Chapter Twelve
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B ristol finished up the last of her patient charts and logged out of her computer for the night, stretching her arms over her head with a satisfied smile. After the longest week in forever, it was finally Friday night. The summer weather was still glorious ahead of the storm front expected to hit over the weekend, and she had two whole days off ahead of her to spend doing whatever she wanted. Including nothing, if that’s what she chose.
“Looks like someone’s excited for the weekend to start.”
She turned to find Brandon standing in the doorway in his paramedic uniform, grinning at her. “You know it. Are you outta here shortly too?” He’d only returned to work last year, having battled his way back from severe PTSD after being captured and held prisoner in Yemen during a deployment as a PJ. Then the whole ordeal with his partner, Jaia. She was happy that he seemed to be doing well and was certain that Jaia was a big part of the reason why.
“I wish. Nah, I’m just hanging out here waiting to find out whether we’re transporting a combative patient to another hospital.”
“Ooh, fun.”
He chuckled. “Never a dull moment. What are you doing here so late?”
“Covered for another tech and just finished up some admin stuff I was behind on. You guys are training this weekend, right?” Their Pararescue unit was based in Portland.
“Yep. With the storm moving in, we’ll be busy.”
“I bet. How is Jaia, by the way? And don’t say anything to her, but I’m thinking of coming to the book club event next weekend. I’m not what you’d call a hard-core reader, but I’m all for meeting up with my ladies and talking about books and life stuff over a glass of wine. Or two, I’m not fussy.” She hadn’t been to one of their events yet, but the group sounded really fun. Not all stuffy and pedantic like some book clubs she’d heard about.
“You should go. This next one’s some kind of fancy tea party in Beckett and Sierra’s garden. Jayne Eyre theme, I think she said.”
“Ohh, I read that one in college. Loved it.” Beckett and Sierra apparently lived in the most gorgeous Victorian heritage home overlooking the water. And who didn’t love a proper tea party with scones and tea and pretty plates set in a garden? Jaia also made the best authentic masala chai in the entire universe. Once you tried it, there was no point in having chai anywhere else, because it was bound to be a huge disappointment. “All right, I’ll message her.”
“Good.” He glanced away, lifted his chin at someone down the hallway. “Sorry, gotta go. Duty calls.”
“Yes, go. And don’t take any crap from that patient.” Not that she was worried. With his training and experience, and after all he’d been through, he could more than handle himself with a violent patient.
“I won’t,” he called back, already out of sight.
She grabbed her stuff and headed outside to the parking lot with a spring in her step. It was getting dark out, and she was starving. When she got home, she was starting her weekend off right by slipping into a hot bath and then curling up on the couch with a pizza to watch a movie she’d been wanting to see that had just released to streaming. Tomorrow morning, she’d get groceries for a few days in case the storm was bad enough that they lost power.
Because she’d come in at an odd hour to cover for the other tech, her car was parked far away from her normal spot, in a little alcove tucked into an odd-shaped pocket in the southeast corner of the lot. There were no lights there, so she pulled out her phone in preparation to turn on the flashlight app.
Three seconds later, she jerked to a halt when she spotted two men standing off near the tree line edging the lot. They stopped talking, their heads whipping toward her, and her heart jolted when she realized it was TJ talking to...Mark?
Her gaze dipped to the small bag in TJ’s hand. “What are you doing?” she blurted. She was not imagining this.
He shoved it into his pocket. “You shouldn’t be here.”
She glanced from him to Mark and back again, outrage shooting through her. He was buying drugs? Buying drugs here ? After everything she and others had done to help him turn his life around? “Really?” she accused, fighting the wobble in her voice. Dammit, she would not cry.
“What is this?” Mark said, edging back a step.
Her gaze snapped to him. Narrowed. How dare he turn out to be a dealer? “He moved here to get his life back together,” she told him, anger and disappointment flooding her in equal measure. How could TJ give up his chance and throw it all away with everything he had going for him here?
TJ’s expression hardened as he stared at her. “You need to go. Now.”
She held her ground, refusing to look away. Damn him. She felt sick to her stomach. “I can’t believe you.”
“Enough.” Mark spun toward her, raising his arm.
A gasp stuck in her throat when she saw the gun pointing at her. She froze in place, too afraid to move, her gaze glued to the barrel of the weapon.
“Hey, easy,” TJ said in a low voice, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender when Mark swung the weapon toward him. “There’s no need for that. She doesn’t know anything.”
“Did you set me up?” Mark took a nervous step backward, his gaze darting to her.
“No.”
“Then what the fuck is she doing here?” He jerked the gun back on her.
“She doesn’t know anything, man, just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Put it away.”
How could TJ be so calm? Bristol retreated a step, mouth dry, heart beating a hundred miles an hour. Oh my God. Oh my God—
TJ moved so fast Bristol didn’t even understand what was happening until Mark was on the ground and TJ had the gun in his hand.
He turned and raced toward her. “Run!” he shouted.
Eyes wide, she spun around and bolted, the awful crawling sensation at the back of her neck telling her she was being chased by someone else. Not daring to risk a look over her shoulder to find out, she ran straight for her car, her legs like jelly, the sound of TJ’s pounding footsteps on the asphalt almost as loud as the thudding of her heart in her ears.
Her eyes had finally adjusted enough to the darkness for her to be able to see her car. She fished her keys out of her pocket and fumbled to hit the unlock button. The taillights flashed. She raced to the driver’s side, ripped the door open and jumped inside. Then let out a yelp when the passenger door flew open and TJ hopped in, slamming his door shut.
“Go!” he snapped, twisting around in his seat to look behind them.
She made the mistake of looking in the rearview mirror and saw two shadows racing toward them.
Reaching for her seatbelt, Bristol frantically started the engine and put the car in reverse. The car jerked backward. TJ grunted as he hit the dash.
She winced. “Sorry—”
“Go, go,” he commanded, still looking behind them.
She yanked the transmission into drive and floored it. The tires skipped for a moment before they found traction and shot them forward. She sped for the parking lot exit, casting a terrified glance in the rearview. A pickup was swerving around some parked cars where she’d been moments before, chasing after them.
“Which way do I go?” she demanded, her heart stuck so far up her throat she was about to choke on it.
“Turn right,” TJ ordered.
She put her blinker on without thinking and made the turn as fast as she dared, tires squealing in protest, speeding for the light up ahead. Thankfully it stayed green. “Which way?”
The pickup turned out of the parking lot and barreled after them.
“Head for the highway. Fast.” His voice was clipped, the tension rolling off him palpable, making her heart slam harder against her ribs.
A hundred questions flooded her brain but she shelved them all, focused solely on keeping control of her car and trying to lose the truck behind them while not getting killed in the process.
Brittle silence filled the interior as she raced toward the next intersection. Every time she looked in the rearview, the truck was still back there. And it seemed like it was getting closer every second, even though she was doing thirty above the speed limit.
“Faster,” TJ ordered.
She gritted her teeth and pushed down harder on the accelerator, her little car hurtling toward the intersection at a speed she was far from comfortable with. But the light ahead was still red when they got close, leaving her no choice but to ease up on the gas.
Turn. Come on, turn green!
“What the hell? Don’t slow down!” he barked.
“The light’s red,” she shouted. “I’m not getting us T-boned!”
“Fuck the light, drive !”