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The guy shakes his head, no.
“Well, when you find the one, never let her go, even if she’s a full-fledged danger magnet. My Samanthaand me? We’ve talked about it some and-”
“Leave.” A uniformed man with captain’s bars dismisses my audience.Damn. I was just getting started.
The pretty paramedic tightens my tourniquet, pushes my head to the gurney, and speaks to the sergeant. “He’s lost a lot of blood. You’ll need to talk to him on the way to the hospital.”
“Wait. See that kid?” I point at the blond teenagerspeaking to reporters and a bunch of folks holding forth their cameras. “I’m his bodyguard. I can’t leave him until my backup arrives.”
The guy in charge regards my arm. “You took a bullet for him?”
“Yeah. I’d love to come down to the station and givemy statement.”
At my kind offer, the ambulance attendant scowls. “No way. We’re leaving for the ERin two.”
My inquisitor jumps in beside me, and as the back door slams shut, his eyes narrow. “You’re Sebastian Sutcliff, right?”
“Yes sir. That would be me. And you are?”
“Sergeant Black.” He types on his phone and shakes his head. “It says here, you won the Guinness World Record for Rambling.”
“Indeed, I did.” My chest puffs out.
However, my grin fades as he frowns and scratches his head. “I promised my wife I’d take her to a Christmas party. I think it best if I take your statement now.”
The engine starts up, the young woman puts an IV in my arm, and through the haze, I realize we’re about to leave. “Hold your horses. I can’t go whileKenny’s unguarded.”
I bolt upright and try to get free but Black presses me down. “I’ve got a man on him until your company sends a replacement.”
“That’s mighty kind of you.” My head falls back on the pillow and his large nose comes too close as he leans over me.
“Don’t mention it. In return, you will tell me in as few words as possible what happened.”
“Ah, damn. You take all the fun out of getting shot. I ain’t promisin’ I can do it, though. Ramblin’ is a powerfulhard habit to break and I-”
“Mr. Sutcliff. For my marriage. I’m begging you to try.”
“Yes sir. Bein’ a happily wedded man myself, I fully understand. I was hired to guard Kenneth. He was all over the news. He’s a survivor of the high school mass shooting last month in Oklahoma. The one where them ten kids got killed? You remember? Anyhow, he has become the spokesperson for the anti-gun lobby and has been getting death threats, so his parents called up Grayson Patten and asked for a personal bodyguard, but most of our guys was busy so Slate, my friend who runs the office, gave me a call on account of I told him my PI business was a little slow and it’s almost Christmas and we could use a little extra flow of cash and”
Our vehicle takes a sharp turn, and the man has to hold on to stay upright. “Mr. Sutcliff. If you can, please remainon topic.”
“Well, a group of militia men approached our demonstration. One pulled out an automatic weapon and I demanded heset it down. When he aimed at my head and moved his trigger finger, I fired first. Then, one of his nervous buddies shot me. I returned the favor, but to his body armor. He’s lucky it’s the holidays and I was feelin’ the season.”
“You admit to killing someone?”
“Sure do. Want to go down to the station and discuss it some more?” Hoping I can work on my award-winning time, I hold my breath.
“No. God, no. I assume you had surveillance?” Black’s good but I’m certain I can convince him to bring me to the precinct. Once I’ve got a foot in the door, there’s no stopping me.
“Yes sir. Hands. That’s what we call Gabe Hand in our New York Office. Great guy. Married my wife’s cousin, Mia. We called her a saint but come to find out-”
“Stop. Ask your man to send me the footage.”
“Ask him yourself.” I tug at my jacket zipper, expose my mic, and try not to sound miffed. “Seems to me you’d want to hear all the details.”
My world gets a little woozy. “Hey pal, you still there?”
My eyes droop and the man grins. “Nighty-night, Mr. Sutcliff. We’ll talk tomorrow in the hospital.”
