Chapter Six
SEDONA’S HANDS SHOOK as she located Cam’s call list and tapped David’s name. When the call connected, a deep male voice answered on the first ring.
“You’re late.”
“It’s Sedona.” Her voice shook as much as her hands.
“What’s wrong?”
“We’re under fire. Cam says we’re going to the station and coming in hot.”
“Copy that. What’s your ETA?”
She blinked. ETA?
“Ask Cam.”
Right. “What’s our ETA?”
“Ten minutes, I hope,” he muttered as he guided the SUV into another turn and sped ahead. “Hang on.” The vehicle slid into another turn.
Oh, man. If Cam kept this up, she would embarrass herself by getting carsick. This was not the time for her first episode of sickness. “Cam says ten minutes.”
“Where are you?”
“On the floor of Cam’s SUV.” Sedona clamped her hand around the edge of the seat.
With another slide and more bullets pinging off the side of the SUV, she needed both hands to hold herself steady.
After tapping the speakerphone on her screen, she set the phone in one of the cup holders and gripped the seat.
David chuckled. “Got it. Cam?”
“Anderson Ridge Road. We’re five minutes out. I’m running hot with lights and sirens. We have a black SUV on our tail with two passengers firing shots at us whenever we’re in range.”
“That’s telling.”
“Yep.” He gave David detailed descriptions of the three men in the SUV. “Haven’t seen a fourth person, so I can’t rule it out.”
“Copy that. Anything distinctive about the vehicle?”
“Nothing.” Cam sounded disgusted. “I can’t return fire to leave a mark. Too busy driving.”
“Understood. Caleb and Levi are one minute away.”
Cam scowled. “You tagged me?”
“Remember the friend who helped us locate Sedona?”
“Yeah, of course. I owe him a steak dinner for helping us last night.”
“He’ll be glad to hear that. Anyway, he used the GPS chip in your phone.”
“You know that’s illegal, right?”
“Of course. I’m the sheriff. It’s legal if you know about it, and now you do. Do you want me to arrest the man who saved your woman’s life?”
Sedona’s breath caught. What would he say to that?
“No. Way. I owe him big for that. I don’t mind a little creative law enforcement when there’s a need.”
“Glad to hear that, Sims, because working with the Montgomery brothers could mean skating on the line.”
“Understood, sir. We’re three minutes out.” A pause, then, “I see flashing lights coming toward us at a fast clip.”
“That would be Caleb and Levi. They drew the short straw for working C detail this week.”
Seconds later, flashing blue and white lights brightened the cabin until the deputies raced past, taking the deafening sirens with them.
“Two minutes out,” Cam reported.
“We’re ready for you.”
“Sedona is the priority, David.”
“Who’s the boss here, Sims?”
“Promise me.”
A growl. “Fine. Sedona has priority, and so do you. You’re not made of iron, buddy. You can take a bullet as easily as anyone else, but I’d rather not lose one of my best deputies.”
Cam chuckled. “I’m telling your brothers you said that.”
“I doubt they’ll believe you.”
“One minute.”
“Park beside the back door.”
“Copy.”
Cam glanced at Sedona. “Are you ready?”
“Bring it.”
He grinned. “That’s my girl. Thirty seconds, David.”
“Copy that.” He snapped out orders to various people. David must have slipped his phone into his pocket because his voice sounded muffled. “Kill the lights and siren,” he ordered Cam.
He complied, then said to Sedona, “Hold on tight.”
She tightened her grip on the seat as they slid around a tight turn. They bounced hard, sped up, then seconds later skidded to a stop.
The passenger door flew open. Owen plucked her from the floor and set Sedona on her feet.
He tucked her against his side with David on the other side.
The men practically carried her into the station and shoved her into the hallway before racing back outside to retrieve Cam.
Within seconds, Sedona and Cam were together again.
He opened his arms, and Sedona dove into his embrace. Oh, man. That hug of his was worth everything she owned. His embrace held incredible comfort for her.
Seconds later, she shook uncontrollably. Sedona attempted to grit her teeth, with no luck. “S-s-sorry.”
Cam scooped her into his arms and carried her down the corridor. “It’s a normal reaction. The shakes will pass in a few minutes.”
David squeezed Cam’s shoulder briefly. “Head to my office. I’ll grab a blanket from the first aid supplies.” He loped off and was out of sight in seconds.
Owen eyed them both. “Any injuries?”
“Sedona?” Cam asked.
“N-n-nothing a few ice packs won’t cure. Your SUV’s shocks took a beating.”
“Cam?” Owen watched him closely.
Silence.
Sedona raised her head from Cam’s shoulder. “Where?” If he’d been injury free, he would have said so. She’d missed something. But what?
“It’s nothing,” Cam muttered.
“If it’s nothing, name it and we’ll move on instead of wasting time I could spend with my wife. So spill the news already.”
After sending his coworker another glare, Cam said, “One shooter got lucky. A bullet grazed my left arm and across the top of my chest.”
Sedona gasped. Cam had been shot, and he hadn’t said a word. All of his concentration and attention had been on her.
“How bad?”
“Don’t know. I haven’t had time to stop long enough to check it out.”
“That’s about to change. Go to Interrogation Room One. I’ll bring the Fortress first-aid kit. If you’re lucky, one of us can take care of it for you. If not, you’ll be driven to the hospital, courtesy of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department.”
More glaring from Cam. “I’m a grown man, Montgomery. I can slap a Band-Aid on a boo-boo as well as the next guy.”
Owen snorted. “I keep hearing you yapping, but I’m not buying what you’re selling.” He opened the interrogation room door and stepped back. “Have a seat. I’ll return in a minute.”
To Sedona’s relief, Owen returned with an enormous first-aid kit.
She should have realized David and his brothers would carry something similar to what they needed for their part-time jobs with Fortress Security.
Black ops was dangerous work and required more extensive medical supplies than what she kept in her classroom for scraped knees and elbows.
She studied the kit, envy growing. Kindergarteners were prone to accidents during recess.
And while the school nurse could treat most things, her kids sometimes didn’t want to miss out on a game with classmates.
Like Cam said, she could slap a Band-Aid on as well as the next person.
At least this way she would see the contents of the kit for herself.
Perhaps she could create a kit like this one, minus the antibiotics and pain medicine, of course.
“This is a waste of time.”
Owen raised one eyebrow. “Depends. Let’s see the injury unless you’re too chicken to strip off your shirt in front of the lady.”
“Oh, bite me, Owen,” Cam snapped.
“If you’re injured and too sore to respond to calls in a timely manner, your injuries could make a difference in whether I make it home tonight.”
Cam’s face reddened, and his beautiful brown eyes glittered. That’s when Sedona realized he was about to explode. She wrapped her hand around his and squeezed gently.
His head whipped in her direction. Despite the strong emotional reaction to Owen’s comments, Cam still responded immediately to her silent query.
The significance of that wasn’t lost on her.
He gave her a slight nod, then turned back to Owen.
“You can check the injury. If you and David think I should go to the ER, I will.”
The other deputy gave a huff of laughter. “You’re some kind of miracle worker, Sedona. He’s never been that cooperative in his life.”
“I can cooperate when I want to.”
“But you never want to. This is a first. If this is the effect Sedona has on you, I’m declaring that all other dating relationships for you are outlawed.”
“You won’t get an argument from me.” Cam nudged Sedona into a chair and crouched beside her. “Will you drink herbal tea if I make some for you?”
She shivered continually. Hot tea sounded heavenly. Sedona nodded. “Thanks.”
“Is there a flavor you don’t like?”
“Anything is fine.”
He stood. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He stared hard at Owen, who gave a slight nod, then Cam left the interrogation room.
Owen pulled out the chair across the table from her and sat down facing the door.
Seconds later, David joined them, carrying a blanket. He wrapped the warm blanket around her and glanced at his brother. “Where’s Cam?”
“Making tea for Sedona. Adrenaline dump.”
Ha. So what she was suffering from had a name. Nice to know what to call this besides out of control shaking that embarrassed her in front of the tough guys.
“Might need to get your first-aid kit, too.”
David straightened. “Who?”
“Cam. He says it’s nothing.”
The sheriff rolled his eyes. “He could be missing a limb and still call it nothing as long as he was mobile. Just like a few stubborn deputies on my payroll.” He stared pointedly at Owen.
He grinned. “You shouldn’t talk about Elliot that way when he’s not here to defend himself.”
“Look in the mirror, bro. Your stubbornness is the same as Elliot’s.” He headed for the door again. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
By the time David returned to the interrogation room with his first-aid kit, which was a mirror of Owen’s, Cam was five steps behind him with a to-go cup of tea for Sedona. David eyed the steaming liquid. “That isn’t coffee.”
“Nope. Herbal tea with a teaspoon of sugar.” Cam handed the cup to Sedona and turned to his boss.
“I hear you’re injured. Let’s find out how bad before we decide if you need more medical help than we can provide.”
Cam’s jaw tightened. “Yes, sir.”
Owen signaled his friend, and a moment later, Cam had unloaded six weapons onto the table and stripped off his shirt.