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The woman named Eva demanded to see a badge. Trent’s hand wavered between them, gun still ready. What the hell was going on?
“Trent—call for help,” Eva ordered without looking away from Tony as he slowly reached into his pocket. “Have them send medical teams to the dock at Via al Lago off Via Statale.”
Ben’s head lifted toward Eva. “You’re a cop?”
Tony flashed an official looking badge and Eva immediately lowered her gun to focus solely on Ben. “Nino and I were undercover. Alrigo Lapaglia’s been under investigation for years.”
He dropped his head to the boat with a thud. Groaned as he sucked in a breath. “So many things make sense now.”
Slightly stunned by the news he stood in the company of two police officers, Trent reached for his phone, but Tony held one to his ear, already dialed. His own weapon still raised, Tony fixed his pointed gaze on the gun in Trent’s hand.
Trent cast a glance at Alrigo’s prone body, tucked the gun away in his back waistband, and dropped down next to Eva. “What can I do?”
“Give me your shirt.”
Trent stripped off the T-shirt and handed it over. Eva efficiently folded the material into a square and placed it and Trent’s hand over where Ben had been shot.
“Keep pressure on it, like this.”
Trent leaned his weight onto his hand. Ben’s breath rasped between his lips, but he still sounded better than the man Tony tended while he spoke in rapid Italian on the phone. Didn’t look better, with the multi-colored bruises on his face, slightly swollen black eye and split lip, but at least he wasn’t coughing up blood like the Italian guy.
Staring down at Ben, he knew Halli was probably sick with worry. As Eva shifted to check on Alrigo, he dug out his phone and turned it on to see he’d missed four calls. All Simone.
Something wasn’t right. If Rachel was fine, why did she keep calling him when she knew what was going on right now?
He hesitated, then dialed his father’s cell number, programmed into his phone less than an hour ago. As it rang, he noticed Ben’s gaze shift to Eva.
“You’re okay?” Ben asked in a low, hoarse voice.
“Si. Thanks to you.”
Relief flashed in Ben’s eyes before they closed and his body relaxed.
Eva clasped Ben’s hand, leaning closer. “You should not have done that. I am supposed to protect you.”
Trent’s father still hadn’t answered. He checked the cell before glancing over his shoulder at the boat. He had servi
ce. Had he programmed the number incorrectly? Why wasn’t his dad above deck?
“Ben? Ben. Stay with me.”
Trent jerked back around at the sharp concern in Eva’s voice. Ben had yet to respond and Trent’s stomach lurched. Had he failed Halli like he’d feared all along?
Eva leaned closer, a sheen of tears in her eyes. “Benjamin?”
Ben’s eyelids fluttered and one corner of his mouth tugged up. “Where would I go?”
She smiled until his eyes closed again and he groaned in pain. Eva’s mouth trembled before her lips firmed and she glanced around.
“What the hell happened to our backup?” she demanded.
Trent wondered at the connection the two seemed to have formed during Ben’s captivity as Tony spoke over his shoulder from where he still attempted to stem the flow of blood from the other man’s wounds.
“They’re on the way. Nino relayed the wrong coordinates.”
“Warned you not to trust him,” Ben whispered as Trent hit ‘send’ again to try to reach his father and Halli.
“I know.” Eva watched Tony for a moment but made no move to help. “How’s my partner?”
