his hands bound behind his back, but he wasn’t in distress. I wanted to pummel him, but I promised myself I could do it later, if he didn’t go to jail. He looked up at me, but I wasn’t sure he was focusing right. Didn’t matter, he could hear me. “You’ll see justice no matter what. You’d better hope you see jail time for this.”
I walked outside the room, grabbed one of the shifts the girls could wear when they walked next door, and brought it back in. “Let’s get this on you.” Trinity was topless, wearing only a thong.
She let me help her get into it, and was quick to put the ice back on her arm. “Fuck, that hurts. Thanks for the ice. It helps a little.”
I touched my earpiece. “Status of the EMTs?”
“An ambulance is en route, along with the popo,” Mad Dog said in my ear. “Walk her out. They should all be there by the time you get out the front door with her. Carry her. No one will shoot you if you’re carrying a wounded woman. Let her know Frost should be at the hospital before the ambulance gets there with her. She needs to tell them he’s her brother.”
“I’m going to carry you,” I told Trinity. “I’m sure you can walk, but we need the police and ambulance to understand you’re injured and need medical attention.”
She nodded, and I leaned down and gingerly lifted her into my arms.
“Kitty’s a lucky woman,” she told me, her head against my chest, her arm cradled on her stomach.
“Frost should be at the hospital by the time you get there. Tell them he’s your brother.”
Mad Dog had Crush dealing with the two girls already next door, and Dementor had pushed Crystal out the back door with instructions to head to the suite. Without a keycard, she’d need the code to get the elevator to that floor, but she’d repeated it back to him and seemed to have it. I held Trinity with one arm so I could touch my earpiece and talk. “Crush, can you confirm the girls in your care are safe?” I’d already checked in to make sure Kitty was with him, now I was checking on all three.
“Yes. Kitty’s in the safe zone. When Soul finishes in a few minutes, I’ll take her. I understand Crystal’s on her way, so I’ll have three in my care.”
“Roger that. Thanks.”
I engaged my mic so it would stay on, and I was standing in the parking lot with Trinity in my arms when three police cars pulled in. I could hear an ambulance, but couldn’t see it yet. I stood without moving, statue still. The cops parked so they were shielded by their cars when they exited the vehicles.
“She needs medical attention,” I told them, my voice loud enough to be heard. “We have the situation under control inside, but there may be more who could use an EMT. Lots of fists were flying. To my knowledge, no one used a weapon other than their fist.”
Two officers I’d spoken with in the past came around the vehicles, guns drawn but pointed down. “Why don’t ya’ll disarm me, just so everyone’s less jumpy,” I told them. “It’s on my right hip, but there’s no way I can get to it while I’m holding her. Miss Carpenter here was in a back room, and a customer took advantage of the situation and tried to rape her. She hurt her hand defending herself. I think her wrist is broken. I have him restrained and will be more than happy to see ya’ll take him in. Miss Carpenter will do whatever is necessary to press charges.”
The ambulance pulled in, and the officers waved the driver to pull up close. I put Trinity on the stretcher and then motioned to an attorney I recognized when he pulled in.
One of the cops looked at the attorney and then back to me. “Your lawyers must be on speed dial.”
I shrugged. “Calling them in is above my pay grade, but someone clearly did.” I turned back to the ambulance to make sure they were taking Trinity to our preferred hospital, and told them her brother was on his way and would probably be waiting for them.
One of the cops told another to ride with her and get her statement, and a female cop climbed into the ambulance. I hadn’t counted on that, but Trinity knew the drill. She’d be fine without an attorney for a