“Then we assume he is armed and dangerous,” the large officer with the rifle says.
“How the fuckdid he get through security?” I snap, then immediately clamp my mouth shut. “Sorry. I’m terrified and angry.”
“It’s a good question, but one we have to figure out later,” Jim answers. “Let’s move.”
We advance down the hallway, stopping short of the corner. “Can you scent her?” he asks me quietly.
I close my eyes and try to focus. “Yeah,” I say, after a second. “It’s hard to detect over the scent of so many alphas. I can’t feel her through the bond, though.” My throat tightens around the words.
“She’s probably blocking,” he reassures me. “Don’t assume the worst.”
The female ESU officer kneels and extends a small mirror on a pole, angling it just enough to see past the corner. “Subject is pacing. Appears agitated and is talking to himself. I have eyes on Ms. Kendrick.”
Relief floods me instantly, only for my stomach to recoil at her next words.
“She doesn’t appear conscious. She’s seated on the ground. I believe she’s bleeding.”
A vise-like pain clamps around my heart. I dig my fingernails into my palms until the skin breaks.
The officer inches the mirror back and straightens, careful not to expose herself. “Mr. Simmons, my name is Alicia Anderson, and I’m with ESU,” she says loudly, keeping her tone empathetic and warm. “I can hear you moving around backthere. I’m not here to hurt you. I want to understand and help so nobody gets hurt today.”
A harsh laugh echoes off the tile. “Bit late for that. The bitch is already bleeding, and you all won’t let me leave here alive.”
My pulse pounds in my ears, and Jim’s hand grips my arm.
Alicia doesn’t react to his language. “I’m hearing that you believe this ends with you dead. That sounds like you feel trapped,” she says.
A scoff. “I am trapped. None of this went how he said.”
“Who?” she asks.
Silence for a moment. “Doesn’t matter. Someone who should know how things work here. The cops were supposed to be handled. You all weren’t even supposed to show up.”
Jim shifts beside me.
“You’re saying you were promised protection,” Alicia says. “And that didn’t happen.”
“I was supposed to take her out the back and handle her, then slip back in to take care of him when he went looking for her. It’s all wrong!” His voice sounds high-pitched and crazed, and it terrifies me.
“Hey, Joseph, it makes me nervous how you sound right now. We don’t have to talk about that. Can you tell me what happened to Ava?”
“She tried to run,” he says defensively. “Threw her damn briefcase at me and bolted, so I reacted.”
I don’t knowif I can do this. My body feels like it’s on fire. My vision is blacking out around the edges with rage.
“How did you react?” Alicia asks.
A pause. Then, quieter, “I hit her. With the gun. She dropped.”
“Thank you for telling me,” she says. “I can help better if I understand. Where exactly did you hit her?”
“Her head,” he mutters.
“Is she still breathing?”
The silence is deafening, and my whole body starts to shake.
“Joseph, stay with me. I’m worried about her bleeding out if we don’t address it,” Alicia says. “That will only make everything harder on you. If you let us help her, that goes a long way to showing the DA you aren’t a monster and can only make things better for you.”
