Chapter 50
My heart has divided itself fifty times and each little heart is sprinting around my chest as I take the stairs two at a time to Sawyer’s apartment. I don’t make a single sound as I creep toward his door. Cruz is on her way with backup. But I can’t afford wait for her. What if I’m already too late?
I pause outside the door, my ears trained on the sound of voices within. Two of them. One is Amelia’s. I would know her voice anywhere. I swallow back the lump in my throat. She’s okay. My heart beats for what feels like the first time in an hour. Now I have to keep her that way.
I can’t see her or Sawyer from my angle. But I catch sight of another girl tied to a chair. Leah. Her panicked eyes meet mine and I press a finger to my lips. Two civilians, this isn’t good.
“Have an awful life, Gary,” I hear Amelia say.
That’s my girl. I risk a peek through the window, but still can’t see her.
There’s Sawyer though and he’s approaching the girl tied to a chair with a syringe in one hand, a gun in the other. Time to move.
Gun held high, I kick open the door. “Drop the gun, Sawyer.”
He goes still, his back toward me. I risk a glance at Amelia in time to see her spew liquid all over the table in front of her. She shoves her finger down her throat and gags, but I don’t have time to figure out what she’s doing. She’s alive, and that’s all that matters.
I step closer to Sawyer.
“Caleb!” Amelia yells. “He killed Justin. He did it. He also killed Scarlett and my parents—”
“Amelia.” I shush her. I motion for her to get down, and for once, she listens, flipping the table on its side and hiding behind it.
“She’s a talker, ain’t she?” Sawyer says.
He killed her parents? My finger twitches on the trigger, but I can’t shoot, if he jumps out of the way I’ll hit Leah. And he knows it. I could shoot high, aim for his head. But I’d prefer not to traumatize both women or risk missing and sending a rogue bullet through a paper-thin apartment complex. I angle my gun at his left shoulder, farthest away from Leah.
“Drop the gun, Sawyer.” I kick the coffee table out of my way, removing the last barrier between us.
“I think I’ll use it instead,” he says, spinning.
My body reacts on instinct, on revenge sent straight from my heart.
I pull the trigger at the same time his gun fires. Pain envelops the right side of my body, but Sawyer is still standing and I don’t stop to think. I leap forward, tackling him to the ground. But even though I hit his shoulder he refuses to give up. He punches my wounded side and I scream out in pain.
“Caleb?” Amelia cries. At least I think it’s Amelia. Her voice sounds impossibly far away. But one thing remains in focus. The man beneath me, reaching for the gun.
I kick the gun away and with all the fight left in me, punch him. Hard enough to knock him out. For Amelia, of course.
“Caleb!” Amelia’s voice comes again. And then she’s at my side. “That was so hot. I mean, he is an old guy and you have like a thousand more muscles than him, so it wasn’t really a fair fight and I totally knew you would win bu—”
Her rambling is music to my ears.
Until she screams. “You’re hit. He shot you! With a bullet! There’s a bullet in your body, Caleb!” Tears streak down her cheeks and she runs to the kitchen, coming back with a dish towel and pressing it to my side. “How do I stop the bleeding? What do I do?” Her hands tremble around the blood-soaked dishtowel.
“I’ll be fine, it just grazed me. Backup is on the way.” I don’t mention that I’ll only be fine because she is. Because whether I wanted it to happen or not, Amelia came barging into my life and connected her heart to mine. Like the beautiful menace she is.
She sobs into my side and I pull her into me, my heart slowly piecing itself back together.
“Nice save, Agent Harris.”
That is not the sound of backup.
“Liam?” Amelia squeaks.
I stand straight, gun extended. Pain rips through my rib cage and my legs threaten to give out. “You’re under arrest, Hawthorne.”
He cocks a brow and motions around the room. “No offense, but you’ve got a lot on your plate right now. And I just barely got the rest of my blood out of this suit, I’d prefer not to have any of yours.” He touches a spot on his head where he’s got a bandage pressed into his hair.
“On your knees,” I growl.
He rolls his eyes. “I’m here for my evidence.”
“Stop talking,” I say, but my voice comes out hoarse and dry.
“Give me two weeks; I’ll have everything wrapped up with the Winthrop family. There was some of this man’s blood on the ring,” Liam says.
I can’t make sense of what he’s saying right now. All I hear is I’m a guilty criminal, arrest me.
“Won’t you look more guilty with the jewelry box?” Amelia asks him.
His perfect posture droops momentarily. “They knew how much I loved her. I seek only justice.”
“Is that why they put a bounty on your head?” I ask.
“It’s about time.” He shrugs it off like it doesn’t bother him. “I suppose I’ll need your help getting a signed confession out of that man, Agent Harris.”
I’ll get a confession. But not for him. For Amelia, and everyone else who has suffered at Sawyer’s hands.
“Let him go,” Amelia says, gently touching my arm.
Am I losing consciousness? Or is the same thing happening again?
“Amelia, he’s a thief.” How many times do I have to tell her this? I shake my head, trying to clear the fuzziness crowding in at the edges. I need to stay focused.
“You say thief, I say vigilante. You and I both know you don’t have enough to put me away, so let me spare you the headache. Don’t worry. These items will be back in their rightful place very soon,” Liam says, bending over to pick up what I assume is Sawyer’s satchel. He moves to Leah and loosens the gag around her mouth. Somehow, even though she was kidnapped and almost killed, she bats her eyelashes at him and looks like she’s one gentle nudge from swooning out of her chair.
What is it with women and accents?
“And now,” Liam walks backward to the door, “I’m going to make sure Scarlett’s family gets some closure.” He unzips the bag and pulls out the jewelry box.
“Oh no you don’t,” I growl, lunging for him, but I fall into the edge of the couch. Amelia grabs hold of me, helping me stay upright.
Liam shoots Amelia a smile. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this. And for pulling a gun on you.”
He did what?
“I promise the safety was on.” He opens the box and pulls out the ring, anguish crossing his face when he sees it.
Sirens wail and lights flood the parking lot.
“Drop it, Hawthorne.”
Liam looks at me and has the audacity to say, “Keep her safe,” before disappearing into the night.
Sawyer stirs and I hover over him, waiting to see if he’ll wake. But he doesn’t. The lack of blood flow makes me dizzy, and I lean against the wall for support.
“Stop moving, you big muscle man,” Amelia says, pressing harder with the dish towel on my side.
“I’ve got to safe…keep you...” My words are all jumbled now.
She grabs my shirt and looks up at me. “I am safe, Caleb. Because of you.”
That’s all the confirmation I need. I’ve been praying for this moment all day. I grab onto her waist and dip my head toward hers. Her lips part—
“Are you guys really about to kiss over top of a dead guy?” Leah’s voice breaks through the moment.
I pull back so fast I get dizzy. “He’s not dead,” I reassure her.
“Leah!” Amelia smacks her forehead. “We should, uh, probably continue this discussion,” her eyes flick to my lips, “later.”
“Later,” I agree. When the bleeding stops. When the emotions aren’t so high. We’ll talk. And we’ll kiss. Maybe not in that order.
Amelia runs to Leah’s side, letting go of me. Maybe it’s the gunshot wound, maybe it’s the woman, but I nearly fall over when she lets go. Amelia brings me balance. And imbalance. But somehow it works.
“I’m so sorry,” Amelia says, working to free Leah from the ropes. “I didn’t forget about you, I promise.”
“You totally did, but I forgive you.” Leah lets out a shaky breath.
Amelia gets her untied and the two girls embrace until the real backup arrives. Cruz enters first, then the EMTs. I motion them to the girls first. Cruz walks right up to me and punches my arm on my good side.
“Ow, what was that for?”
“Don’t do anything stupid and get yourself shot again. That’s the second partner of mine who’s been shot.”
What now? I must have missed something. I’m about to ask for more details when she continues.
“I guess I was wrong,” Cruz says. “Your girlfriend is innocent.”
“I knew you liked me, Rena.” Amelia turns her octopus arms on Cruz who jumps backward.
“Do not call me Rena.” Cruz glares at her.
“Come on, admit it.” Amelia inches closer to her. “You. Like. Me. We are going to be besties someday.”
“Control your woman, Harris,” Cruz says.
“If only he could.” Amelia cackles.
And then she faints.