Marcus leaned back in his seat and stretched his arms above his head, drawing Kimberly’s attention from the editing she’d been working on for most of the morning. Glancing around, she saw the room was almost empty. John had finally come in but, with barely a nod to anyone, had gone into his office and his door remained closed.
“Oh, my goodness, I didn’t realize everyone had gone to lunch.”
“You hungry?” Marcus asked.
“Yeah, I am.”
“Let’s hit one of the food trucks downstairs.” Marcus stood and turned, suddenly taking a step closer to the window, looking down. “Whoa!”
“What is it?” Her attention snagged, she hurried to the window and stood next to him, peering downward.
Suddenly, John’s door opened, and he stepped out. He walked over to the window also, standing on the other side of her. “What’s going on?”
As the three looked down toward the sidewalk, she saw two police officers and two of the Kilton Pharmaceuticals security guards escorting a man between them. “That looks like Porter Myles.”
Marcus turned toward her, his brow furrowed. Answering his unasked question, she said, “He’s over at the warehouse. I talked to him a couple of weeks ago.”
“I wonder what he did.”
She lifted her shoulders in a shrug but remained quiet. Suddenly, more movement on the sidewalk caught her attention and a gasp slipped out.
Marcus and John leaned forward also, all watching as Thomas Kilton was escorted by the police toward the parking lot. Both men turned toward her, and she glanced up between them, shrugging again.
Marcus continued to look at her, tilting his head to the side. “I get the feeling you know a lot more than you let on. You've been interviewing these people.”
“With the drug thefts, it’s an ongoing investigation. The police can’t say much.”
“Come on, let’s get a bite. John, you want to join us? We’re going to hit one of the food trucks.”
A look of indecision passed over John's face before he nodded. The three left the office, taking the stairs and exiting the building on the side. Other employees were gathered in small groups, murmuring as everyone watched the police escort Porter and Thomas away.
Skirting around some of the others, the trio headed toward the closest food truck. “This is crazy,” Marcus said. “Drugs being stolen, people in high positions being arrested, hell, even Bob getting shot.”
Blinking in surprise, Kimberly jerked her head around and looked up at Marcus. Bob getting shot? But how…?
Hearing a growl on the other side, she jerked her head around and looked at John. His eyes were pinned on Marcus, his jaw hardened, and his mouth pinched into a tight line.
Marcus’ gaze jumped between John and hers. “Shit!” His hand shot out, grabbing her upper arm, clamping tight. He pushed his way between a small group of people, dragging her along with him just as John shouted for them to stop, grabbing her as well
Kyle and Alex stepped out of the headquarters building, having left Robert Kilton and his daughter to deal with the legal fallout for Kilton Pharmaceuticals. Pulling out his phone, he was shooting a text to Kimberly when a shout caught his attention.
A man was shouting for someone to ‘stop’ while grabbing onto a woman who was being dragged by another man. Recognizing Kimberly as the woman now trapped between two angry men, all thoughts left his mind about the ongoing interviews and investigation, focusing entirely on getting to her.
People scattered as he and Alex pounded down the sidewalk toward Kimberly and the two men still fighting over her. Alex shouted their identification as police and one man dropped his hold of her as he turned toward them.
With his hands in the air, the man cried, “It’s Marcus! He shot Bob!
With no one pulling in the opposite direction, Kimberly was now pulled along by Marcus, and they were almost able to disappear around the corner of the building. Kimberly’s toe caught on an uneven seam in the sidewalk, and she fell toward the ground, her arm jerking out of Marcus’ grip. She landed face down, smacking the sidewalk with her palms. Kyle reached her as Alex yelled, “Police!” and made a flying leap, tackling Marcus.
Kyle dropped to his knees next to her and scooped her up into his arms. She kept repeating, “I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m okay.” He shifted around and plopped his butt onto the sidewalk, pulling her into his lap.
The first man rushed up and squatted next to them. “Kimberly, are you hurt?”