Chapter 17
17
“ H ello, my name is Jordan with the Columbia Police Department.” She stood slightly back from the sedan she had pulled over. She kept a small smile on her face as she glanced at the woman who had been driving the vehicle. There were two teenage girls in the car with her. “I clocked you at thirty-nine miles per hour. The speed limit on this road is twenty-five.”
“Okay,” the woman replied dryly. She eyed Jordan suspiciously.
Jordan tried to remain calm and pleasant. She knew the look. It was that of someone who didn’t trust the police. She’d seen it a million times.
“I’ll just need your license and insurance card, please,” Jordan said.
The woman already had the items in her hand and held them out of the window. Jordan reviewed the insurance card and it was up to date and didn’t expire until another couple of months.
She handed the card back to the woman. “I’ll be right back, ma’am.”
Jordan turned and walked back to her patrol car. She blew out a deep breath. She had thirty more minutes than she was done for the day. She slid into the car and turned her laptop toward her so she could run the woman’s license. Since the meeting, Jordan’s mind had been everywhere. Should she call Mac and invite him out for coffee and tell him then? Go out for a beer?
No, coffee would be better. There was no way they could have that type of conversation with alcohol in their system.
Coffee it was. She’d call him and invite him out early before work.
Jordan entered the woman’s information into the system.
Renee Davison.
It had been ten years since the woman had gotten a speeding ticket. There were no warrants for her arrest. She was basically clean as a whistle. Jordan didn’t have the heart to give her a ticket. Even though Renee had been side-eyeing her the whole time. Jordan exited her vehicle and walked back to the sedan.
“Here you go, ma’am,” Jordan said. She handed the license back to Renee. “No ticket today, Ms. Davison. Just remember to pay attention to the speed limit here.”
“Okay, thank you.” Renee offered her a genuine smile.
“Have a nice day.” Jordan tipped her head toward her before going back to her patrol car. She hopped back in and blew out a deep breath. They were in a residential area, and it was after school, so she was probably playing chauffeur for the kids. The sedan drove off, this time much slower then when Jordan had pulled her over.
Jordan threw her car in drive and headed in the same direction. The woman turned at the four-way stop. Jordan went straight, wanting to get on the next main road. She would drive around for the last part of her shift or even park somewhere and finish up her reports on the few tickets she’d handed out earlier. She drew up to a red light and coasted to a stop. She glanced at her watch for the fortieth time in the last hour, hoping it had magically jumped to quitting time.
The light went green, and she went ahead and made a left turn. She headed down the road that had a little traffic on it. Everyone must have noticed her because they were all suspiciously driving slowly. Jordan snorted. They all knew if she wasn’t around, they would be going much faster. But that was fine. As long as everyone was obeying the laws and driving safe.
Jordan relaxed and cruised down the street. She loved the solitude from patrolling on her own. If she had someone with her, then she’d have to talk with them all day. Or if she had a new recruit, she would have to be teaching and explaining crap. She just didn’t have the patience for that. She hoped Mac was right and that because they were SWAT, they wouldn’t have to train.
A horn blared somewhere behind her. Jordan glanced in her rearview mirror. A red SUV was racing down the road.
“What the hell?” she murmured. She slowed down to a stop at another red light. She rolled her eyes, ready to turn her blue and white lights on. An idiot just had to appear when it was time for her to clock out. She couldn’t ignore someone blatantly flying down the street. “Here we go.”
She flipped on the lights and hit the gas pedal. She eyed the intersection, and everyone had slowed to a halt. She trailed behind the SUV which picked up speed. He was not slowing down at all the display of lights.
I don’t have time for this shit.
She hit the sirens and drove faster. Son of a bitch was not heeding the sirens or lights. She grabbed her radio and buzzed into the station to report.
“This is Officer Knight in pursuit of a red SUV,” she began. She squinted but couldn’t see the license plate.
“What’s your location, Officer Knight?” the dispatcher replied automatically.
Jordan didn’t recognize the voice on the other end. The nasal female tone almost sounded robotic. Jordan gave her the current intersection they were coming toward. This son of a bitch was not slowing down at all. Jordan’s heart raced. She hated chasing suspects in an area where someone could get hurt, and high-speed chases almost always ended with someone being harmed, and most times it was not the suspect being chased.
Jordan’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. The SUV blew through the intersection, and thankfully it was empty of other cars. All they would have needed was someone to not be paying attention to the road and not see an out-of-control vehicle plowing into them.
The truck slowed down for a moment and took the next right corner.
Where the hell were they going?
“Requesting backup,” Jordan said. This was situation she had no issues requesting assistance for. If they were to pull over, she would need help.
No, she wouldn’t need help. The driver would need someone to hold her back from putting her foot up their ass for making her stay later at work than necessary. The end of her day was supposed to be nice and easy.
Not ending in a fucking car chase.
“We are routing two other officers to you, Knight,” the dispatcher announced.
Jordan took notice of her surroundings and was confused on where this person was going. They slowed down at an upcoming stop sign and made a hard right turn.
Jordan blew out a deep breath and slowed her vehicle just enough to make the turn before punching the gas. The SUV was speeding away, headed toward a road that ran along the highway.
“What the fuck?” Jordan growled. She adjusted her position in her seat and felt like punching someone. Whoever this fucker was would wish they were someone else when she got to them. Jordan’s gaze flicked to her rearview mirror, and a chill swept through her. Another SUV—not a police vehicle—was gaining on her fast. This one was black and larger than the first one.
She swallowed hard and reached for her seat belt buckle to ensure she was still strapped in. She didn’t have a good feeling about this at all. She tugged on it, and it held strong in place.
“Dispatch, do we know how much longer until backup arrives?” Jordan asked. She placed the receiver back in its holder and put both hands back on her steering wheel. She focused on the truck before her which was maintaining its speed but directly in front of her. The other truck came up behind her and boxed her in. “Shit.”
It was a trap.
Jordan yanked on the steering wheel to get away from the two trucks. They were not going to keep her pinned between them. Jordan hit the gas and tried to speed up to pass the red truck.
“They are about a minute away from you, Officer Knight.”
Fuck. One minute was a long time. Jordan yanked the steering wheel left in an attempt to bypass the truck again.
They followed what she did and kept her between them. If she slammed on her brakes then she took the risk of being rear-ended.
She made a split decision and hit the gas. If she could ram her way past the red SUV then she would have a chance to get away from them. She held on to the steering wheel tight as her patrol car slammed into the red vehicle. She tried to hit it on an angle so it would have no choice but to spin away from her, therefore freeing her.
She jerked from the impact. She gritted her teeth and held on strong to the steering wheel to maintain control of her own car. The patrol car did not let her down. The truck before her spun and gave her the opening she needed. Her foot hit the gas, taking it all the way to the floor. The engine roared in response. Jordan let out a yell of triumph; she flew past the red SUV that smacked into the guard rail along the side of the road.
Now she only had the fucker behind her who was keeping up with her. The road they were on was one way and ran parallel to the highway. She sent up a prayer that backup would be coming for her soon.
Jordan eyed the dark vehicle in the rearview mirror and couldn’t make out who was driving. The truck sped up and whacked into the back of her car.
“Bitch!” Jordan screamed out. Her body flew forward, only to be caught by her safety belt. There was a stop sign coming up, and there was no way in hell she going to abide by the sign. She was unfamiliar with where the other road went.
Just go straight.
There wasn’t a way she would be able to make that turn without risking putting her car on two wheels. She just had to lead them on for a little while longer.
One minute, her ass.
It felt as if years had passed since the dispatcher had told her that help was on the way. The stop sign arrived, and Jordan glanced left and went cold.
Headlights met her.
The air left her body immediately as the impact of the new vehicle banged into the driver’s door of her patrol car. Jordan’s body became weightless; her vehicle flew through the air. She squeezed her eyes tight, unable to control anything at all. The sounds of metal crunching filled her ears. Her car came to a halt, and her heart was practically in her throat.
She cried out when she opened her eyes and found herself upside down. She blinked hard to clear her hair and the tears that had formed. Her vision was cloudy, or it could have been the shattered windshield before her. She couldn’t tell the difference.
Sirens echoed off in the distance.
Something slowly slid down the side of her face. Her left arm felt numb, and her chest was burning from pain.
“Shit,” she gasped. She glanced around after blinking several more times. Her vision was righting itself. She checked to the side and took in the wheels of a vehicle pulling to a halt near hers. Fear crept up inside her.
Without a doubt this was Bravon’s doing.
She hadn’t abided by his deadline and now she was going to pay for it. She’d only be too happy to do so without giving up her brothers in blue.
But if she was going to go out, she was taking someone with her. She reached down and felt for her firearm in the holster on her waist. Jordan released a curse at the way her hand was shaking. She could barely undo the clasp that held her gun in place. Her hand slipped around the handle, and she felt comforted by it. She held her breath and waited.
The driver’s and passenger doors opened. She couldn’t tell if it was the vehicle that had hit her or the one that had been trailing behind her.
“Man, we don’t have time for this,” a deep voice said.
Footsteps came toward her car. She tightened her hand on her gun. She inhaled slowly and released the safety. Slow and steady. Jordan didn’t want to create any noise to alert these men that she was conscious or even alive.
Would Bravon want these men to kill her or would he do it himself?
Knowing Bravon, he would want to do it himself.
“The boss said we were to bring her in to him,” another voice said.
Well, shit. That just confirmed what Jordan had assumed. Bravon wanted her still. But that didn’t allow her to relax. If they thought they were going to get her out of this car without a fight, they needed to think again.
Jordan was going to put up the ultimate fight.
Even if something was wrong with her arm, she still had another good one and two legs. She wiggled her toes and felt them all move in her work boots.
Yup, she still had two good legs that would allow her to kick some ass.
The sirens were growing closer.
“We got to go, man. Five-o will be here any second. I ain’t getting run in for this shit,” the first voice said. Whoever it was began jogging away from Jordan’s car. “He sure as hell won’t get us out of jail if we get arrested.”
“You’re right. He’s going to be pissed. We’ll have to grab her at another time.”
Two car doors slammed before the sound of tires squealing filled the air. Jordan watched the large vehicle drive off. Her heart continued to race. Bravon was going to come for her. She was not safe.
Hell, his men had just tried to kill her.
Or kidnap her. She wasn’t quite sure they knew what they were doing. If he wanted her alive and brought to him, what would have happened had they succeeded in killing her?
The wail of the siren was close. She took in the sight of emergency vehicles headed her way. Not only were there a couple of patrol cars but an ambulance and a fire truck.
Good, the calvary had arrived.
She relaxed only slightly. A dull pain took root at the base of her brain. She grimaced from the strength of it. She reached down and attempted to hit the button to her seat belt, but it was stuck.
Jordan released a grunt. She needed to be free. Hanging upside down was not helping this pain that was spreading throughout her body. She cried out after another attempt to free herself failed.
“Officer Knight?” a voice called out.
“Yeah.” Jordan hated how weak her voice sounded. She cleared her throat but began to feel weak. What the hell was going on with her? Something trailed lower on her face. She reached up with her free hand and wiped at it. Her eyes widened at the sight of blood covering her fingers.
When had she hit her head?
She tried to remain calm. Bleeding from the head always appeared worse than it actually was. She remembered learning that in one of her first-aid courses. She inhaled again and tried to will her heart from trying to pound its way out of her chest.
“Are you injured?” the voice asked. A cool brown hand appeared and took hold of her left wrist, palpating for a pulse.
She wanted to snatch her hand back but figured this must be one of the EMTs. He released her after a moment. She could hear him position himself on the ground next to her.
“I’m not sure,” Jordan replied. This time her voice was a little bit stronger. The pain in her head was now throbbing. She winced and put her gun back into her holster. Her heart continued to pound against her chest. The feeling of the car closing in on her rose. Panic set it. “I need to get out of here.”
“The firemen are here. They are probably going to have to cut you out. It will have to be coordinated so you don’t just fall down and hurt yourself even more.” The man’s voice was calm and assuring.
Jordan focused on it and tried to push down the emotions that were trying to overtake her.
“I wouldn’t want that,” she mumbled. As much pain as she was in now, she didn’t want anything else added to it.
“My name is Jake. I’m going to slide a backboard into the car, so I just need you to hang in there for a moment longer.”
Jordan snorted. Where the hell would she go? It didn’t take long for the crew to carefully get her out of the belt and onto the board. The firemen, of course, had a few jokes to lighten the mood. Jordan was good-natured and allowed the slight jabs. They were gentle as they brought her out of the driver’s window that she hadn’t even realized was shattered. Within moments, she was placed on a gurney and moved into the back of an ambulance where Jake and the other EMT, Connor, hopped in with her. The door shut behind them, enclosing them into the small space.
How did they work in this type of environment? She’d seen the back of an ambulance before, but never as a patient.
Jordan’s body ached everywhere. She grimaced as Jake tightened the blood pressure cuff around her arm. He appeared to be slightly younger than her with a kind smile and medium-brown skin with his hair cut close to his head.
“It won’t be long now before we head in,” Jake said. He hit a button the side of the machine next to her. The cuff on her arm squeezed her.
“General, we are headed in with a MVA that involves a police officer,” Connor reported. He held on to a cellphone while he juggled writing on a clipboard.
“What’s your ETA?” a voice responded.
“Five minutes,” Connor reported.
“Your blood pressure is high,” Jake said.
Jordan turned her attention back to him and stared. When did there become two of him? She blinked and shook her head slightly. High blood pressure? Of course it was. She wasn’t sure if it was high because someone had almost succeeded in taking her out, or the fact that she was going to have to face Bravon head to head.
She didn’t respond. She rested her head back against the gurney and closed her eyes. Maybe if she slept this off, she would feel better.
“Are you in pain?” Jake asked.
She nodded, not wanting to talk.
“Where?”
“Everywhere,” she whispered. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to give in to the sudden urge to cry. Her eyes felt gritty as if sand had been poured into them. She just wished this was a nightmare she could wake up from. She’d wake up, and Rhys would be there to hold and comfort her.
Rhys!
Fuck. She needed him right now, but with Bravon making a move toward her, she was going to have distance herself from him. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying out.
Life certainly wasn’t fair. She knew she had to decide and answer Bravon. He didn’t like being scorned, and her staying with Rhys was giving Bravon the answer he didn’t want.
He would not stop coming for her unless she gave herself up to him.
“I’m going to put an IV in your arm. Are you okay with that?” Jake asked.
Jordan opened her eyes and found him pulling some items out of a drawer.
“I can give you something to dull the pain once I do.”
She nodded. She needed something to relieve this pain, and if he could take it away or at least lessen it, then she’d be his friend for life. Jake pulled out a pair of scissors and began cutting the sleeve off her right arm.
“Officer Knight. Is there someone you want us to call to notify you are being taken to the hospital?” Connor asked.
Jordan turned to Connor, unsure who’s name she could give. Omara was in a delicate state, and Jordan wouldn’t want to scare the baby out of her. Omara would freak out if she received a call that Jordan was in the hospital. Her sister’s imagination would have her thinking the worst.
No, not Omara. Maybe Zain. He could break the news to her better.
No, not Zain. Omara would still freak out.
Her parents were all the way in Atlanta.
Rhys—no, she was going to have to stay away from him. Her heart practically shattered at the thought. She was going to have to figure something out. Maybe she could just go get checked out at the hospital, then leave. She could take an taxi to her house or something. That way she could get cleaned up first.
“Ma’am,” Connor said softly.
Jordan ignored the sharp pinch of the needle being inserted into her vein. She blinked, at least glad for the distraction of the slight pain.
“Who can we call for you to inform them of the accident?”
Her superiors would already be alerted. There had been a sergeant at the scene of her accident, but since she was injured and needing medical attention, they would meet her at the hospital.
“Call Mac,” she said. Jordan leaned her head back on the gurney again. She closed her eyes and rattled off Mac’s number from memory. There weren’t too many numbers she had memorized.
“All right, Knight. Here’s the pain medication,” Jake murmured.
The ambulance rocked as it began the trip to the hospital. Jordan hadn’t caught the name of the other EMT who was driving.
Warmth spread through her, alleviating her pain almost immediately. She closed her eyes and rode the clouds that carried her off into darkness.