Chapter 10 #2
She cleared her throat.
“Jonathan tossed the bag back onto the seat and then returned fire. Carly collapsed. Bullets flew back and forth. Jonathan got hit, and two of the Colombians went down. It was horrible. Just horrible.”
Sobs choked off her words.
Cap’s grip tightened.
“You’re doing great, sweetheart.”
“At some point, I just hit the accelerator as hard as I could…I think I…”
She swiped at her watery eyes.
“You think what?”
“I ran somebody over.”
Full-blown sobs ensued.
The next thing she knew, she was on Cap’s lap. He held her close, rocking her while he assured her that everything would be okay. He repeated the endearment over and over until she stopped sobbing.
By the time she finally lifted her head from the crook of his neck, she was sure she couldn’t produce any more tears. How had she come to be on his lap? When had he pulled the truck over to the side of the road?
Cap unlocked his hands from around her, keeping one arm wrapped around her back.
He moved his other arm slowly and placed the tip of his finger under her chin, guiding her to face him more directly.
Shame filled her, and she tried to avoid eye contact with him.
What if she’d really run someone over? Bad guy or not, the thought that she may have hurt or killed someone horrified her.
“You are very brave. So unbelievably brave. You did the right thing getting out of there.”
“But I may have hurt someone.”
“Oh, sweetheart. We’ll sort this out. Everything will be just fine. You have a right to protect yourself.”
She studied his dark eyes, laced with concern.
Her gaze lowered, landing on his mouth. A shiver raked through her as she recalled their light kiss.
When he leaned forward, she did the same until their mouths met.
The kiss was light, but lingered. He seemed to know exactly what to give her right now.
Just enough affection, but not too much.
Enough to solidify his interest in her while giving comfort.
Cap eased away.
“With as much as I want to keep kissing you, we need to get to the police station.”
“I know.”
Cap pulled back onto the road.
She glanced at him, then back to the windshield.
She couldn’t believe how much his kisses and touch exhilarated her.
It was only two weeks ago that Jonathan had dumped her, and she had to cancel the wedding.
As time passed, she became more honest with herself.
Did she ever really love him like a wife should love a husband?
She’d had doubts, but convinced herself that perhaps it was just cold feet. Had she tricked her own mind?
Within minutes, they’d reached City Hall.
Chief Mertz met them at the door and led them to the same small conference room they’d been in earlier.
A man dressed in a brown deputy uniform sat at the table. He rose and extended his hand toward her.
“I’m Chief Deputy Styles.”
“Emma Brown.”
“Hey, Cap,” Styles said.
Cap nodded at the man.
“We’re working this case together. As you and I had discussed, we will need the location of Jonathan’s truck,” Mertz said.
Cap pulled out his cell phone and tapped the screen a few times, then he looked at the chief deputy. “Found it. I’ll drop a pin to you. What is your cell number?”
Deputy Styles gave Cap his number, then his phone dinged. He pulled it from its holder on his duty belt.
“Got it. I’ll send it out to the deputy en route.”
Cap motioned for her to sit, and he sat next to her.
“Other than Jonathan, are there any other survivors?” Cap asked.
“Just whoever else was in the SUV,” Mertz replied.
The chief zeroed in on her. “How many people were there in the SUV?”
“I only saw three, plus Carly.”
“But there could have been more people in the vehicle?” Mertz asked.
“I suppose there could have been. I don’t know.”
She looked at Cap, and he offered a nod.
Investigator Pearson-Hawk entered the room.
“Sorry, I’m late,” she apologized.
“No worries, Markie, we’re just getting started,” Mertz said.
Chief Mertz sat down next to the chief deputy, and Markie sat next to him.
“Emma, start from the beginning. How did you come to leave Cap’s house? Take your time. The more details, the better,” Mertz said.
She cleared her throat and rested her nervous hands on her lap. She wanted Cap’s hand to be holding hers, but he kept them linked together on the table. It probably wouldn’t look good if he were caught touching her in a romantic way.
When she finished informing the chiefs and investigator what happened, they asked her a few more questions, making her realize she’d forgotten to mention some details.
They asked her to tell the story again. She did as requested, only this time adding the information she realized she’d forgotten during the first go around.
“You’re doing a great job, Emma. This is good information,” Chief Mertz said.
The man sounded as if he meant it.
“Yes, great job,” Chief Deputy Styles added.
When Markie nodded in agreement, Emma felt relieved that they believed her.
“Can I ask a question?” she asked.
“Sure.”
She saw Cap tense up as if he knew what she was about to ask.
“I’ve told you I think there were three Colombians there and that maybe two had been shot.”
Mertz nodded.
“Did either survive?”
“No.”
That news should make her happy, but recalling that she’d probably run one of them over sent the contents of her stomach swirling.
“It was the gunshot wounds?”
“Yes. Rest assured, it was,” Chief Deputy Styles replied.
“So I didn’t…”
“Ma’am, the man on the driver’s side of the vehicle was shot in the forehead. I can assure you that the injury killed him.”
Styles and Cap stared at each other for a moment before Cap offered a slight nod.
Styles’ phone buzzed, and he looked at it.
“They’ve located the truck, and it’s being towed to the county impound,” Styles said.
“Perfect,” Mertz replied.
“We should talk about next steps,” Styles said to Mertz.
“Yes, Markie, take Emma to the small conference room while we discuss this.”
Investigator Pearson-Hawk rose and motioned for her to follow.
Emma looked at Cap. He didn’t make a move to stand.
“You’ll be fine with Markie,” he said.
With reluctance, she left the room. As she stepped through the threshold, she glanced back and caught his gaze one last time.
God, she hoped it wasn’t the last time. She needed him.
He made her feel safe. If he volunteered to look after her again, she’d never do anything as stupid as leaving his sight again until this whole mess was resolved.
There was still at least one Colombian on the loose who knew she had the drugs. Until he was caught, she’d never be safe.