Caddo ran to the side of the truck and threw open the door. He dropped his coat and helmet on the seat and picked up his phone off of the floor. He slammed the door and ran after Hayden to her cruiser.
Sliding into the passenger seat, he felt the car lurch forward and he hung on to the 'oh shit' bar.
Hayden must have seen him in her peripheral vision. "You okay there?"
"I'm not going to put my seatbelt on, Hayden. As soon as we stop, I'm bailing out of the car. If you're going to give me a ticket-"
"I'm not giving you a ticket, just keep in mind that law enforcement is going to be in charge, Caddo."
He exhaled. "I just want to be there, Hayden. I want her to know that I'm there."
He saw Hayden nod her head as she took a corner hard enough for him to slide heavily into the door with a WUFF of breath.
"I know you want to be there for her, but you're going to have to stay out of the way. I... I know it won't be easy for you, but-"
"I know." He gripped the bar even tighter. "I know, Hayden... I just need to see that she's okay."
He heard Hayden swallow as if something was stuck in her throat. "I hope so. But I need you to stay back if we move in. We're trained for this."
He felt a little sick as her words sank in.
He hoped... He prayed that it wouldn't come to that.
Please, God, don't let it come to that.
They pulled up to a stop along the street leading up to the diner.
Sam flung the door open and stepped out onto the sidewalk. What he saw ahead of him made it hard not to panic and it took every ounce of restraint in him not to take off running toward the diner.
There were police cars in the parking lot.
On the street.
He didn't know what to think when he saw the SWAT vehicle on the street on the far side of the diner.
He knew their SWAT unit was top notch, but he hated that they were needed.
He turned his head and held up his hand to block out the light from the late afternoon sun. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to see through the glare on the glass.
What he saw made his heart squeeze tight in his chest.
Seaton's ex was pointing a gun at her.
CHAPTER 12
SEATON
The longer they stood there, the more she felt that her chance of getting out of this was shrinking by the minute.
Turning her head in one direction, she saw Yun standing resolutely beside her and when she turned toward the window, she saw a police car pull into the lot.
The lights weren't on.
She drew in a breath and held it.
Maybe the officer was just pulling into the parking lot to write reports or to get something to eat.
Her heart slammed against her ribs wondering if the officer would walk in without knowing the danger inside.
