“Brandon! Stop!” I yelled after him while I pulled Salem out of the water. I wanted to yell at her and tell her how crazy and dangerous this was. I noticed the large puddle of water where Brandon had been crouched.He was all wet. Had he been in the water? Roz finally caught up to us.
“This running shit isn’t working out for me,” Roz panted heavily.
“Stay with her,” I told Roz and took off after Brandon and Elijah.
“Be advised, Elijah has made it to the parking lot. Use caution as he may try to hide between cars,” I said.
Though Brandon was running ahead of me, almost within reach, I focused on Elijah. I couldn’t lose track of him. I expected him to start to zigzag and hide in the parking lot, but when I saw the hatch of an SUV open, I realized he was running to it. The only mental thought process for this move on his part, in this situation, would be to retrieve something. A gun.
“Elijah’s popped open a back hatch of a dark SUV in the second aisle.”
“Watch for a gun, Garrett,” William warned as Elijah reached the back of the SUV.
I’m all over it.
I pulled my gun out of my holster and ran harder to get to Brandon.Just like the rooftops of Baghdad … focus … remove all noise and focus on the subject.As Elijah turned, I saw the shotgun in his hands. I said nothing to Brandon, but lunged for him, taking him to the ground, and putting my knee on his upper back between his shoulder blades.
“Gun,” I advised my team the second before I aimed and pulled the trigger.
Elijah went to the ground hard, knocking the shotgun out of his reach.
“Shots fired!” Terrence shouted.
“Elijah’s down. Proceed with caution,” I advised William and Terrence, now that they were in the parking lot.
I quickly looked down at Brandon. His hands were covering his ears. I put my hand on one of his forearms while I returned my focus to Elijah’s motionless body. Once I saw Terrence and William had reached Elijah, I put my gun in the holster.
“Site secured,” William said.
I moved to a crouching position beside Brandon and helped him sit up while I visually checked him over. He was pale except for bright red cheeks from running, and he was soaking wet, which made me concerned that he had been in the water. He had been waterboarded before, and James had mentioned that he struggled with the effects of it still. His hands shook and still covered his ears. I gently pulled his hands away from his head.
“The ringing will lessen. Give it some time,” I promised him as he shook. I wasn’t a trained psychologist like James was, but I could recognize shock. “How did you get all wet, Brandon?”
“Pushed me.” Brandon’s partial sentence, and the fact that he wouldn’t look at me, worried me. William and Terrence had everything under control, and I needed to stay with Brandon and Salem until James arrived.
“Let’s go sit on the bench with Salem and Roz,” I suggested to Brandon. I helped him off the ground and kept my hand loosely on his upper arm. He was moving stiffly, and I didn’t want him to fall. On our slow walk back to Salem and Roz, I called James and told him to come to the aquatic complex. I wasn’t surprised at all when he’d told me that he was already on his way. He had left shortly after I’d told him where Brandon’s car was at.
“Is my pup okay?” James asked.
“He is, but not in good driving condition. He’s a little shaken. I’ll explain when you get here, but try not to worry too much. He’s safe.” I told him Roz would meet him at the entrance to the south parking lot and would bring him to us.
“I’ll be there soon,” James said.
I sat on the bench with Salem and Brandon on either side of me, tucked under my arms. I squeezed Salem against me and kissed the streak of purple in her hair. I wanted to say a million things to her, but the only thing I could manage was to sit and hold her close to me.
“Did you get him?” she murmured her question.
“Yes, baby girl.” I kissed her forehead. “I got him.”
“Thank you,” she said and smiled.
James arrived a few minutes later, and as he hugged Brandon to him, I filled him in about Elijah knocking Brandon into the water and how his ears were ringing from my gun. James nodded as he listened to me, and I was certain he’d know how to care for Brandon.
“Can we go home too?” Salem asked me.
“Yes, you guys go home,” Roz spoke up. “We’ve got the rest of this. You did the hard part, Garrett.”
I nodded and took hold of Salem’s hand.
