Chapter Eighteen
Everything happened in a whirlwind.
One moment, Katya was crying on the bed next to Adam, watching as blood seeped onto his clothes, and then the paramedics were coming in and hoisting him away, while police helped her onto her feet and outside.
She kept asking what was happening, if they had captured Dante or saved her sister, but there was no reply, no answers or explanations.
They were taken to a hospital. Adam in an ambulance.
She in a police car, guarded by a stern woman with a ponytail.
Adam was sent to the OR and she was taken into another room.
Doctors checked for injuries, malnutrition, dehydration.
Police confirmed her identity, a victim advocate named Sarah was brought in.
She tried to convince Katya to go to a safe house, a real one, and get some rest, but she refused.
She wouldn’t leave until she knew about Adam.
So, they sat outside on a hard plastic chair and waited. The woman with the ponytail, whose name she’d learned was Nancy, remained nearby, yawning and playing on her phone. Sarah brought her something to eat and spoke with the nurses every hour, inquiring about Adam to no avail.
Suddenly, a blond man with friendly blue eyes and a t-shirt which read, “Science, like magic but nerdy,” approached her. He waved at Nancy who had barely shifted in her seat and nodded at Sarah.
“Katya?” he asked.
“Yes?”
“Hi, I’m Eddie. I’m Adam’s friend and colleague. The guy he called when you were home.”
“Oh.”
“It was a smart call, being able to listen in on you and knowing you were being watched at his place. We used the IP address to track down the source of the camera feed the slave ring had put in, which took us directly to Dante and company.”
Her jaw dropped. She moved forward on her chair, gripping it.
“You’ve arrested Dante?” her voice came out hoarse and she realized she’d barley said a word in hours. Sarah appeared next to her holding a bottle of water and giving her an encouraging smile.
Eddie grinned. “We sure have.”
Relief flooded her. A weight lifted off her shoulders and for the first time in eons she breathed fully.
“When can I see my sister?” she asked.
Eddie’s smile dropped. “I’m sorry, Katya. We arrested him and his cronies, but no women. We know they’ve still got some captives, but they weren’t on the premises. Don’t worry, we’re working on it. We’ll find her.”
“Oh.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeated.
She shook her head, numbness settling on her like a blanket. Irina was still out there somewhere. She fumbled onto her seat. Sarah kneeled in front of her, grasping her cool hands.
“Katya, you’re safe now and we have leads. We’ll find your sister,” Sarah said. “They’re looking.”
“He’ll hurt them first. Someone will. They warned me,” she said. “Adam or Irina, and now I’ve got neither.”
Sarah leaned forward, her kind gaze searching her face.
“Adam is still in the OR. The shot was clean, it’s the quill that’s causing trouble.”
“He showed me where to shoot him. He pretended to show me a meme and instead it was a picture of where to shoot. I don’t know how he did it.” She shook her head, biting her lip to keep from losing herself to the terrifying shadow looming over her head.
“I knew I shouldn’t have done it, but he insisted, he said they wouldn’t believe it otherwise and we needed to buy time for reinforcements to come.” She blinked the tears gathering at her lashes. Her stomach knotted, every breath becoming more difficult.
“He’s a cop, Katya. He knew what he was doing, and he trusted you. You’re not to blame for any of this. If you hadn’t acted, we wouldn’t have brought down the ring.”
A nurse shuffled into the room interrupting them. Katya jumped to her feet.
“Are you here for Officer Carter?”
They all nodded. She smiled.
“He’s out of danger, but we’ll keep him in observation tonight and transfer him to a room tomorrow morning.”
“Can I see him?” Katya asked, voice shaking.
The nurse glanced at Nancy, who was the only one wearing a police uniform. She nodded.
“Follow me,” the nurse said. “It will have to be brief, and you have to understand he’s still unconscious, but from what I’ve heard around the halls, you’ve been through quite an ordeal today.”
“You have no idea.”
“Detective Carter is tubed and monitored. Don’t let it intimidate you.
He’s stable and alive, and we intend to keep it that way.
Here.” The nurse opened the door. Katya stood in the doorway.
The fluorescent ICU lights shone dimly, their humming mingling with the beeping and whirring of the machines tied to Adam.
Her mate. The tiger mewled softly, aware of the distress her other half was feeling, even if they hadn’t made it official and she hadn’t claimed him.
Katya took a step forward, reaching Adam’s bedside, she placed her palm over his.
It was surprisingly warm and comforting.
“Please be okay,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “Adam. You’re all I have. They’ve caught Dante but my sister is still out there. I need you to help me.” Tears streamed down her face. “And I need you to be my mate, please.”