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Chapter One
Ransom
Traffic sucked.
It was half past three, and it seemed like everyone and their mother was out on the road. All I needed was to get back to the station and the stack of paperwork waiting for me.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I screamed. A large, brown van pulled out in front of me and proceeded to drive like it was in a funeral procession. I slammed my hand on the steering wheel and contemplated throwing on my lights just to get this asshole out of my way.
One of the drawbacks of driving an unmarked squad car was no one knew I was the police. Well, I guess that was also one of the advantages. People did stupid shit in front of me all of the time. Usually, I let them go because I had enough to deal with being a detective; I wasn’t a beat cop looking to pop speeders and jaywalkers.
The van stopped at the red light, and I rolled up behind it and ran my fingers through my hair, looking up at the ceiling of my car and releasing a heavy sigh. Now would be a good time for someone to figure out how to fucking teleport. That would solve all of my road rage issues right there.
BANG!
My head snapped down and my eyes landed on Luna Wendt leaning on the hood of my car with her hair matted to her blood-covered face. She cradled her arm to her chest, and she looked like she was about to pass out.
The back door to the van stood wide open, and it slowly pulled away when the light turned green.
I slammed my car into park and jumped out of the car. Luna faceplanted on my hood and let out a painful moan.
The taillights of the van lit up for a second, and then whoever was driving slammed down on the accelerator and sped off, swerving around cars.
FUCK!
I pulled out my phone from my pocket, connected to dispatch, and put the phone to my ear. Laying a hand on Luna’s back, I leaned close to her. “Stay with me, Luna. I’m getting help.”
She let out in incoherent moan.
“This is Detective Ransom,” I barked into the phone. “I need an ambulance to the intersection of Smith and Linton road. I also need every unit to be on look out for a dark brown Chevy van headed north on Linton. Suspect is presumed armed and dangerous.”
I heard clicking of keys on the other end of the phone and crackling of the radio. “I have an ambulance dispatched to you,” the operator rattled off. “They should be to you within ten minutes.”
“That’s not fast enough!” I shouted. I didn’t know how badly Luna was hurt or if she was going to be able to stay awake until the ambulance got there.
“I can help.”
I looked up from Luna and saw a woman jogging toward me. “Stay back,” I called. I didn’t know who this woman was, and she was running at me. Not the thing to do to a cop.
She held up her hands and halted in her tracks. “I’m a doctor,” she called. “I can help until the ambulance gets here. I saw her fall out of the back of the van.”
Jesus. I hadn’t even seen that. I had been wishing for teleportation and not paying attention to what was going on around me.
“Fine,” I growled.
The woman gave a weak smile and moved forward.
“Detective Ransom?” the operator called. “I have a BOLO for the brown van. There are only two units out on patrol right now that are five minutes away from you, but the captain has been notified and is sending out more units.”
“Good. Find the fucking van.” I ended the call and shoved my phone in my pocket.
“We need to get her off the car. Can you help lay her down?” the woman asked.
Neither of us could see what was going on with Luna because she was draped over the hood like a blanket. Gathering her in my arms, I tried to not let her moans of pain stop me and dropped down on my knees. The woman cradled her head while I laid her on the pavement.
On the other side of Luna, the woman started examining her as best she could on the middle of the road.
“Her name is Luna,” I stated. It wasn’t like the good Samaritan knowing her name was going to help anything, but I didn’t want her to think she was just some woman.
“Hi, Luna,” the woman said softly. “I’m Dr. Rayne. You can call me Birdie, though.”
Luna’s eyes flickered open, and she jerked. I reached for her hand, and she threaded her fingers with mine.
“There you are,” Birdie called. “How are you doing? Think you can stay with me for a while?”
Luna moaned.
“What happened, Luna?” I asked softly. “Who did this?”
Luna’s eyes lazily moved to me. “Row,” she whispered.
“What?” Birdie asked. She gently moved her hands over Luna’s body.
“Yes, it’s me, Luna. I need to you tell me what happened.” Luna was one of the few people who knew me by something other than Ransom.
Birdie moved her fingers to Luna’s head and grimaced. “She has a huge contusion on her head.” She moved her fingers further back on her scalp. “Multiple contusions.”
Sirens wailed in the distance.
“Do you know who did this to you?” Birdie asked.
Luna shook her head once and moaned. “No. I only…I couldn’t see…” Luna struggled to breath. “No,” she repeated.
“That’s okay, Luna,” Birdie reassured her. “Right now, we just need to get you to the hospital. All of that can wait.”
We did need to get her to the hospital, but I also needed to get as much information as I could. Every second that ticked by put whoever did this to Luna farther away. “Just keep thinking about it, Luna. Try to remember everything.”
Luna grunted and closed her eyes. “Yes, Detective Ransom,” she gasped.
A crowd had gathered around us, and the ambulances horn sounded. “Can you stay with her?”
Birdie nodded. “Of course.”
I needed to clear a path for the ambulance and get everyone back.
Five minutes later, with cars and people moved out of the way, three police cruisers worked traffic.
The paramedics swiftly lifted Luna onto the stretcher and loaded her into the back of the ambulance. Birdie asked to ride with her, and the paramedics were more than okay with it.
“Hey, having you in the back with us, Doc, makes our job easier,” one of them joked.
I wanted to be the one in the back with Luna. I didn’t want to leave her until I knew she was going to be okay.
Luna and I had a very turbulent relationship, but I didn’t want to see her hurt.
“I’ll be right behind you.” Hell, I would lead them to the fucking hospital if that would help them get there faster.
The paramedic nodded and got into the ambulance as Birdie and the other paramedic climbed into the back.
“Clear the way,” I called to one of the police officers.
It was a ten-minute ride to the nearest hospital, and I had a phone call I needed to make. One I didn’t want to have to, but it needed to be done.
Back in my car, and I threw on my lights and followed closely behind the ambulance with its lights and sirens running. I pulled my phone from my pocket, entered a number I knew by memory, and pressed the speaker button.
“I don’t fucking like when you call me, Ransom,” King bit off.
“Not any more than I like calling you, King.” I turned on my siren and laid on my horn at a car that didn’t pull over for the ambulance.
“What the hell are you doing?” King called. “Maybe you should focus on the bad guys you’re chasing. I can’t hear shit over that siren.”
“I’m following an ambulance that has Luna in the back of it,” I shouted.
“Shut the fuck up!” King screamed. “She’s here.”
“Maybe she was, but now, she’s not. She fell out of the back of a van right onto my car.” I shouldn’t be making this call—not until I knew more—but Luna was connected to the Devil’s Knights.
“Where are you?” he snapped.
“Headed to Rockton General.”
“She’s fine, right?” King asked.
I didn’t know if she was. Right now, it certainly didn’t look like it. “I don’t know, King. You guys just need to get there. She’s going to need her family.”
“We’re on the way.” King grunted and ended the call.
We hauled ass to Rockton General, and all I could think about was Luna.
As soon as I knew she was going to be okay, I was going to figure out what the hell happened to her and find the asshole who had done it.
I wasn’t going to rest until I did.
