Chapter 6
Chapter Six
“ W hy am I being transferred to another police station again?”
“Something about the information you’re providing. The DA requested you be transferred to a more secure location.”
“And miss out on our rousing and scintillating chats?”
“I’m sure you’ll survive.” Ian kept his hand on Jake’s shoulder as they walked through the station, earning more than their fair share of curious looks. “You could always call if you remember anything.”
“Officer Railings, that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
Ian rolled his eyes and strode past Marissa, who fell into step beside him. “Is the police escort waiting outside?”
Marissa exhaled and offered him a tight nod. “We’ll follow them, along with a slew of other cars.”
Silence settled around them as they stepped outside and into the early morning sun. A brusque wind blew past and made the hairs on the back of Ian’s neck rise. He led a handcuffed Jake down the stairs and into the police car parked closest to the curb. After securing Jake in the back, he gave him a quick look and slammed the door shut.
Three other police cars were waiting in the wings, ready to escort Jake to a police department a few towns over. Ian tried to ignore the tightening of his stomach as he walked over to his own car and stopped. Wordlessly, Marissa took the keys from him and nudged him toward the passenger side. Inside the car, Marissa cranked up the heat and turned the key in the ignition.
From where he sat, Ian saw the back of Jake’s head. “Do you think this is a good idea?”
Marissa eased out of her parking spot and pressed her back against the seat. “It’s for the best. I don’t think having him around was doing you any good.”
“I told you that I’m fine.” Ian slid the seat belt into place and waited for the familiar click. “Besides, he’s given me some useful information about Eric.”
Marissa gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Have you thought about the fact he’s just telling you what you want to hear?”
Ian twisted to face her and studied his partner, who was bathed in the soft glow of the early morning sun. “So, you’re telling me you don’t think Eric Taylor is an obsessive and dangerous man?”
“He is, but it doesn’t mean Jake can be trusted.”
“I don’t trust him,” Ian replied without preamble. “I do trust that he wants to save his own skin, though, and right now, we’re his best option.”
Marissa cast a quick glance in his direction before turning her attention back to the road. “Is that why you volunteered to be one of the escorts? You know that’s a bad idea, right? You’re going to be under a lot of scrutiny.”
“I’m not going to do anything stupid.”
Marissa scoffed. “It’s a little too late for that. Escorting the guy who might know who is tied to your mother’s murder is as stupid as it gets. Almost as stupid as sneaking into the holding cells every night to give Jake food and chat with him.”
Ian glanced out the window. “If you’re so worried, you should report me to the captain.”
“I’m on your side here, Ian. I’m just worried.”
“And I told you there’s nothing to worry about,” Ian responded through gritted teeth. “Look, I think we should just focus on getting him there in one piece, okay?”
Marissa’s grip on the steering wheel tightened further, but she said nothing.
During the entire ride, Ian kept his gaze fixed on the world outside, blurring past in a confection of shapes and colors. Two hours later, Ian was tightly wound and regretting the breakfast burrito he’d indulged in when Marissa screeched to a halt outside the police station. A few protestors were lined up on either side of the front steps behind police barriers. Ian scrambled to get out of his seat belt.
He came to a stand behind Jake, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Keep your head down, and don’t say a thing.”
“Eric isn’t going to be happy about this,” Jake murmured before bowing his head. “He’s going to come after me.”
“We’re not going to let him get to you.” Ian kept Jake upright. Marissa and a few other officers formed a circle around them as they hurried up the stairs. “Just try not to piss anyone off while you’re in there, okay?”
“This isn’t a joke. You’re all in danger; so am I.”
Ian’s nails dug into Jake’s shoulder. “You know something I don’t?”
Jake twisted to face Ian, and the sound of a gunshot rang out. Ian shoved Jake onto the ground and covered Jake’s body with his. Another gunshot sliced through the air, and a loud cacophony of voices rose, making Ian’s ears ring. He heard muffled screams and the sound of footsteps hurrying away. Then Marissa was in his field of vision, and her mouth was moving, but he couldn’t make out a thing.
Adrenaline was still bursting through his veins when Marissa pulled him up by the armpits. One of the other officers escorted Jake inside, and Ian blinked, spots dancing in his field of vision. He rubbed his eyes, and when Marissa gripped his shoulders, a sharp jab of pain sliced through him.
“I need an ambulance,” Marissa yelled, her voice thick and full of panic. “An officer’s been shot.”
Ian licked his dry lips. “Who’s been shot?”
Marissa led him back down the stairs, keeping one hand on his arm and the other on her gun. In a daze, he allowed himself to be led into the ambulance.
Before the doors slammed shut, he lurched forward and gripped Marissa in a viselike grip. “You have to stay with Jake. We need him as a witness.”
Marissa’s face was pale and ashen. “Go get yourself checked out. Don’t worry about Jake.”
With a little more force than necessary, she pried his fingers away. Ian staggered back, the doors shut, and the ambulance was driving off. Loud sirens sliced through the air, and Ian ignored the paramedic who was trying to examine him. He kept pressing his face to the glass, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was happening, but everything was chaos.
By the time they pulled up outside the hospital, the shock had worn off, and Ian was impatient. “I have to go back. We were escorting an important witness.”
And maybe the only lead they were ever going to get in his mom’s case.
He didn’t have time to get checked out in the hospital.
Ian needed to be back with Jake, sweeping the perimeter and finding the shooter. Instead, he was forced out of the ambulance and led down a gray-colored hallway with linoleum floors, the smell of disinfectant lingering in the air. In the emergency room, he was escorted onto a blue bed, and a curtain was drawn shut, separating him from the rest of the patients.
He touched two fingers to his arm, which felt like it was being held over a low fire.
Little pinpricks of pain raced up and down his arm as a doctor with wisps of dark hair and kind brown eyes emerged and began to examine him. “Going to need you to lie down, Officer Railings. Did you hit your head when you fell?”
Ian winced and released a deep, shaky breath. “I don’t know.”
Dr. Sheridan shined a light in his eyes. “I’m going to get a neurologist down here as soon as I can. Other than your arm, does anything else hurt?”
Ian pressed his lips together and shook his head. “No, I’m fine. I have to go back out.”
Dr. Sheridan ignored him and continued the exam.
When he left, Lucy, Kelli, and Dean came in, all of them red-faced and frantic. They were all fussing over him when Sophia’s voice sliced through the air. She hung up the phone as soon as she stepped through the curtain and threw her arms around her brother. Lucy was then wedged in between her and Darren while the kids stood on the other side of the bed. Dana came in a short while later, tears streaming down her face. She broke into a sob when she reached them and buried her face in Ian’s lap.
“I’m fine,” Ian said with a quick glance around the room. “You didn’t all have to come. I’m sure you had better things to do.”
Lucy took his hand in hers and squeezed. “Don’t be ridiculous. When we got the call, we knew we had to come. Everyone else is on the way too.”
More and more of the Wilson clan started to arrive, prompting the nurse to kick them all out, with the exception of Lucy and Dean. Now and again, the two of them stepped away, allowing everyone from his grandparents to his cousins to come in, all of them fussing and talking over each other.
Ian’s head was still swimming when the doctor came back in.
Two hours later, with the wound bandaged and cleaned and Ian given a clean bill of health, the entire Wilson clan formed a circle as they escorted him into the parking lot. Dean got behind the wheel of the car, and Kelli sat in the front next to him.
Ian sat in the back, wedged between Lucy and Dana. “It’s just a flesh wound. You guys are making a big deal over nothing.”
Lucy took his hand, looked out the window, and said nothing.
When they got home, Ian sat down on the couch and fell asleep, the events of the day and the painkiller he took finally catching up to him. A few hours later, he was roused from his sleep by the sound of the doorbell. Lucy’s voice came into focus first, followed by the dim lighting of the TV. She appeared in his field of vision, set down the containers of food, and reached for the remote.
“Marissa called. They weren’t able to find the shooter, but Jake is fine.”
Ian sagged against the couch and ran a hand over his face. “I should be out there.”
Lucy frowned and twisted toward him, her face pale and withdrawn underneath the bright, fluorescent lighting of the lamp. “No, what you need is to take it easy. You were shot, Ian. Don’t you realize that?”
“It just grazed my arm; that’s all.”
Lucy’s expression tightened. “So, that’s it? You get shot, and that’s still not enough to convince you that you need to take it easy?”
“It’s part of the job—”
“No, it’s not,” Lucy interrupted, growing visibly agitated. “You shouldn’t have volunteered to escort that man. It’s not your job. He’s not your responsibility, Ian.”
“He knows things about Eric and things that could help with Mom’s case.”
“You’re not the only qualified police officer,” Lucy told him, lifting her chin. “You can let other people help.”
“It’s my mom’s case. Don’t ask me to walk away from this.”
“I’m not asking you to walk away from this,” Lucy protested, her face growing hot with anger. She kept waving her hands, which were curled into tight fists. “I’m asking you not to take unnecessary risks. I’m asking you not to put yourself in any more danger. We should talk about these things first.”
“Like you talk to me about things?”
Lucy stopped waving her hands and ran a hand over her face. “That’s not fair.”
“It’s plenty fair. You’ve been ignoring me for months, Lucy, and now you want to bust my ass for not telling you about this? When would I tell you, huh? When you’re ignoring me, or when you’re looking right through me?”
Lucy squared her shoulders and drew herself up to her full height. “I’m not ignoring you or looking right through you.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
Lucy took a few steps back and raked a hand through her hair. “Okay, you know what? It’s been a long day. Let’s not do this right now.”
Ian stood, and the niggling sensation in the back of his skull grew. “I’m going to sleep in the study tonight.”
Without waiting for a response, he reached for one of the take-out containers and brushed past her. In the study, he slammed the door shut and tossed the container onto the empty desk. He pressed his ear to the door and heard Lucy muttering to herself, but she didn’t come after him.
He wasn’t sure if it made him feel better or worse.