AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I heard a lot of noise, and I just want to help.”
His calm, soothing voice finally registered. Her entire body shaking, she blinked up at him, then shot a glance over her shoulder expecting to see her attacker right behind her.
But nothing moved in the shadows except for her new best friend, who was trotting up to her with his tail wagging. She reached down to pick him up and hug him close.
She gestured toward the beach. “I—I heard an argument and gunfire. I think someone might be injured or dead. Please, call 911. I need to go back—”
He shook his head. “Not a good idea.”
“But I’m anurse. He could be bleeding out. I need to go—”
“It’s not safe. The Honolulu Waikiki Police Department is just a block or two away and they maintain a very strong presence in this area. They’ll have someone here in no time.”
He pulled a cell phone from his back pocket and called 911, then led her closer to the bright street lights on Kalakaua Avenue. The brief storm had already faded.
“I’m Nick Jackson, by the way.” He was tall, with a strong jaw, and dark hair threaded with a few strands of silver at his temples. His warm brown eyes were filled with concern. “Sounds like you’ve had quite a night.”
A police officer appeared a minute later, with three more at his heels.
“Please hurry,” she pleaded. “I think someone has been shot—just over there. I heard gunfire and a big scuffle.”
Three of the officers headed in that direction. The first one to arrive—D. Lee, according to his badge—stayed and gave her a measured look from head to toe. “Looks like you were caught up in that altercation, ma’am. Are you okay?”
She could see the suspicion in his eyes. Did he think she could be involved somehow? Maybe a drug buy gone wrong?
A good ten pounds overweight and with winter pale skin, she was dressed in her brand-new, perky peach beachwear, and if she looked even the least bit suspect, she’d eat her new flip-flops.
“I was assaulted, Officer. I just arrived from Minnesota this morning. I have no idea who those people were, but at least one of them is probably injured. Or worse.”
The officer frowned. “Do you need medical assistance? Do you need to be seen at the hospital?”
She knew what he was tactfully asking.
“My only physical contact was after I heard gunfire and started to run. One of them came after me. He didn’t try to steal my little shoulder purse. He grabbed my hair, pulled me backward, and tried to strangle me. I don’t think he wanted to leave any witnesses behind.”
“Could you identify him?”
“No.” Frustrated, she shoved her drenched hair out of her eyes. “He was behind me.”
Nick’s presence next her was comforting, but this whole situation seemed so unbelievable that she felt completely off balance.
She raised a hand to her neck. It was too tender to touch, and every breath hurt. By tomorrow she’d have dark bruises.
“If it wasn’t for this dog, I would be dead,” she added. “He barked like crazy, and I think he nailed my attacker in both ankles. I caught a glimpse of an awful lot of blood. And I’m pretty sure I broke the man’s nose with my elbow while trying to escape.”
One of the other officers called out from somewhere in the distance.
“Excuse me, ma’am. Stay right here, both of you.”
She snuggled the pup closer, then drew back in alarm at the red smears on her arm. “Oh, my word. He has blood all over his muzzle.”
Nick lifted the puppy’s head and nodded. “The emergency rooms in the area should be alerted. The perpetrator might eventually show up with infected dog bites and possibly a broken nose.”
“But rabies—” She looked up at him in alarm. “I just found this puppy on the beach, and from the looks of him, he hasn’t had any veterinary care. What if—”
“Hawaii is the only rabies-free state. But if you’re going to hang onto him, he certainly needs to be checked over by a vet and have his vaccinations done.”
She stilled at the wail of ambulance sirens approaching fast. Then silence fell abruptly. “That doesn’t sound good. If I could have helped somehow...”
