Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
No!
Emmett skipped the remaining three steps without any concern for his own safety. Janie had just screamed and was shouting for help.
Someone was with her. They were hurting her. And whoever it was would soon be dead.
“Boss, wait!” Gwen’s hurried steps let him know she was covering his six.
He didn’t wait.
He shoved open the door in front of him, determined to get to her as soon as he possibly could. But when Emmett stepped into the hallway, it split off into two different corridors.
Left or right?
Sparing seconds Janie may not have, he listened intently for something to tell him which way to go. When the sound of an angry man’s voice traveled to them from the left, he didn’t so much as hesitate to sprint that way.
He rounded another corner, and that’s when he saw her.
She’s alive!
Two men he recognized instantly were also there. Christopher Campbell and Howard Daley.
His gun remained out in front of him as he and his teammates made their way closer to where the men had forced Janie to stop.
One side of her face appeared swollen, and there was a trail of blood dripping down her chin.
More blood ran from a long cut one of the bastards had made along her left forearm.
The grip on his Glock grew tighter with a fierce, murderous rage.
“Let her go!” he ordered Daley.
Rather than obey, the asshole pressed his forearm against the base of her throat. The gun in his hand was at her right temple, and the man’s finger was dangerously close to the trigger.
“Emmett?” she choked out his name.
Hearing Janie call for him sent a flood of fury coursing through his every cell. “Drop your fucking weapons and let her go!”
“Tell your men to drop their weapons, or she’s dead!” The command came from the White House Press Secretary.”
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
“Not going to happen, Daley,” Emmett informed the man calmly. “Let her go, and I just might decide to let you and your buddy live.”
Liar.
Christopher Campbell took a few steps in Emmett’s direction, putting himself between Emmett’s team and the woman they’d come to save. “You’re not the one in charge, Shaw.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong.”
The narcissistic prick couldn’t let that one slide. “If you don’t drop your weapons and walk away, I’m going to put a bullet in your girlfriend’s pretty head.”
At the same time, a tiny red dot appeared on guy’s right temple. A clean shot through the small window to Campbell’s right struck with perfect precision.
Janie screamed as Campbell’s blood and brain matter sprayed into the air. A beat later, the man’s lifeless body fell to the floor, hitting it with a hard thud.
Gwen looked down at his corpse with a smile. “You were saying?”
Emmett’s focus was on the man who was still very much alive. Daley was scared, now. His frightened gaze skittered between the broken window, Campbell’s body, and Emmett and his team.
“Last chance, Daley,” he warned the frantic man. “It’s over. Let the woman go.”
Janie remained quiet, the look in her eyes fearful but trusting. His heart swelled knowing she had faith in him to get her out of this alive.
Patience gone, he gave the press secretary one final warning. “Drop the gun or die.” He sounded calm. “You have two seconds to decide.”
Once again, Daley’s wide eyes slid from Emmett, to the window, and back to the dead guy at his feet. At first, Emmett was certain the guy was going to continue the unwinnable standoff. But in a move that shocked them all, Daley lifted the gun from Janie’s head.
“Fine.” He released his hold on Janie before taking a few steps back. “You win.”
Janie didn’t wait for Emmett to tell her to run to him. She took off in his direction the second she was free.
But then—
“No!” Daley shouted, his head shaking back and forth like an animal trapped in a cage. “It can’t end this way! I can’t go to prison. I can’t!”
Emmett saw the moment the decision was made.
“Don’t do it, Daley!”
The desperate man started to raised his gun, his intent to shoot her in the back crystal clear.
Not a chance in hell.
“Get down!” Emmett shouted at her, praying she understood.
Janie dropped to her hands and knees.
Multiple suppressed shots cut through the hallway’s dense air. Daley’s body jerked as several bullets pierced through his flesh, and within seconds . . . it was over.
Emmett ran to where she was still hunched over on the floor. He dropped down next to her and pulled her into his arms. “Janie? Baby, are you okay?”
“Emmett!” She wrapped her arms around him in a hold so tight, he found it hard to breathe. “Oh, thank God!”
He decided he didn’t care about breathing. The only thing that mattered was that Janie was alive; she was okay, and she was safe.
“Uh, boss?” Gwen came over to where they were. “We should probably have Lucas check out that cut on her arm. She’s lost quite a bit of blood.”
Shit.
He’d been so overwhelmed by relief that she wasn’t going to die, he completely forgot about the wound on her arm. Emmett pulled back to inspect it, hissing in a sharp breath when he got a good look at the long slice that had been cut into her skin.
“Campbell do that?”
Janie shook her head slowly. “There was another m-man here. They c-called him Billy.” She winced in pain. “He’s the man who t-took me from th-the hospital. But he’s gone. He r-ran out the b-back before we s-saw you.”
“The back?” Gwen’s wide eyes flew to the door several feet behind the carnage. “Boone!” Her ponytail flew side to side as she spun on her boots and took off that way in a dead sprint.
“Go with her!” Emmett ordered Blake and Draven to stay with their teammate, just in case.
“What about Billy?” Janie’s voice sounded a bit weak.
“Shh…” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “We’ll find him.”
No matter how long it takes.
Emmett stayed with Janie while Lucas got to work triaging Janie’s wounds. The man reached into the pouch resting against his lower back and pulled out a baggie of first-aid supplies. Seconds later, a temporary bandage was in place, helping to keep pressure and, hopefully, stop the bleeding.
When Lucas was finished, he and Emmett helped Janie get to her feet. Shock and adrenaline had left her entire body trembling beneath his touch. When she swayed, he didn’t bother asking before scooping her into his arms.
“Boone’s alive,” Gwen’s voice filled his ear with news that brought another rush of relief. “Bastard clocked him out cold, but he’s coming around now.”
Getting clocked is better than dead.
“We’re headed to you, now,” Emmett informed her as they walked swiftly toward the exit.
Cool air slapped his face when they stepped outside, and he couldn’t help but be thankful. For that and so many other much more important things.
“What the hell?” Lucas’ tone was that of surprise.
Emmett followed the man’s line of sight. There he saw the two men who’d been guarding the door, courtesy of Boone.
They were sitting with their backs against the stone wall, each with one wrist cuffed to a pipe secured to the wall. Both men looked pissed and a little scared.
Emmett couldn’t help but grin before turning his attention to the man doing his best to push Gwen’s hands away.
“I’m fine,” Boone grumbled as he ducked out of the concerned woman’s reach. “It’s just a bump.
“It could’ve been a bullet.”
“I’m still alive, aren’t I?”
“Because you were lucky.”
“Well I’m sorry.” The man’s sarcasm was thick. “Next time, I’ll be sure not to get knocked out by some asshole while trying to keep my eyes on two other assholes. You’re welcome for that, by the way.”
The pair was bickering like an old married couple, which only made the grin on his face grow wider.
“Come on, Boone.” He motioned toward the direction of their SUV. “Maybe the hospital will give us a two-for.”
“I don’t need a damn hospital.” Boone scowled.
Gwen’s girl-next-door features fell into an exaggerated frown. “Man, you’re grumpy when you’re hurt.”
“I’m not hurt,” the other man bit back. “It’s a tiny bump on the head.”
“Oh, I wasn’t referring to your head.” She put on a look of pure innocence. “I was talking about your ego.”
The wink Gwen sent his way as she passed by made Emmett bark out a boisterous laugh.
“You’re happy.”
Janie’s sweet voice pulled his gaze back to her.
“I’m pissed that I can’t kill those assholes again for what they did to you.”
Her cheek was swollen and starting to bruise, there was a fresh cut in her bottom lip, and that cut—
Those wounds will heal in time. Try to focus on the fact that she’s still here and very much alive.
“You’re back in my arms” he rumbled low. “So hell, yes, I’m happy.”
She closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest. “You have a great laugh.” Her lips curved into a small smile. “You should do it more often.”
The chuckle that came next wasn’t nearly as loud or shoulder-shaking. But that was okay, because Emmett had a feeling, with this woman in his life, there were many more full-belly laughs to come.
“Hey!” A man hollered out from behind them. “What about us?”
They stopped to look back at the two men still cuffed to the pipe. His teammates looked to him, but Emmett punted the question to Boone.
“You’re the one with the badge.”
“They’ll be fine.” The other man turned around and resumed his steps with a surprising, “I already called it in.”
Right on cue, the sound of blaring sirens sounded from a few blocks away.
“What about your job?” Emmett sincerely hoped Lincoln wouldn’t lose his shield over this.
Boone waved the concern away. “Eh, it’ll be fine. What are they going to do, arrest me for stopping a bunch of corrupt government assholes who kidnapped an innocent woman?”
“Thank you, Detective,” Janie offered softly.
She was starting to get sleepy, and Emmett picked up the pace. “Stay awake for me, sweetheart. Just until we get to the hospital. After that, you can sleep for as long as you want.”
“Okay.” Janie blinked, but like a trooper, she kept her gaze on him the entire way back to the car.