Eva had begun to retreat down the hallway when she heard a series of loud thumps from inside the apartment.
No! They were going to get away!
Finn lifted his foot and kicked at the door near the handle. Once, twice. The wood frame splintered and gave way, the door swinging open beneath the pressure. Finn entered the apartment, weapon held ready with Abernathy at his side.
“Stop! Police!”
The thumping grew louder, drowning out the sound of the television. When Mikey started crying, Eva decided she wasn’t leaving. Not now. Not when they were so close to finding Mikey. Ignoring Finn’s directive, she followed him inside the apartment. Where was his backup? Shouldn’t they be here by now?
Creeping farther into the room, the shouting from the man and Mikey’s shrill screams grew louder. As she rounded the corner, she saw a man dressed in black holding Mikey in his arms as he tried to throw one leg over the windowsill.
“Get him, Abernathy!” Finn commanded.
The yellow Lab ran across the room and latched onto the guy’s ankle. Labs weren’t trained as attack dogs, but she believed Abernathy sensed Mikey was in danger. The man howled in pain, which only made Mikey scream louder.
“I want my mommy!”
“Stop! Get him,” Finn repeated.
Abernathy continued to tug on the man’s leg, growling low in his throat. Eva kept her gaze trained on Mikey, trying to send reassuring vibes. The man wasn’t very far away, half in and half out of the window. His gaze was locked on Abernathy, and he was so busy trying to shake the dog off that the gun in his right hand was pointed away from her and Finn.
It was now or never. Ignoring Finn’s harsh cry to stay back, she rushed forward, grabbed Mikey and yanked him from the man’s arms. The hand holding the gun came over to hit her on the shoulder at the same moment the sound of gunfire echoed through the room. It was so loud it caused a ringing in her ears.
She dropped to the floor, instinctively curling her body over Mikey’s in an attempt to protect him.
“I’m here. You’re safe, Mikey. It’s okay, you’re safe.” She repeated the words over and over even as the room suddenly filled with cops. Finn came over to take her arm, helping her stand.
“I told you to stay outside!” His voice was hoarse with fear and anger. “You almost got yourself killed!”
Mikey’s crying increased in volume and she raked him with her gaze. “Not now. Yell at me later. Mikey is frightened enough. Did you get him?” She looked around the room, relieved to note that the guy was sitting in a chair, his hands cuffed behind his back. The odd dusty smell that clung to his clothing helped her identify him as the thug who’d grabbed her arm and tried to get her into the waiting car not far from Finn’s headquarters.
Was he here alone? Or was the stinky guy here, too? If so, where was the puppy?
Cops swarmed the apartment quickly, searching for anyone else who might be inside. She heard one of them shout, “Clear!” and knew that meant no one else was there.
Eva sat down on the edge of the sofa, cradling Mikey close, stroking his back and whispering to him, “It’s all over, sweetie. You were so brave. Abernathy was smart enough to help us find you.”
Mikey’s arms were wrapped so tightly around her neck it was difficult to breathe. Her shoulder from where the man had punched her, but she ignored it, refusing to release her hold on the little boy.
Too close. The gunshot had whizzed past her and Mikey before wedging into the wall. The replay of the night’s events would haunt her for a long time. So many things could have gone wrong but hadn’t. They’d caught one of the bad guys and rescued the little boy from harm.
As she held the precious child in her arms, Eva knew she had God to thank for keeping Mikey safe.
TEN
Upset at how Eva had rushed in to grab Mikey, Finn was also angry at himself for losing his cool. He shouldn’t have yelled at her. Thankfully, everything had turned out okay. They’d found Mikey and had the perp handcuffed. He wished Eva hadn’t put herself in danger but knew that, given the same set of circumstances, she’d likely do the same thing again.
Watching Eva holding Mikey on the edge of the sofa, rocking back and forth as she attempted to calm him down, he let the last vestiges of his anger go. The way Mikey was clinging to Eva only proved her point. The boy didn’t have his mother or his father here, and he deserved to be comforted by Eva, the closest thing to a mother figure he had.