with a stretcher took over Sam, and finally Nick could lift his cramping hands and go check on Brian.
He knelt at Brian’s side. “Hey, you okay?” He kept his bloody hands behind his back. Just his luck Sam would have hepatitis or something— he wasn’t touching Brian with that shit.
Brian blinked at him, his head propped on Charlie’s shoulder. “Better. Than. Usual.” He seemed to have to make an effort to form the words but it was still an improvement over out cold.
Charlie said, “We’re out of glucose tabs.”
“Maybe the EMTs have more.” He turned to see the ambulance heading out with Sam, siren wailing. He didn’t much care about Sam’s health, but he’d make a hell of a witness, so yeah, good if he made it through. “I have food and pop in the car.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Gannet said behind him. “Brian, do you need an ambulance?”
Brian pushed up a bit. “No, ma’am.”
“Then you’re all under arrest.” Gannet waved to a new deputy. “Tanner, secure the weapons, read these three their rights, get the camera, and bring them all to the station. If Brian needs water or something, give it to him, whatever he needs.”
“Thank you,” Brian said over the top of Nick’s “Arrest for what?”
“Trespassing,” she snapped. “I’ll figure out what else later.”
The deputy said, with understandable hesitation, “All three of them? In one car? That’s not policy, ma’am. Cuffed?”
“They’ll be cozy.” She glanced at Charlie’s crooked stance, then glared at Nick. “Just cuff that one.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Get them the fuck out of here before the fire department arrives.” She whirled and strode off.
While the first deputy stood by, hand on the butt of his weapon, Tanner put on gloves and patted Nick and Charlie down, confiscated their weapons and led them to his car. Nick worked to get into the middle seat without smearing blood from his hands all over the cop or the car. It was tempting to make a deliberate mess of the guy’s uniform, but he wanted to work with these deputies down the road. He’s just doing his job. He settled in, sticky hands clasped together, and let Charlie fasten their seatbelts.
The deputy went back for Brian and the camera, slinging the strap around his neck and grabbing Brian by the arm to get him moving. Nick watched Brian trip and stagger on his way over. Gonna change my mind if that bastard makes him fall on his face— but the deputy shifted from propelling Brian along to supporting him and eased him in the other side gently enough.
All right, then.
Deputy Tanner drove them up the lane without a word. Nick didn’t mind being pressed up against Brian, keeping an eye on him as he stared out the window. He seemed to be functioning damned well for after a Find, even if he was a bit pale and glassy-eyed. Nick wedged his shoulder against Brian’s more firmly, in case he needed to lean on something. They climbed the rutted lane, passed the fire truck turning in at the top, and headed off into the quiet, smoke-free night.
Well, shit. That did not go off as planned. Nick blinked his eyes against a lingering sting and began planning how to lay out the evidence for Gannet. Not gonna be fun, explaining to my future boss that the guy she trusted completely was bent as hell.
****
Brian woke woozy and stiff. He unstuck his cheek from the table in front of him. Straightening up rocked the chair he sat in, and he glanced around. Oh yeah, the sheriff’s department.
He’d answered all the questions thrown at him while saying as little as he could, following the hints Nick had relayed in the back seat of the cop car. “Good thing I’m excellent at tailing people” from Nick had been a good clue not to mention his Finding. He’d said, “I don’t know,” and “That was up to Nick and Charlie,” whenever remotely possible. The less he explained, the less he’d be contradicting something they said. At some point, the deputy questioning him had gone out for a minute and he’d put his head down, and yeah— What time is it?
“That didn’t look comfortable.” Sheriff Gannet stood by the door, her arms crossed. There was a hint of smoke about her, or maybe it was from his own clothes?
He sniffed at his parka draped on the chair back. “Smoky, yeah.”
Her severe expression softened slightly. He felt a twinge of guilt, but didn’t give in to it. Wait and see