped my hand in both of his, running one down the bandage along my forearm and holding my knuckles against his lips. “Everything’s going to be okay. I promise. Shh. You’re okay. You’re okay.” His breath warmed my fingers.
I winced with each breath, slowly calming as he shushed me. Once I had my faculties in order, I realized where I was. “Oh god, Emma’s gonna kill me.”
“Emma’s going to be relieved you’re okay.” Brad lowered my hand to the bed when my eyes fluttered. “Just rest. I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe now.” I clung to his fingers, afraid if I let go I’d be alone in the dark again.
The next time I came to wasn’t nearly as traumatic. For the first time since the attack, I felt like I could breathe. The constant slow beeping meant everything was normal. I was okay.
Turning my head to the side, I felt a pinch along the back of my neck, but it wasn’t enough to worry about. My partner had one leg crossed over the other, his knee resting on the edge of the bed while I kept one of his hands prisoner beneath mine. When I loosened my grip, he opened his eyes and looked at me.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked.
“You tell me. What did they do to me?”
“They rushed you into surgery. They did a decent patch job, but you know doctors. They love running tests. We’re still waiting on a few of the results. Emma’s been making sure they don’t screw anything up. You know how she is.” He offered a smile that didn’t make it to his eyes. “CSU’s still processing the scene and whatever evidence they were able to retrieve from you.” He pressed his lips together. “What the hell were you thinking? Why didn’t you call me?”
“Brad, please, not now.”
He clenched his jaw and looked away. “What do you remember?”
“Nothing…everything. I don’t know. It’s a blur.”
“Okay. None of that matters right now. The only thing that matters is you’re going to be okay.”
The door opened, followed by the overhead light coming on. I winced but forced my eyes to remain open. The doctor flipped through a few pages on the chart.
“It seems you’ve had quite an eventful night, Liv. How are you feeling?”
“Not great.”
“I can imagine.” He ran through a list of rudimentary questions. He marked something on the chart and took out a penlight. While he was checking my pupils, Emma trailed in behind him. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the back wall, as far from me as she could get while still being in the same room. Nothing I’d been through tonight could compare to what was about to happen. “Are you in any pain?” the doctor asked.
“No, but I’m about to be.”
He quirked an eyebrow and glanced behind him. “Ah, Nurse Emma.” He glanced at her scrubs. “I thought you were taking a personal day.”
“Uh-huh.” She stared at me, the temperature in the room dropping a good twenty degrees.
“All right,” the doctor turned back to me, “you need rest and plenty of fluids. I’ll have someone change the IV bag. We’ll keep an eye on your blood pressure and oxygen levels and see if we need to reassess.” He walked out the door, and I spotted several cops waiting just outside my room.
“Bradley,” Emma said, “Captain Grayson wants to speak to you.”
He slipped his fingers out from beneath my palm. “I’ll be right back, okay, Liv?”
“Hurry,” I said.
He went past Emma, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Go easy.”
Once we were alone, the hard façade cracked and Emma sniffed. She came closer to the bed and threw her arms around me. She hugged me as tightly as she dared, which seemed to have about as much strength
behind it as a soggy tissue. “You promised me nothing like this would ever happen again.”
“Em, I’m sorry.” I thought I might cry, but Emma released me before I got too choked up. She dabbed at her eyes and climbed onto the bed.
“Scooch over.” She ran her fingers through my hair, obsessed with brushing the tangles to one side. “We should have had a sleepover. I should have made you stay. Then none of this would have happened.”
“Emma.”
“No,” she cut me off, “it’s bad enough your parents wanted me to watch the house and the dog, but now I’m expected to make decisions about you. About your medical treatment. I’m not equipped to do that. What if you were brain dead? Would you have wanted me to pull the plug?”
“Well, maybe give it a day or two, just to make sure.”
She raised her palm to smack me but thought better of it. “That’s not funny. I was getting ready for work when I got the call. Since they couldn’t get in contact with anyone else, they notified me you were in surgery. That I better get down here. That decisions might have to be made.”
“You’ve been making decisions for me since we were sixteen. Obviously, I trust you. No one’s better equipped to handle these kinds of situations.” I watched the cops gathered outside my room through the opened blinds. Voletek offered a slight wave. Lt. Winston and Captain Grayson turned to see what was going on, but by then, Emma had poked me in the arm to get my attention.
“I don’t want that kind of responsibility.” She sighed. “Did Brad say when your parents are supposed to get here?”
“Oh god.” I knew protocol. And I knew my father. He’d be the first call they made as soon as they found me. “Did they get through?”
She shrugged. “I tried calling a few times, but it always went to voicemail.”
“Give me your phone.” I grabbed it out of her hand and dialed. Voicemail. So I left a message. “Hey, Dad, it’s me. I don’t know what you’ve heard or the rumors that are flying around right now. I ended up on a bad call, but I’m okay. Just stay where you are. No reason you should cut your trip short, just call me back if you have any questions. I love you.” Then I dialed my mom and left a much more positive and flowery message on her voicemail. Hopefully, I’d performed the proper damage control. But with any luck, they wouldn’t have cell service until they disembarked from their cruise. I didn’t want this to ruin their trip.
“You’re being dumb.” Emma tucked the phone away. “They’d want to be here. We could have lost you. Do you understand that?”
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
She climbed off the bed and glared at me. “I’m not.” The door opened, but Brad remained in the doorway. “Tell her I’m not.”
“You’re not what?” Brad asked. For a moment, I thought my partner might make a run for it. But if he did, he’d look like a coward in front of his fellow detectives and the police brass.
“Being dramatic,” Emma insisted. “Vince and Maria would want to be here.”
“She’s right,” Brad said.
“No.” I saw the guilt cross his features. He called them already. He told them to come home. “You have to call them back. They’re going to panic. Tell them I’m okay. Tell them not to come. I just left voicemails, but it’d mean more coming from you.”
“Yeah, all right. I’ll take care of it.” He ran a hand over his mouth. “You don’t look so good, Liv. Are you tired? You should probably get some sleep. The doctor’s pretty concerned about the blood loss. You shouldn’t exert yourself too much.”
Truthfully, I was exhausted. If I closed my eyes for more than three seconds, I’d be out like a light, but I also knew for Brad to ask that, the brass had questions. Sleep could wait. “It’s okay. Send them in.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
I answered their questions until I couldn’t anymore. And then I slept.
The next two days were a blur. I spent most of it passed out in a hospital bed. The few waking hours I had were spent with the police brass, IAD investigators, Voletek and Lisco. Brad hadn’t left my side, aside from having to answer some questions and the occasional bathroom or shower break. Emma appeared to be fighting with him over who had priority to watch over me, but they kept the bickering to a minimum, which I appreciated.
“It must be nice to be so loved,” Lt. Winston said. He reached for one of the cards in the nearest arrangement. “I got injured once. The entire unit pitched in and got me a balloon basket. What the hell was I supposed to do with that?” He laughed, noticing a similar arrangement on the other side of the room. “Never mind. It must be a homicide thing. Since you can’t solve murders right not, here are some smiley face balloons.” He ran a hand down his face. “Sheesh, if those don’t make you want to get back to work, I don’t know what will.”
“Any progress on the case?” I asked.
Winston glanced from me to Brad. “Not yet, but we’ll get these guys. At least they haven’t killed anyone since the attempted murder of a police detective.” He worked something loose from between his back teeth. “It goes without saying, but in case you need reminding, neither of you are allowed anywhere near this.”
“But sir,” Brad argued, “there’s no reason I can’t—”
“She’s your partner. Don’t tell me your judgment’s not clouded. You know the rules. You’re too close. Hell, the whole unit’s too close, but we’re going to see this through. Voletek and Lisco will handle it. I assigned everyone we got to it. Intelligence offered us a hand. We’re going to find these assholes, and we’re going to take them down.” He looked back at me. “Are you still having a hard time remembering details?”
“I’m not sure. I just feel like I’m forgetting something.”
He licked his lips. “Doctors said that happens with trauma. But it should come back. You spoke to the department counselor and that expert the FBI sent over. They think once you have time to process, you’ll remember more details. Once you do, make sure to let me know. In the meantime, we’ll drop by if we have questions. Who knows, maybe it’ll help jog your memory.”
“Yes, sir.”
He gripped the rail at the end of the bed. “Feel better, DeMarco. And once you do, we’re gonna have a chat about what you were doing alone in that liquor store in the first place.”
“Yes, sir,” I repeated, dreading the inevitable.
Twenty-seven
“Brad, go home.”
He looked around my apartment. “You’re one to talk. You should be at home.”
“This is my home.”
“You know what I mean.” He turned down my bed. “For a moment there, I thought I was going to have to carry you up the steps. So lie down, or I’ll end up scooping you off the floor.”
“I’m okay.”
“No, you’re not. Nothing about this is okay.” He backed away from the bed and rubbed his eyes. “Look, until Emma gets off work, you’re stuck with me. So get used to it. I’m not going anywhere.” He peered out the window at the patrol car who’d been assigned for my protection. “Winston should have assigned more than one unit. I don’t like this. They haven’t made a move since they attacked you, but by now, the news has broken. They must know you’re still alive. We can’t take any chances.”
“What about the liquor store owner? They’ll go after him. He knows what they look like, at least one of them. I don’t even know that.”
“He’s in protective custody.”
I nodded, searching my dresser for clean clothes. Emma had brought me the clothes I was wearing, but now they smelled like a hospital. And that was one smell I wanted to shake.
“If he’d come forward when you first approached him, none of this would have happened.” The anger burned in Brad’s eyes. “We’d have these assholes or at least have some idea who they are. They wouldn’t have gotten the drop on you. They wouldn’t have hurt you.”
“I know.”
“He’s nothing but a selfish prick.” Brad fou
ght to keep his rage in check, but sleep deprivation and a tense few days had decimated the more laidback qualities of his personality.
“He was scared.”
“I don’t give a shit.” He swallowed and held up his palms. “Whatever.”
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah, Liv. I’m great. So fucking great.” He rubbed a hand down his face. “I’m just hungry and tired, probably the same as you. I’ll see what I can scrounge up for lunch. Emma said she brought food and groceries over last night in preparation for today.” He didn’t wait for me to say anything before walking out of the room. I’d seen my partner at his worst, but this was something else. I didn’t think I’d ever seen him like this. It scared me.
I was too nauseous to think about food. I could smell the hospital on me, specifically that disgusting stench that wafted up from the tray they’d left in my room. Eventually, Emma found someone to take it away, but the odor remained. And mixed with the lingering olfactory memory from all those broken liquor bottles, it was no wonder I didn’t have much of an appetite.
The only thing I wanted to do was shower and get into something comfortable. Every part of my body ached, though I wasn’t sure why. As soon as I entered the bathroom, I had my answer.
The sight of my reflection froze me in place. I hadn’t seen the extent of the damage until now. My face was bruised, and one of my eyes was black from where Gravelly Voice had hit me. His fingers left marks on my neck.
I turned away from the mirror and struggled to get my top off. My shoulder hurt, and I grunted. Finally, I pulled it over my head to find my right shoulder bandaged. I’d been so out of it these last two days, I barely remembered Emma and the hospital staff changing the dressing.
Reluctantly, I turned back to the mirror, twisting to see the extensive bandages that covered my shoulder and the side of my neck. I ran my fingers gently against them, recalling bits and pieces of what happened once Officer Roberts arrived.