Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Fury
I took the corner fast enough to make my tires squeal, and I caught a glimpse of Sienna gripping the handle above the door to keep from tumbling into me. Not a word had passed between us since I’d hung up with Gavin. We’d bolted from the apartment together, leaving Ralf and Dodd behind without a second thought, both tied up for the police to apprehend.
Just before hanging up, Gavin had shouted at Carrie to call the cops and mentioned that he was on his way too. The address he’d given me placed Sienna and me a little closer, but like everything else in the city, who got there first would probably hinge on the whims of traffic.
Right now, traffic was on our side.
“Right there.” Sienna pointed up and across the street just moments before my GPS announced we’d arrived.
As I looked over, I spotted three figures emerging from the building. A bulky guy who seemed vaguely familiar, with Skylar and Vanessa trailing behind.
Without a second thought, I pulled into a No-Parking zone and leaped out of the car without even turning off the ignition. I didn’t give a damn if someone stole it; I’d buy a new one. Sienna was right behind me, leaving her door wide open too.
“Vanessa!” she shouted as I called out to Skylar.
“Get back inside!” I waved my arms frantically.
“Go!”
Sienna was at my side as we dashed across the street, ignoring the blaring horns of drivers honking at us. Before we reached them, everything felt surreal, a strange blur that was both too fast and too slow at the same time.
Vanessa and Skylar looked confused, but the moment the bodyguard recognized Sienna and me, he turned. A car screeched to a halt in the opposite direction, and a man jumped from the passenger seat, heading straight for Skylar. The bodyguard shifted to shield Skylar from the approaching stranger, colliding with Vanessa, sending her crashing against the wall beside her. She crumpled to the ground, and it was impossible to tell how badly she’d been hurt.
As I changed my direction to confront Arthur’s man, I saw him pull a gun from his waistband, and I pushed myself even harder. He was just out of reach when he aimed and fired at the bodyguard. People screamed, but I didn’t look to see if he’d hit anyone. I lunged at the shooter from the side and tackled him to the ground.
I slammed down on him with all my weight, driving his body into the concrete with enough force to knock the gun from his grip. Without wasting a moment, I pushed myself up, pressing my knee into the middle of his back as I yanked his arms behind him.
I pushed down harder on the shooter’s hands as he began to stir, the wail of police sirens growing louder.
“Knock it off, asshole,” I growled. “You’re not going anywhere except prison. Hope you like orange.”
He twisted his head, trying to glare at me over his shoulder. “You’re gonna regret this,” he snarled. “I got friends.”
I snorted. “Not very good ones,” I shot back. “They left you behind.”
The EMTs rushed past, heading straight for Vanessa and the fallen bodyguard. I caught only a glimpse of Sienna backing away, her hands stained with blood, before a swarm of people blocked my view.
“Sir, I need you to stand up and keep your hands where I can see them.”
I looked up to find a young cop standing over me, weapon drawn and aimed uncertainly between my captive and me.
“This guy assaulted me,” the shooter whined, playing innocent. “I didn’t do nothing; he just knocked me down.”
I rolled my eyes. “His gun is over there,” I said, gesturing with my chin. “I’ll happily get up, but you might want to secure that man before he reaches for it.”
The cop’s eyes darted from me to the gun, then back to the man face-down on the sidewalk. With a nod, he positioned himself between the weapon and the guy.
“I’m going to stand up now,” I said slowly, not wanting any misunderstandings. “I’ll keep my hands in the air and stand right here while you secure him.”
“I’ve got him, Officer Timmons.” An older cop approached from behind me. “You secure that man on the ground, and we’ll start getting statements. Starting with who shot that man over there.”
“Him,” I said quickly, nodding at the guy I’d tackled. “And I’m not the only witness.”
“Fury!”
Sienna’s voice cut through the chaos. She threw her arms around me, burying her face in my chest. I glanced at the older cop, who nodded in understanding.
Relieved, I returned the embrace and wrapped my arms around Sienna. “It’s okay,” I murmured into her hair. “We’re safe now. It’s over.”
She pulled back slightly, her emerald eyes wide and searching. “Vanessa? The bodyguard?”
“EMTs are with them,” I assured her. “We did everything we could.”
Sienna nodded, then suddenly frowned. “Your hands... they’re shaking.”
I hadn’t even noticed. The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving me feeling drained. “Yeah, well, tackling armed kidnappers isn’t exactly my day job.”
That got a small laugh out of her. “My hero,” she said, only half-joking.
I cupped her face gently. “Hey, we’re in this together, remember? You were pretty heroic yourself.”
She leaned into my touch, a mix of emotions playing across her face. “What happens now?”
I looked around at the flashing lights, the bustling officers, the stunned onlookers. We’d thwarted Arthur’s kidnapping plan and had one of his guys in custody. The cops would listen to our suspicions now and hopefully only a matter of time before Arthur was behind bars, too. “Now? We give our statements, make sure Vanessa and Gavin’s guy are okay, and then...” I met her gaze, allowing myself a small, hopeful smile. “Then we start thinking about that future we talked about. Together.”
Sienna’s eyes softened, a tentative smile tugging at her lips. “Together,” she echoed. “I like the sound of that.”