Gabe's heart hammered against his damaged ribs.Exactly.
Price moved toward Hale's body with his weapon raised, eyes scanning for threats. He knelt beside the fallen police chief and checked for signs of life even though they all knew.
Hale's eyes were open and staring at nothing.
The officers who'd been escorting him had scattered to cover.
Gabe moved closer despite Price's warning gesture.Something about Hale's expression drew him forward. The way his mouth was moving slightly.
Not dead yet. Not quite.
He dropped to his knees beside Price and leaned close.
Hale's lips were barely moving, trying to form words.
"What?" Gabe bent closer. "What are you saying?"
"Nep..." The word came out as a whisper, blood-soaked and fading. "Neptune…"
Then nothing. Just empty eyes and silence. In the distance, the thwack of helicopter blades echoed through the thick air.
Wade reached them, breathing hard from the sprint. His eyes swept the scene with swift assessment before settling on Hale's body. "Helo is heading off. Definitely a grab-and-go."
Price was on his radio coordinating response. "All units converge on northeast tree line. Sniper last seen?—"
"Shooter’s already gone. They won't find anything," Wade insisted.
The helicopter’s whir faded into the distance, affirming his assessment.
Price glared at him. “How do you know that?”
Wade met his eyes without flinching. "Because that's how I'd do it if I was eliminating a target."
The admission hung in the chill air.
Price's hand hadn't moved away from his weapon. "Where’d you train?"
Wade's mouth quirked without humor. “With the kind of outfit that doesn't get discussed in parking lots." He gestured toward the docks. “I could have taken him out down there. I don’t miss.”
Price's jaw tightened, but he nodded and accepted the non-answer for now.
Price moved closer to Gabe and kept his voice low. "Neptune. That's what Hale said?"
“Mean anything to you?” Price asked Wade, who shook his head.
Price's expression turned grim. "We need to move everyone now. Get your brother and Cara to the hospital under escort. Secure them. Whoever killed Hale proved they can reach anywhere, even surrounded by law enforcement."
"We're loose ends," Gabe said.
"Yeah." Price looked back at Hale's covered body. "And they just demonstrated how they handle loose ends."
Gabe ran back toward the ambulances. Cara was sitting up in her gurney, color returning to her face. David was conscious in the other ambulance.
Price organized a convoy, the two ambulances with police escort front and back. No one traveled alone.
“I’ll hang with Cara,” Wade announced, climbing into her rig.
As Gabe climbed into the ambulance with his brother, he looked back at Cape Mercy Coast Guard Station one last time.
