Chapter 47
Kelsi
Kelsi was coming back to consciousness again when the sharp cracks resounded through the house, followed by heavy footsteps on the floors. She struggled to raise her head from where it had been hanging against her chest.
McGuinness and Sheridan both immediately straightened, and all three of their heads swung toward the door in unison.
Kelsi wondered when McGuinness had returned. Did that mean the trial was over? How long had she been out for this time? Was Dylan okay?
Sheridan grabbed a gun from the back of his pants but held it as though he was unsure of what to do. He stepped behind Kelsi, where she was still bound to the chair. McGuinness stepped behind Sheridan, the cowards using her as a human shield and a hostage rolled into one.
The steps outside the door grew louder.
“This is the Virginia Beach Police! We’re coming in!”
The first man to reach the door stepped in, a rifle raised at the men standing behind her.
He had a helmet over his head, so she couldn’t see his face.
He stepped further into the room, making way for the similarly attired men with rifles to stream in.
Four in total filled the small space, and the fifth man through the door lacked the full armor and helmet but had a Kevlar vest on.
He was familiar to Kelsi, and she recalled his face smiling at her from the photo of Dylan’s squad on his desk.
He had a handgun rather than a rifle, and he pointed it at the men behind her.
The others also had their weapons trained on her abductors.
The man she recognized scanned her face and body quickly, before flicking his gaze back to the others hiding behind her. “Put your hands up and slowly get to your knees. You’re under arrest for kidnapping and obstruction of justice.”
Kelsi’s body sagged in relief. She hadn’t expected to make it out alive.
Sheridan raised his hands above his head, gun still held in one. Kelsi strained to glimpse her two captors behind her. She could see Sheridan’s hand with the gun out of the corner of her right eye. It slowly started lowering as he kneeled, following the instructions of the cop.
Suddenly McGuinness lunged forward, grabbing Sheridan’s gun and wrestling it free. Sheridan ducked down behind her chair and McGuinness pointed the gun at Kelsi, his eyes manic, face twisted in anger.
Kelsi closed her eyes, and a gunshot ripped through the room. Time seemed to slow as the sound reverberated through her ears in the small space. She flinched, expecting the bullet to hit her, but the pain never came.
Slowly, she cracked her eyes, craning her neck to see where McGuinness had been standing. He lay on the floor, eyes open and empty, a hole in the center of his forehead. Blood slowly started spreading from underneath his head, and the wall behind him was splattered and—
Her stomach heaved, and she pinched her eyes shut.
She flinched again when cool hands touched hers. She opened her eyes to find the familiar man kneeling in front of her with a switchblade, cutting her binds. His gray eyes were kind and concerned as he looked up at her. His mouth moved, and she struggled to hear him through the ringing in her ears.
“I’m Kole, Dylan’s friend. We’re gonna cut you free and get you outside to see Dylan and Abby, then have you checked out by an ambulance, okay?”
She could only nod and massage her wrists in her hands once they were freed, trying to get some circulation back in as Kole moved to free her ankles. She barely registered the SWAT officers ushering Sheridan out in handcuffs from the room.
Kole stood in front of her and asked softly, “Can you walk?”
She mutely nodded again, rising unsteadily. Taking a step, she stumbled, and Kole quickly scooped her up in his arms, carrying her from the room.
Kelsi didn’t register any of her surroundings as Kole carried her through the hallway, downstairs, and out the front door. She saw flashing red and blue lights as an ambulance sped up the drive in front of them.
Dylan’s concerned face filled her vision, and he pulled her from Kole’s arms into his own.
It was like the dam broke, and her emotions flooded back in, followed by all the noise around them, and it was all she could do to hold on to his neck as the punishing tide of fear, anger, and relief threatened to drag her under.
She vaguely heard Abby from somewhere nearby, but she only had eyes for Dylan as he clutched her tightly to his chest.
“Red.”