went to jail? Does he still?
“Whose side were you on?” she whispered angrily to Edward while her tears fell. She balled up her scarf and pressed it against the leaking wound with one hand and used the other to slide her coat under his head.
His eyelids flickered, opened. He fixed his gaze on her face. “I’m on your side,” he whispered, the words gurgled and slurred.
Fear washed over Cooper. “Don’t talk. Help is coming.” She placed her palm on his forehead. “Hang in there.”
Edward winced, battling with the pain and the supreme effort to draw in breath. “Just in case,” he said so softly that Cooper had to put her ear closer to his lips in order to hear him. “Will you say a prayer for me?”
“Of course,” Cooper answered and moved the hand touching his face over his heart. She closed her eyes, forcing more tears out. “Heavenly Father, I lift up this man to your care.” A calmness flowed into her body as the words welled inside of her. “Lend him Your unsurpassed strength, Lord. He has fought so hard to make the right choices. Please give him the chance to witness how powerful goodness feels.” She sniffed. “Allow him the time to continue growing. Please, God. I know he longs to serve You. Give him the chance to do that. You are ever loving, ever merciful. Hear my prayer.” She opened her eyes. Edward was alive, but unconscious. “Hear my prayer,” Cooper repeated until the sound of footsteps running down the hall made her raise her head again.
“Step away, miss,” a bearded paramedic ordered firmly as he removed a long needle and a valve from his case. He tugged Edward’s shirt until the bare skin of his chest was exposed, located the two ribs he was searching for, and plunged the needle into Edward’s flesh. A hiss of air rushed out. The second paramedic, a pretty young woman, finished intubating the patient. She fastened a breathing mask on Edward’s face and then signaled to her partner. Together, they slid him onto a board and then hoisted him onto the gurney.
Rich Johnson reappeared as the paramedics positioned themselves to wheel the gurney out of the room. “Is he going to make it?” he asked.
“We’ve seen worse,” the female paramedic replied, brushing past him. “But he needs blood. We only carry saline.”
Cooper stepped after them, not wanting to lose sight of Edward. “Where’s my sister?” she demanded without turning to the police officer.
“In her husband’s office. She’s shaken, but uninjured. Luckily, the stray bullet hit the wall several feet away.” The policeman took her arm as they hustled toward the outer door. “Are you hurt?”
“No.” Cooper’s fear rapidly morphed to anger. “But I am confused! How long has Edward been playing both sides? And exactly how long were you out in that hall while Alek was getting good and ready to kill us?”
Rich waited for the paramedics to load Edward into the ambulance and shut both doors before answering. “Not long enough to hear what sounded like a full confession, unfortunately. Please understand, Ms. Lee, I only hesitated until I knew what was going on inside that room. Despite what one sees on television, the police don’t routinely burst into every space with weapons drawn. We’re actually more cautious than that.” He looked pained over not having appeared sooner. “Be comforted by the fact the we’ve got enough evidence to nail the Ivanovich siblings and shut down their smuggling ring for good. Of course, there’ll be half a dozen federal agencies involved, but Albion will not slip through the bars of his holding cell this time. He’ll be wearing an orange jumpsuit before the ice melts.”
As the ambulance pulled away, sirens wailing, Cooper rounded on Johnson. “Why didn’t Edward fire his gun?”
“He’s not allowed to carry a loaded weapon,” the officer answered sheepishly. “Convicted felons cannot own, possess, or transport a firearm.”
“So you used him, too,” Cooper stated, her anger seeping away as fatigue set in.
“Mr. Crosby wanted to be involved. Against my better judgment, I agreed.” Johnson removed his coat and slung it around Cooper’s shoulders. “I believe in redemption, Ms. Lee, and that is why I agreed to incorporate him into this investigation. Now,” he resumed his authoritative tone. “You’ve experienced quite a shock. Come inside and join your sister.”
Nodding numbly, she did as he suggested. Seeing Ashley seated primly in Lincoln’s office triggered the tears again, and the two sisters embraced. Neither one would let go.