Sirens wailed as Josh ran up to the unconscious man lying on his back on the asphalt. Blood poured from a wound in his upper right chest. His breathing was ragged, his mouth open and slack, but he was alive.
Josh kicked his pistol away, crouched and ripped open the man’s white shirt, tore off a strip of fabric, and stuffed it into the wound to slow the bleeding. Sirens wailed. People were pouring out of the shops in the strip mall, beginning to form a circle around them.
Tory knelt beside him. “The police are on the way. The FBI, too. I told them to send an ambulance.”
He nodded as he leaned over and put pressure on the bullet hole to slow the blood flow. Black-and-white patrol cars roared into the parking lot and the doors flew open. Uniformed officers spilled out and ran toward him, guns drawn.
“Dallas police! Put your weapon on the ground and your hands in the air!”
Tory took over, pressing hard on the man’s chest while Josh raised his hands in the air.
“My pistol is holstered at my waist.” A little .380. He wished he’d had his Beretta.
“Keep your hands in the air!” Three officers rushed forward and shoved him to the ground. One of them pulled the pistol out of his holster, then jerked his hands behind his back and locked a pair of cuffs around his wrists.
“My name is Joshua Cain. I’m former marine special ops. I’ve got a carry permit. The injured man is a terrorist wanted by the FBI.”
The cop’s dark eyebrows went up. “The feds are on the way,” he said. He grabbed Josh’s bound arms, helped him roll over and sit up cross-legged on the grass.
“That man tried to kill us,” Tory said to the heavyset balding cop who was eyeing Josh like a criminal. “He murdered two other marines already. Josh was defending himself and me.”
Another siren wailed as it drew near. Josh looked over to see an ambulance pulling into the parking lot. The doors swung open, EMTs jumped out and ran around to the back. In seconds, the paramedics had collected the gear they needed and were on the ground next to the victim, working to save his worthless life.
Tory backed away, her pretty sundress covered in blood. Josh wanted to go to her, comfort her, tell her she was safe and all of this was about to be over, but it wasn’t going to happen right away.
The heavyset cop stayed with her while Josh remained cuffed a few feet away. When half a dozen FBI vehicles roared into the parking lot and slammed on their brakes, Josh breathed a little easier. The big blond man crossing the lot in his direction was a damned fine sight to see.
Taggart stopped to speak to the EMTs, then walked over to Tory. “You all right?” he asked.
“I’m okay. He tried to kill Josh.”
Taggart nodded, continued on over to the officer who stood next to where Josh sat. “Take the cuffs off. Cain’s the victim here.” The cop bent to the task, the handcuffs clanking as they fell into the officer’s hands. Rubbing his wrists, Josh rose to his feet.
“He going to make it?” he asked Taggart, tipping his head toward the man on the gurney being wheeled toward the ambulance.
“Fifty-fifty chance. He’s lucky you only fired one bullet. Nice placement, by the way. Appreciate your restraint.”
He grunted. “With any luck the bastard will live. You’ll get some good intel and he’ll spend the rest of his life in prison.”
“With any luck,” Taggart said grimly. “We’re going to need a statement from both of you. Plenty of witnesses so you shouldn’t have any problem.”
Josh nodded. He headed for Tory, opened his arms, and she walked straight into them. He could feel her trembling and his chest clamped down. He drew her a little closer. “You okay?”
She swallowed. “I’m all right.” But she nestled her head on his shoulder and a sob escaped, then another. “He almost killed you.”
“Hey, it’s over. Everything’s going to be okay.”
She tried to hold back tears. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right, honey. This is a whole lot worse than a burned-up chicken.”
Tory laughed. A shuddering breath escaped. “You’re right. I can cry if I want to.”
“Yeah, baby, you can.”
But she filled her lungs with a deep breath of air and eased a little away, wiping the wetness from her cheeks. “You’re safe. That’s all that matters.”
He wanted to tell her both of them were safe, but it wouldn’t be true. Damon Bridger was still out there.
