Page 83 of Daybreak

It rang twice before she picked up. He was about to ruin her day.

“Good morning,” Holly said.

“Hey, darlin’, just calling to let you know that Beau Whistler is in custody.”

“Oh, Gunner! That’s wonderful. Now we know you’re finally safe.”

“Well, almost,” he said. “It took a bit of a tussle to take him down. I have a little cut on my arm, but there’s an ambulance rolling up on the scene right now. As soon as they clean it up, I’m going home.”

“You caught him?”

He winced. Her voice was clearly at the level of squeak.

“Yes. It was the darndest thing. We both stopped at the same place to get gas. What are the odds of that? I promise I’m okay except for a little road rash.”

“You got into a fight with him at the gas station?”

“Ummm, sort of. More like I ran him down,” Gunner said.

“Like you did with the guy who tried to shoot you?”

“No, I was on foot. More like a tackle. I took him down while the bike was rolling. We both went over the bike onto the pavement. It was epic. I think. It felt epic, and now not so much.” The ambulance was coming up the street with lights flashing and the siren screaming. “The ambulance is here. I will be going home after they’re through with me.”

“And I will be sitting in your driveway waiting,” she muttered and hung up in his ear.

Gunner sighed. “Have mercy.”

* * *

Holly’s hands were shaking as she turned off her computer and reached for her purse.

“Gunner just caught the guy from the manhunt. An ambulance is on scene, and he’s bleeding. He swears he’s going home afterward. I will be sitting in his driveway when he arrives to take him to the ER.”

Her coworkers were horrified.

“Oh my God! Holly! What happened?” Gene asked.

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t know, but from what he said, there were probably enough witnesses to splatter him and the incident all over social media.”

The women immediately began searching social media sites on their phones as Holly went out the door.

“If you find any video of it, I want to see,” Gene said.

* * *

The first EMT on the scene was wearing a shirt with the name Brewster stitched onto the pocket.

Brewster immediately removed Gunner’s shirt and began assessing the bleeding injuries as his partner was examining his ribs and jaw.

Gunner’s arm was burning like hell. It felt like he’d rolled in a nest of fire ants, and it was good he was sitting down.

“You need stitches. We’ll get you bandaged up enough to slow down the bleeding, but you need to go to the ER. Stitches for sure, antibiotics, and X-rays,” Brewster said.

Gunner frowned. “I didn’t fall on my head or face. I got clocked by his helmet. It’s fine. Just slosh some disinfectant on my arm and wrap it up so I don’t bleed all over my car. I’ve had worse sliding into home plate.”

Brewster grinned. “Noted, but still not letting you go until I’m satisfied.”

The patrolman still on-site with Gunner saw a black SUV with tinted windows turn off the street and pull up behind the ambulance. When he saw the two men who got out, he knew the Feds had arrived.