He was calling out to me, saying something. I could barely register his syllables. Everything was moving in slow motion, and I was struggling to maintain my grip on the world.
I swallowed slowly. It was the first motion I’d made in what felt like years.
He was even more pained now.
Still saying something. Maybe even shouting.
I tried to speak the words to him, “I’m coming, Hunter.” When I parted my lips, I tried to tell him, “Please just take me away from here.”
But those weren’t the words that came out.
“Just… go…”
The world came to a complete stop.
As blurry and disconnected as everything felt, the next image burned into my mind. It was the striking pain plastered across his face. I met his heartfelt gaze and watched his heart completely shatter.
All this time, he had been afraid he would hurt me. Hunter had feared that taking me into the life would corrupt me. I had whittled at his conviction, convincing him that I was ready for this. I had promised him my complicity, my place at his side, supporting and nurturing him in the fire that he was about to tread.
The truth was now all too apparent. He shouldn’t have feared hurting me. He should have feared being hurt by me.
I had broken my Hunter.
His jaw set, and he lingered for a second that felt like an eternity. If that door burst open before he disappeared from sight…
And just like that, he was gone.
Not a moment too soon, the door to our room broken open, and a strong, familiar arm squeezed around me, pulling me into its embrace as a gas mask was forced over my face.
“Oh, thank God…”
It was my father, backed up by two of his deputy officers. They fanned out around the room as he let loose a barrage of questions:
“Did he hurt you? Sarah? Are you okay? What the fuck did they do to you?”
All I could do was sob, the weight of these last few minutes descending upon me, breaking me down into a husk of my former self. I choked on the words as much as the pepper spray I’d already inhaled. I was robbed of any coherency.
I couldn’t breathe.
“He’s not here,” I heard one of the officers declare. As I turned my strained, tear-soaked gaze, I saw him glancing out the shattered window. “Looks like we found his escape route, though.”
“Do you want us to try to apprehend him on foot?” The other deputy asked, turning towards us.
I could see the irritation in the deputy’s eyes as his stare lowered upon me – to him, I must have just been the wayward daughter, getting into the wrong kinds of trouble.
Every ounce of my body feared my father’s next words, but he surprised me:
“…No. I have what I came for.”
I shuddered in his embrace.
The first deputy again: “Are you sure, sir? He couldn’t have gotten far. We can intercept him if we leave now.”
My father looked down at me again.
“Sarah, I need to know… are you hurt?”
Trembling, I shook my head.
With a heavy, shuddering sigh, he answered: “No, McAddams… we need to get our wounded to a hospital and process the assholes we’ve already handcuffed. Let him go. Let him understand the cost of crossing me…”
“And the others?”
“If they know what’s good for them, they’ll skip town. This is the last day that the Devil’s Dragons prowl Phoenix. I’m going to call on some friends in the other precincts, just to be on the safe side… we’ll drive them out east. We can force them to fend for themselves in the fucking desert.”
He rose up, pulling me to my feet beside him. That’s when I noticed the strain on his face, and how he hissed with his movements. I saw how his free hand clutched at his side, the red stains already soaking his uniform…
Blood?
I felt nauseous. I felt fear. I felt loathing and fury, my stomach churning violently with a cacophony of building, whipping emotions. But most of all… I felt guilty.
What the fuck have I done?
Chapter 5
Eight Years Later
I clenched and unclenched my hands, lost in thought as I gazed down at them.
In my peripheral vision, a shambling form came near. I turned my attention, smiling as my father approached with a limp in every step.
I kept up the beaming smile, hiding how guilty I felt every time I saw him. As always, the sight of his cane drew back the painful memories of that fateful morning…
The morning that changed my life forever.
“That’s one hell of a promotion… Detective,” he grinned back. “I’ve never been prouder of you, Sarah. If your mother could see you now…”
He pulled me into his heavy, hearty embrace.
The retired sheriff was right. I’d worked hard for this career move, putting in as many hours on the street as I possibly could. I’d put myself through the ringer because I wanted the world to know I’d earned this.
It was worth it.
I’d proven my mettle, coming out from under my father’s shadow as the sheriff’s daughter. A transfer here, a big case there… I had worked myself to the bone for every precinct I touched. Desperate to rise above, I put in more overtime than any damned officer on the force. My endless nights pounding the street and hitting the books in the academy were being validated.
I could finally make him proud.
He released his grip on me with satisfaction beaming in his eyes. “How about we celebrate with some grub? Your favorite steakhouse is calling my name…”
“Actually, Dad… I was kind of thinking we do something small, at home. Maybe I can cook?” I asked, fighting the urge to tear up every time I saw his fingers clasped around the hook of his cane. “Unless you’ve been lying about how much you enjoy my chicken lasagna…”
He smiled softly, the happiness evident in his eyes. “If that’s what you want, Sarah…”
Unfortunately, the celebrations couldn’t last longer than the evening. I let my father out just a bit past ten o’clock and was in bed before eleven. I was expected at my Sergeant’s office bright and early the following morning, and after everything he had done for me, I had no intentions of displeasing him… After all, Sergeant Thompson had practically mentored me himself. He’d seen me as more than just the Sherriff’s daughter… he saw the perceptive and detail oriented officer I’d become. He was steering my path towards this promotion for years now.
That’s why it was a surprise when I found his office locked up tight the next morning. It wasn’t like my boss to be late. A warm, churning pit developed in my gut.
Something was wrong.
“You’re looking for Thompson?” One of the other Sergeants asked, passing by towards his area of the precinct. His friendliness was matched only by his impeccable record. “He’s out on sick leave.”
“Sick leave? But Thompson’s never sick!”
“Broke a leg,” he clarified. “Slipped in the shower right in the middle of budget cutbacks, too… For the next few weeks, you’ll be reporting directly to Lieutenant Crabbe.”
He added with a wink: “Good luck with that.”
“Thank you, sir,” I nodded politely, turning towards the opaque glass that marked the Lieutenant’s office in the back of the room.
I’d only encountered the man a few times, and none of those instances had been what I’d call pleasant. The Sergeants usually positioned themselves between him and us for a reason that rose above simple matters of hierarchy.
A shiver went down my spine. This morning was not getting off to a good start.
“And, by the way?” The Sergeant smiled, extending his hand. “Congratulations on the promotion. You deserved it.”
“Much obliged, Sergeant,” I smiled, shaking his hand. “If you’ll excuse me…”
“Carry on,” he nodded.