Chapter Fourteen.
Hayden
Sapphire was clearly burning to talk to her sisters, and my presence was stopping her. The fact that they were ignoring me and weren’t bothered by my being here was confusing her, too. It amused me as she glared at me, wishing me to disappear.
“Be nice,” I warned as I got to my feet. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Don’t bother,” Sapphire grouched.
I let out a chuckle and bent to kiss her forehead. Sapphire’s surprised brown eyes flashed to me and widened slightly before she stared at her sisters.
“Burger and fries. Or tuna salad,” I murmured, and a horrified look crossed her face. She folded her arms and attempted to glower at me. Instead, I decided she looked cute and dropped another kiss on her brow before leaving.
Sapphire
“What the hell is going on? When did public enemy number one become your favourite person?” I snapped.
“Since Storm read him and discovered he really cares about you,” Sparrow said, taking Wylde’s empty seat.
“Seriously? That’s all it took?”
“Sapphire, Wylde is beyond liking you. He’s almost on the verge of loving you. So yeah, he fucked up, but again, it wasn’t a dig at us. He was doing his job. All I care about is how he treats you. Wylde is going to treat you like the queen you are,” Sparrow retorted.
I stared at them, stunned. How on earth had Wylde changed their opinion of him in less than a day? They’d all been team ‘hater’ with me. Now they were all team ‘let’s like Wylde.’
“You deserve happiness, Sapphire,” Belladonna murmured, staring at me.
“No more than any of the rest of you!”
“Ain’t disagreeing. Maybe you’re the turning point for us,” Belladonna said.
“Or she’s the experiment at least,” Sparrow added, and I stared at her.
“That’s where you’re going with this? Making me the guinea pig?”
“Yup. You have a habit of sticking your foot in your mouth, and if you can manage to have a relationship with your hot temper, then there’s hope for everyone.”
Sparrow nodded her head at Belladonna’s statement. “You’re our test dummy.”
“Dummy is about right,” I muttered.
Hayden
Bullets flew past my head as Cassidy dragged his way to cover. I fired a clip over my head, making the gang members scatter. This was a clusterfuck.
“Cassidy, you okay, man?” I called softly.
“One to the thigh,” Cassidy replied as he yanked his belt off and made a tourniquet out of it.
Shit, that was bad news.
“Give yourself up, cop!” a gang member yelled.
“Isn’t that what we’re meant to say, you idiotic asshole?” Cassidy shouted back.
I raised my eyebrows at him. That’s what he was going with? At least eight gang members outgunned us, and although we’d called for backup, it hadn’t arrived yet.
I saw movement and fired in that direction. Someone yelled and hit the floor hard. They didn’t move again. One down. I had one clip left, and who knew what Cassidy had? My partner was pale and sweating.
“Ten thirty-four, officer down. Repeat, ten thirty-four, officer down.” I spoke into my radio for the second time. It had to have been four minutes since I last called in.
“Received, Detective, back-up on route, ETA five minutes.”
“We’ll be dead by then. Tell them to get a move on,” I snapped. How the hell was the ETA still five minutes?
Bullets whizzed over our heads. What had been a routine check had turned into a fight. We’d been called to a warehouse where security had seen some suspicious activity. It had been a quiet day, and we’d been closest, so we’d answered. We’d walked straight into an ambush.
Around eight gang members had turned and faced us before pulling their weapons and firing. Cassidy had taken a round to his leg as we dived for cover.
“Put your weapons down, you’ve not killed anyone yet!” I bellowed.
“Says who?” one of the gang members bellowed back.
“Just come out, cop, we’ll make it quick,” one asshole laughed.
“Shit,” I muttered. Very faintly, I heard the wail of sirens. Yeah, put your foot down, guys, before you end up identifying our bodies.
Cassidy blinked, and I saw his eyes begin to close.
“Hey, stay alert,” I called. I scrambled to my feet, ready to dive across to Cassidy.
If he was beginning to black out, he was defenceless.
No fucker would be killing my partner today.
I aimed above my head, fired three shots, and launched myself to where Cassidy sat propped up.
Luckily for him, Cassidy had got the better cover.
Bullets hit around me as I scampered across to him.
One hit me in my ribs, and I grunted. I was sure I took a second, but I had to get to Cassidy.
I reached him as I felt a bullet wing wide of my head. My ear began stinging, and I cursed. Cassidy blinked at me and weakly shoved his gun at me.
“I’ve got two clips.” Those were the last words he said as his eyes closed.
A sharp pang cut through my chest, and I checked his pulse.
It beat against my fingers, and I breathed out a sigh of relief.
I shoved Cassidy behind me, noting the blood still coming from his leg, and gasped as my ribs screamed in pain.
I saw movement, aimed, and fired. There was a yell in reply, and a gang member stumbled into view. He raised his gun as I fired mine, and his shot went wide. He fell backwards with a bullet in his head.
The sirens got louder, and by the sound of them, there was more than one car.
“Run!” someone ordered. I grabbed Cassidy’s gun and fired mine.
I wanted to trap them here so they could be arrested, but I did hear footsteps.
A third gang member came into view, and I shot him at point-blank range.
He stumbled, and I saw his leg collapse under him.
Another member appeared, shooting wildly, and I flung myself over my partner.
My body shook as a bullet hit me in my back, and I spat blood.
I hoped I’d covered enough of Cassidy that he might survive.
The last bullet hit me as shouting flooded the warehouse.
I stared, unmoving, as uniforms appeared and the two gang members were spotted.
The guy helping the wounded one shot at a uniform, and officers fired upon him in return.
He went down with four bullets in him. Hope that fuckin’ hurt, because I was in agony.
“Over here! Shit, get the EMTs they’re both hit. Detective Wylde is in a state!” a uniform yelled.
He was a nice guy. Wishing I’d got to know him better, I think he’d make a great detective. Yeah, maybe he could have my job.
Sapphire
“What’s going on?” I asked, noting the flurry of nurses outside my hospital room.
“There’s been a firefight at a warehouse. Three cops were injured, and they’ve got three dead gang members and two injured. Some escaped,” Belladonna replied.
“Do we know who they were?”
Belladonna exchanged a look with Sparrow. My gut twisted. I just knew what she was going to say.
“Wylde and Cassidy are in a bad condition. They’ve both been raced to the OR. The third cop took a through-and-through shot to the shoulder. He’s fine.”
“Wylde’s been injured?” I hissed, sitting up.
Belladonna held my gaze.
“Both he and Cassidy are critical. Cassidy lost a lot of blood, and he crashed in the ambulance. Wylde…” Belladonna broke off.
“Wylde was flatlining when they brought him in. Rumours are that they got his pulse back on the way to the OR. They don’t expect him to live,” Sparrow said bluntly.
I hissed as shock and pain raced through me. Wylde couldn’t die. I was confused about my emotions with him, but I knew I definitely didn’t want him to die.
“Get Stitch,” I ordered as I swung my legs out of bed.
“What are you doing?” Sparrow hissed.
“Discharging myself. I was being let go tomorrow, anyway.” I’d been kept in longer than planned as I’d caught an infection. That was now under control, and I was leaving.
“Get me Stitch, now!” I raised my voice, and Belladonna nodded as she mind-spoke to Stitch. “Sparrow, contact the snitches, find me these fuckers that escaped. Put a reward out for them. Make it clear, if I discover someone is protecting them, the RHMC will hold them culpable as well,” I ordered.
Sparrow nodded and stepped away to use the phone.
Belladonna handed me my clothes, and I headed into the bathroom with the bundle of fabric.
Luckily, I’d already showered, so it was just a matter of dressing.
I couldn’t be assed to mess with my hair and pulled it back into a ponytail.
When I exited, a wheelchair was waiting, as was a nurse with forms for me to sign.
I signed them quickly, glared at the wheelchair, and prepared to argue.
“Use it and don’t bother arguing. It’s their policy, and you’ll get out of here quicker,” Belladonna said.
“Fine!” I snapped. I shuffled into it and sat. Belladonna took the handles and pushed me out of the room, and we headed towards the elevator.
“I’ll take her from here,” Belladonna said to the nurse following us.
She shook her head. “Sorry, I’m responsible until she passes through the exit doors.”
Agitated, I folded my arms and glared at them both, but wisely held my tongue. Belladonna sent me a shit-eating grin and wheeled me into the elevator and out into the waiting room.
A sea of blue greeted us, and I knew why. In the centre, standing with two other guys, was Hatton. We locked eyes, and I nodded. Lips pursed, worry on his brow, Hatton nodded at me. I allowed them to wheel me out and then jumped out of the chair and headed straight back inside.
“Please leave us,” Hatton murmured to the guys with him. “Sapphire, what can I do to help you?”
“What happened, Hatton?” I demanded.
“What does it matter to you?” he replied.
“Let’s not play this game, Captain. Just answer my questions,” I replied.
Hatton raised an eyebrow and settled in to wait me out.
“Please,” I ground out.