I stood between him and Rowan on instinct. I wanted – God, Ineeded– to look back and make sure Rowan was okay, that he wasn't bleeding out somewhere behind me. I didn't like that he'd gone silent. But I couldn't take my eyes off Marcus. I didn't trust him not to try again.
I levelled the gun at him. I'd never held one before and had no fucking clue what to do with it. But Marcus didn't know that. I hoped I could bluff him into staying still.
He sat up slow, still gasping. He cradled his arm against his chest, fingers curled in tight around the pain. I didn't feel bad.
Now that I could get a better look at him, I saw how messed up his face was. Scrapes from the scuffle, red and blotchy from the Farbgel. I barely held in a laugh. No wonder he was so pissed. Rowan got him pretty good.
That thought almost made me smile.
My voice cracked more than I meant it to as I called over my shoulder, "Rowan? You good?"
"I'm okay." He sounded hoarse and rattled, but his voice was strong.
Thank God.
I adjusted my grip on the gun, keeping it aimed at Marcus. He wasn't trying to get up anymore. Maybe the broken wrist or the fact that I had his weapon kept him still. Either way, he sat on the pavement, out of breath and glaring at me with that face that looked like it lost a fight with a tomato.
At long fucking last, I heard sirens.
They grew loud fast, and then I caught the screech of tyres as the cars stopped on the road. Within seconds, I heard movement coming up the path, saw the torches and uniforms. I almost sagged with relief –
Until the ones in front skidded to a stop and drew their tasers.
"Drop the gun!"
"Hands where we can see them!"
Shit, that's right. I had the gun.
Marcus caught my eye and smirked.
Even so, I didn't look away from him. I knew the police weren't going to take any chances, but I also didn't want to get zapped. I took a deep breath and raised my hands slowly, careful not to make any sudden moves. I loosened my grip on the gun to let it dangle by the trigger guard from my finger. The barrel pointed harmlessly toward the sky, away from everything and everyone.
"Back up toward us! Keep your hands up!"
I did. One careful step at a time, eyes still locked on Marcus on the off chance he decided to be stupid. He didn't. He just continued to stare at me with that crooked grin.
"Stop! Put the weapon down!"
I let it slip from my finger and tossed it into the grass beside the path, well away from both of us.
A few officers rushed past me from behind. Two of them broke off toward Marcus. Another veered toward Rowan, crouching beside him with one hand on the radio clipped to his shoulder.
But I couldn't focus on any of that. Another cop stepped directly in front of me, taser still raised, eyes sharp and locked on mine. "On your knees."
My heart jumped, and I dropped down slowly. The cold asphalt bit through my jeans, but my hands stayed up. My chest was tight and my pulse loud in my ears. I knew they were just following the rules, but that didn't make it any easier to breathe.
Behind me, I heard more footsteps. A second officer moved in fast, grabbed my wrists, and yanked them behind my back. The cuffs snapped on quick and tighter than necessary, but I didn't argue. I didn't dare make any sudden moves.
The cop in front of me finally lowered the taser, but he didn't immediately take his eyes off me. His gaze flickedsideways to Marcus, then back to me with a confused look. "Is that Farbgel?"
I didn't know if it was safe to speak, so I just nodded.
The officer behind me spoke up. "What do we do with them?"
The first one hesitated. Then he said, "Detain them both. We'll get an ambulance for the other one and post a guard with him."
The cuffs dug in tighter as I was hauled to my feet. I didn't get much room to move on my own. The officer turned me toward the path and steered me down to the road. I didn't resist. What was the point? It would just make me look worse.
