Not a chance in hell.
"Don't worry about it. They're right here so I can do it."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, it’s fine. Oh hey, did all of his belongings get sent down with the...with him?"
"Everything he had on him was bagged up and sent down to autopsy for the police to pick up. If there's something in there the family wants, they'll need to contact the police."
"Okay, thanks, Aaron." I hung up and slid my phone back into my pocket. I drew a deep breath before facing Tommy again. "I'm afraid your friend didn't make it. The bullet hit an artery, and he bled out before he even reached the hospital. I'm sorry."
The only response that Tommy even felt anything toward his friend's death was the slight tightening of his lips. "Where is he now?"
"Since it was a gunshot wound, his body and all of his belongings were sent down to autopsy. Once he's been processed, all of the evidence will be turned over to the police until their investigation is done."
"So, everything he had on him is down in autopsy at this other hospital?"
I nodded. "Yes."
"Then I guess—"
"Hey, babe," someone called out as the emergency room doors swung open.
I groaned when I saw David walking in with a paper sack from Mario's in his hand.
"There was no nurse at check-in, so I figured you must not be that busy." David made a show of glancing around. "No patients?"
"David, what are you doing here?"
David held up the bag. "I brought you dinner."
Under any other circumstance, I would have been thrilled. Right now, however, I was not. "Now is not a good time, David. I'm consulting with a bereaved family. Can you go wait for me in the waiting room?"
"Who is this, Dr. Jones?" Tommy asked.
There was no sign of his gun.
"David is just—"
David rushed forward, holding out his hand. "David Wu. I'm Skip's boyfriend."
My eyes rounded.
Was he insane?
Chapter Three
David
I kept a smile plastered on my face as I reached out with my free hand. I kept the other one wrapped tightly around the paper sack with Mario's name on it. Unfortunately, there were none of Mario's famous sandwiches in the bag.
Just a brick.
I'd been watching in the security room as the perps found Skip. Sal and the others had arrived, and I'd lucked out that Sal was taking sandwiches home to Lany and the kids. This was the only plan I could come up with. My team was waiting to come in and take the perps down just as soon as Skip was out of the line of fire.
The second the guy with the scruffy beard took my hand I tightened my grip both on him and the bag and then swung the bag as hard as I could at his head. "Get down!" I shouted at Skip as the bag slammed into my target.
I heard doors crash open as SWAT officers rushed in. When my target went down, I leapt over him and went for the other guy, slamming him to the floor. He put up no resistance. By the time I got him rolled over onto his stomach and his hands cuffed behind his back, Sal was cuffing the other guy and Clarke was helping Skip to his feet.
