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Chapter22
Will ranthrough the corridors of the hospital, holding his injured arm. He had tried to call her, but her phone went straight to voicemail. When he rounded the corner to the hall where her room was, the police were everywhere.
“No,” he breathed. “No, please, God. No.” He was too late. He’d known he would be, but there had been a glimmer of hope—the same glimmer that he held onto for Kelly, but that was completely crushed now.
An officer put a hand up to stop him, but he shoved the cop aside and got as far as the door before the officer grabbed him from behind, attempting to tackle him. Will threw him over his shoulder, and he landed flat on his back, knocking the wind out of him.
“Will,” said a man around sixty who put himself between Will and the cop on the floor, who struggled to take a breath.
The older man helped the officer up. “Sorry about that. He’s with me.”
The cop focused on Will’s arm. “You sure about that?”
“I am.”
The officer gave Will a grim look, then shoved past him back out into the hall.
“Who are you?” Will said, looking around the room. “And where’s Maddy? She’s dead, isn’t she? I’m too late.”
“Maddy’s safe.”
“She is? She’s still alive?”
“Yeah. Come with me.”
Will looked around the room. Blood covered the floor, but there was no body. “Who’s blood is that?”
“The guy who tried to kill her.”
“She got him first?”
“That’s the line we’re taking.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means I’m a friend of hers, and I got here in time. I’m Peter. She told me she was expecting to hear from you. Said it was important. I came back for her phone, but we’ve moved her to a safer location.”
“Show me where she is.”
“Sure.”
Will followed until they neared an open utility closet, then he shoved Peter inside and pushed a gun under his chin. “Who are you really?”
“I told you, my name’s Peter. Peter Black. I’m a friend of Maddy’s.”
“I’ve never heard of you.”
“I’m not surprised. When I say ‘friend’, I should probably add the disclaimer that she wasn’t glad to see me when I arrived.”
“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?”
“Ask her yourself.”
He was too desperate to confirm that Maddy was alive to keep arguing, so he pushed Peter out of the room but kept the gun pressed against his back. “Do you have the man who tried to kill her in custody?”
“All that blood you saw on the floor? It was a lot. He’s dead.”
“And you’re the one who killed him? Not Maddy?”
