cruisers pulled into the garage. Sarah didn’t stop. She slammed into the man’s back and knocked him facedown into the concrete. He let out a yell and tried to roll, but Sarah planted a knee into his back, grabbed a handful of hair and jammed the barrel of the gun against his temple.
He froze.
Gavin skidded to a stop just before he reached Sarah.
“Doesn’t feel so great, does it?” she asked, her voice low.
“Put the weapon down!” The security officer aimed his gun at her. “Put it down!”
Gavin held up a hand. “Let me deal with this, please?”
“I’m bleeding,” her prisoner ground out between clenched teeth.
“That breaks my heart,” Sarah said. “Tell me why you’re after me. What’s in that package you’re so desperate to get your hands on?”
“I like breathing, so I think I’ll keep that to myself.”
Keeping an eye on the man, Gavin inched forward. “Sarah.”
She jerked and swung her gaze to meet his.
“Give me the gun. It’s okay. You did good.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I want answers.”
“And we’ll get them, but not like this. Come on, give me the gun. Hurry before anyone else gets here. Cops are on the way.”
She hesitated, muttered something about letting the guy off easy, and released the gun into his outstretched hand. Gavin passed it to the security guard, who lowered his own weapon.
“I had to shoot him,” she whispered.
“I know. We saw the footage.”
The guard had been able to access it on his iPad, and they’d simply tracked them through the hospital, to the stairwell, then down to the parking garage. With all of the commotion in the hospital and the partial evacuation, there hadn’t been a security guard close enough to get to her, so Gavin had to race against the clock. And he’d almost been too late.
“Everything’s been recorded. It won’t take long to rule it self-defense. You’re okay now.”
Officers ran into the garage as the security guard clicked cuffs around the bleeding man. Paramedics joined the scene.
“Didn’t we just do this at Brianne’s house?”
“Yeah, but at least no one got hurt this time.” He glanced at the man being loaded onto the gurney. “Except the person who asked for it.”
Sarah watched him while officers took the weapon as evidence, then took her into custody. “They have to cuff you, Sarah, you understand?”
She sighed and put her hands behind her back. “I know how it works.”
The officer who’d helped him find her nodded. “We’ll take you to the substation office in the ER and get your statement. You’ll have to remain in custody until the investigation is finished.”
“I know.”
He clicked the cuffs around her wrists and gripped her bicep. “The sooner we get this started, the sooner you can go home.”
She glanced at Gavin. “Will you call Caden and let him know what’s going on?”
“Of course.” He’d do that while he followed them to the holding area.
Caden answered on the first ring, and Gavin gave him the condensed version of what had just taken place.
“I’ll be right there,” Caden said.
By this time, they’d reached the holding area, and the officer—who’d introduced himself as Clint Osborne—directed Sarah to a seat. Officer Osborne uncuffed her hands from behind and recuffed them to a steel loop on the table. Her shoulders slumped and she looked near tears.
When he was ready, Osborne turned on his voice-activated recorder and asked Sarah to give her statement.
Gavin noted the details she included in her recitation of the events that he and Osborne had watched play out on the iPad. No doubt it was the reporter in her.
Caden had joined them and now paced the room while he listened. His jaw clenched tighter with each word she uttered. Finally, Caden stepped out of the room, phone pressed to his ear.
Sarah looked up. “Where’s he going?”
“Probably pulling some strings to get you out of here before tomorrow.”
Three hours later she was cleared, and Gavin held the door while she climbed into the passenger seat of his truck. “Are you sure you shouldn’t see a doctor?”
“I’m sure. I’m sick of doctors.”
He could understand that. Wasn’t entirely comfortable with it, but understood it.
“I could ask you the same thing, though,” she said. “You look like you took a few hits.”
“I’m okay. Bumps and bruises that will heal.” He shot her a tight smile. “Let’s get you back to Caden’s.”
“No, I need to go to my house.”
“Now?”
“Now.”
Gavin glanced at the sun getting ready to dip below the horizon. “All right, but we’ve got reinforcements coming with us.”