AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It almost feels like we are under attack,” Lila said. “There. Female and male subject in the center. One weapon, handgun. Six to eight civilians. Some are obscured by vehicles.”
She was speaking into the prompt. So that everything would be recorded.
Jake turned the SUV into the lot more fully.
Then Jarrod could see. He could see her.
There she was. The light of the parking lot reflected off the gold of her hair. Right there. Haldyn.
Next to a man with a damned gun.
Kimball. It was Kimball.
“Dodson, get units to block all entrances in to this lot. Everyone brace yourselves. These are people we are all going to know. That’s Coleson’s sister directly in front of Kimball. Lake, definitely your brother eight feet to her left. I can’t see the people behind him. Possibly two women in scrubs. Acardi—your father and stepmother are on the left of that blue SUV. And Kimball has Haldyn.”
“We can see them,” Jarrod said into the radio. “How do you want to handle this?”
“MacNamara and I will take the shots, if necessary. No more than the two of us. Not with that many civilians in the cross fire. Remember your training, people. Remember it. That is the only way to do this. Let’s talk him down. Find out what we can before we act. Dodson, you’re working command. That’s our damned ERT van next to the parking lot for W4HAV. That means we’re missing at least one tech, people. Haldyn was back at the lab less than forty-five minutes ago, and had just sent out two techs to a scene. Minutes before Kimball killed Bell. Do a forensics roll call. Find our damned people. Someone was with that van out there. Find them, Dodson.”
Jarrod jerked his SUV to a stop. He opened the door quickly. Fighting every instinct he had telling him to run to her. To yank her from that bastard’s arms and just protect her. No matter what.
They couldn’t just rush over there. That was not how it worked.
Kimball held Haldyn with an arm around her narrow waist. There was a man on the ground in front of them. From the way the man slumped, it was obvious he was injured. Maybe even dead.
And there was blood all over Haldyn.
Daniel gave the signal. They moved closer.
“Kimball,” Daniel yelled. “What’s going on, man?”
“Waiting for Major Crimes mostly. Figured you’d be on your way, considering what I did to Bell. Couldn’t have done it to a more deserving man. Lake, suspect you’ll agree with me on that once you hear why. Saw MacNamara’s niece run back inside. Figured she’d call it in,” the man yelled back. He pulled Haldyn even closer. “Foster with you? Our Hallie’s going to want to see him most, I think. Since they are getting things on now and all.”
Kimball had his service weapon at her temple, but it wasn’t pointed directly at her. It was just there. Where he rested his forearm on her narrow shoulder.
The gun was pointed at the man in front of Kimball. The man on his knees.
Jarrod recognized the man on the ground now. Steve Wilson was battered, bleeding, and dazed. But he was alive. And kneeling in front of Sol Kimball.
Daniel nodded at Jarrod. “Talk to him, Jarrod. Keep him…calm.”
Jarrod holstered his weapon. Stepped closer. “I’m here, Kimball. What’s this all about?”
“I had to keep them safe.” He moved the gun away from Haldyn’s temple a bit. Put it to the back of Steve Wilson’s head. Execution style. Lake and Jake and Dom moved in. Kimball looked at them. “No. You all stay back now. We are not going to play this stupid. I know exactly how this works out. This is my big moment. My epic conclusion, so to speak. We all get one eventually, right?”
“I suppose we do. I’m going to tell you the truth. I don’t have a clue what’s going on here.” Jarrod took a risk. He lowered his weapon and took a step forward, as the rest of his team took a step back. “I just need to know: Is Haldyn hurt? I really need to know that. Where did that blood come from? Is it hers?”
“Just bet you need to know. I know about you two, your little secret thing you have going on now. I saw you with her at the barbecue the other day, boy. Can’t say I blame you. Girl is a good girl. Pretty and smart. Always has been. I’ve known her since she was just a kid—you’d better treat her with respect.”
“I will.” He risked meeting blue eyes with his own. There were marks on her beautiful face. Blood all over her. But she met him eye to eye.
Haldyn was terrified, but she was hiding it. Like she hid everything.
Except when he’d been touching her. Hell, he loved this woman.
He wanted to tell her. Wanted to tell her more than anything in the world. “She means everything to me, too. I haven’t had a chance to tell her that yet, though. I was going to do it big. Once this case ended, and everything. She deserves big.”
“We were going to borrow Gunnar’s cabin, weren’t we?” Her words were quiet. Her eyes on his. There were tears in those blue eyes.
