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“Do you think you should?” I’m testing him. He should, at the very least, volunteer, but he’s too chickenshit, and I’m guaranteeing he won’t last long here.
“Well, shift ended…” God, I swear I hate him, and I don’t hate people often.
“Okay then.” I keep my voice even and head to change, not wasting another second on him. I spent the whole damn day dealing with his whiny ass, and I’m not about to worry about him all night too.
Time to show Liam what he’s trying to get himself into.
We’re waiting a few blocks away, and somehow, Liam talked his way into riding in my patrol car. The lead detectives are suited up and ready to bust down the doors, and as soon as we get the go-ahead, Christianson and I get to follow them in.
I’ve always liked Christianson, and he’s a huge flirt, so it’s almost like poetic justice to let him flirt with me right in front of Liam. I mean, if he can’t handle this, can he really handle dating me for real?
“Signs of three bodies,” a voice says through the radio. “Two upstairs, one in basement.”
Since we don’t know who has her or if this is really them, we have to approach the situation carefully and have officers on each side of the house. We are a block down and idling, ready to take action and charge through the front door at any time.
“Shots fired!” That’s all we have to hear before Christianson hauls ass to the front of the house. I keep my eyes ahead and see Gray and his new partner Hanson pinned under the windows as the pop, pop, pop keeps coming. The windows are shot out, but I can’t tell who is shooting or where they are.
Adrenaline is pushing me forward, and as an afterthought I yell into the back seat, “Stay here!” The look on Liam’s face says, Yeah, the fuck I will, but he doesn’t have a weapon and I don’t wait. He can handle himself as far as I’m concerned.
Shooting toward the house, I make sure Gray is good, and Christianson follows my lead, checking on Hanson before I take the initiative to bust through the front door—my favorite move.
“Davis!” I hear Gray yell at the same time I hear Liam’s, “Mo!”
But I don’t wait.
I think of Rebecca and charge inside, hands steady and ready, hoping Christianson will follow. I take out the first person I see who didn’t pause to look where I was before shooting. He missed by a mile, and I get one shot in his shoulder before I feel people enter behind me. The radio is loud in my ear, someone shouting orders at anyone listening, and I heed them, but only because someone else got the second guy.
I direct the officers behind me to go down the hallway while I head through the sparse and nasty-looking kitchen. There’s a door off to the side and I wait for Christianson to be on my six before I wrench it open, exposing blackness.
I click on the light on my gun and head down into the dark basement. Why the fuck is it always a fucking basement?
Breathing deep, I push away my own insecurities and think of the young girl who might be down there without any idea if help is coming. I don’t see anyone until a slumped figure on the floor to my left catches my eye. “Christianson, go right,” I direct as I head left.
After carefully checking my surroundings, I yank the blanket off and see Rebecca curled in a fetal position. I raise my gun off of her and touch her shoulder, praying she isn’t already too far past saving. She jerks away as a whimper escapes her.
“Rebecca,” I start. “You’re safe, sweetie. We’re here to help.”
Her head turns toward me, and I take in her grimy hair as I give her a smile and reach out my hand. Reluctantly, she takes it, and I haul her up easily. Luckily, on a quick inventory, she doesn’t look like she was physically harmed, and relief rushes through me.
It doesn’t take away the fact that this sweet, innocent young girl was kidnapped, but at least the demons might be a bit easier for her to fight.
Christianson follows us up the stairs and out of the basement, and everyone upstairs lets out relieved sighs upon seeing that she’s okay. A paramedic comes up to us on the lawn—a woman, thank God—and takes Rebecca’s hand.
The girl looks at me, and I give her a kind smile. She thanks me, and a sob hits her. She shakes her head as she says, “I thought I was going to die.”
I don’t think before I wrap her in my arms and give her any kind of comfort I can, knowing exactly how she feels and hoping to convey that to her. “It’s gonna be okay, Rebecca.”
She nods then allows the paramedic to take her away. Before they even reach the ambulance, Gray is in my face. “You don’t fucking think!”
I smirk and pat his arm. He’s always like this after I take the lead on something. “Gray, calm down. Everything is fine.”
“Maggie, you didn’t know who was in there. If you died, I woulda killed you myself!” I laugh a little as he sighs, running his hands over his head. I wait for what I know is coming, and he gives me a smarmy smile. “Yeah, okay, you did good. Is that what you want to hear?”
“Yeah, actually.” He shakes his head and walks away, and I check on Rebecca once more, seeing that she’s good before heading over to the chief, who I know will want to talk to me. On the way, I’m intercepted by a very pissed-off and maybe proud-looking Liam.
“What the fuck was that?” he asks, speaking quietly. It’s so calm that I’m not sure if he is doing it intentionally or is just in too much shock to yell.
“That…was awesome.” I point to Rebecca. “And absolutely worth every second.”
“Mo…you about gave me a heart attack.”
I see the chief beckon to me over Liam’s shoulder, and I give him a pat much like the one I gave Gray. “Gotta go. Good job on tracking her down.” For maybe the third time since Liam reentered my life, I walk away without letting him talk. Being left behind again isn’t something my heart can handle, and I can’t trust that he’s going to stick around.
