up.
“I’m capable of swimming on my own,” Leland panted when Dawn tried to twist out of his grasp.
“Well, you can’t swim while you’re holding on to me,” she pointed out.
“If you don’t put your arm over my shoulders, I’ll put you in a headlock and tow you to the side,” Tully threatened his partner.
“Traitor,” Leland muttered at Dawn, but he let Tully sling his right arm over his shoulders and guide him to the ladder at the edge of the pool.
Dawn paddled along behind, hating the swirl of red in the water. At least it was only coming from Leland’s arm. Or so she kept repeating to herself to stave off the fear that squeezed her heart.
Leland hauled himself up the ladder one-handed, water cascading from his clothing. As Tully’s men grabbed Leland to help him, a loud screech sounded from behind them.
“What the fuck is going on in my pool?” Vicky’s voice was shrill. “Who the hell are you? This is private property. I’m calling the cops.”
“Vicky, shut up!” Chad snapped.
Tully vaulted out of the pool despite his soaking-wet clothes and positioned himself in front of Vicky, where she stood glaring in the glass-strewn doorway. “Ma’am, I’m Tully Gibson, here on behalf of the FBI. One of your employees”—he gestured toward Chad, who still stood between Tully’s two men—“attempted to shoot one of your clients as well as a trainer.”
Vicky spun to face Chad and shrieked, “You fucking moron, why’d you have to shoot at them? Now there’s blood in my beautiful pool and the health department’s probably going to make me drain it. Do you know how much it costs to fill this pool? Why didn’t you just take your goddamn guns and go, like we agreed?”
“Because your nosy little bitch of a trainer brought down whoever the hell these guys are on top of us,” Chad yelled back. “The blood in the pool is the least of your worries, you stupid cunt.”
“That’s enough,” Tully snapped.
Vicky spun again and pointed a glittering talon at Tully. “What the fuck do you mean ‘on behalf of the FBI’? Are you the FBI or aren’t you? Because if you aren’t, get the hell out of my gym!” She began to advance toward him.
“Ma’am, stop or I’ll have to handcuff you,” Tully said. “The FBI will be here soon.”
Dawn scrambled up the ladder behind Leland. Taking his right wrist, she tugged him away from Chad and Vicky toward a chair on the opposite side of the pool. “Sit and I’ll get a towel.”
He obeyed, sinking onto the chair before he caught her hand. His blue eyes blazed up at her from under the wet hair plastered to his face. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
She squeezed his hand. “I’m fine.” At least physically. Emotionally was a whole different ball game. “You’re the one leaving a dramatic trail of blood in the water.”
“It’s just a graze, I swear. More annoying than painful.”
She didn’t believe him because she’d seen how awkwardly he swam. “We’ll let the medics give us their expert opinion on that. In the meantime, I want to stop the bleeding.” She gave him a soft kiss and rested her forehead against his for a moment before she slipped her hand out of his grasp. “Maybe press your hand against the wound until I get back?”
He dutifully put his palm against his upper arm and winced. She made no comment before she headed toward the towel cabinet, her sneakers squishing with every step.
Two of Tully’s men now stood on either side of Vicky, but she continued to spew vitriol at Chad. He ignored her, gazing straight ahead as she berated him about the pool, the guns, the Wi-Fi, and his stupidity. Dawn gave them a wide berth.
She yanked clean towels off the shelf and heaved a sigh of relief when a group of people wearing jackets with FBI stenciled on them strode through the door to the pool, their shoes crunching on the broken glass. One shouted, “Hey, Gibson! What have you got for us?”
Tully stepped forward and gestured toward Chad and Vicky. “The arms dealer and his co-conspirator.”
Not wanting to draw attention to herself, Dawn scurried back to Leland and the quiet side of the pool.
“Reinforcements have arrived,” she said. “Maybe they can shut Vicky up.”
“Or take her away.”
When Leland lifted his hand from the wound, Dawn grimaced at the bright red blood staining his palm before he scrubbed it off on his soggy jeans. Folding one of the towels, she handed it