“Take that oxygen mask off and stand up. We’re going to take a little walk.”
After removing the face mask, she rose from her seat at the edge of the ambulance bumper. Casting a furtive glance toward the paramedic, she hoped and prayed he’d notice something was amiss. But he was in deep conversation with another firefighter. She took two steps, then stopped. “I’m still connected to the monitor.”
Wade yanked the cords off her in a swift movement. Though the monitor alarm beeped, the sound was lost amid the chaos of people talking and rushing water, and no one seemed to notice. That simply reinforced what Wade had threatened. He could shoot her now and ditch the gun, and no one would be any wiser.
Feeling helpless once again, she walked alongside Wade, still cuddling with Cocoa. They crossed the street, leaving the paramedics and firefighters behind.
“Where are we going?” She did everything she could to drag her feet, unwilling to leave the relative safety of the police and firefighters behind.
“The training center. The big boss wants to meet you.”
The big boss? The one in charge of the drug running? Was this how her sister had been led astray? Why would Wade have fired Malina if she was secretly working for him? Did her termination have to do with stealing the package of drugs?
Eva sent one last desperate glance over her shoulder searching for someone, anyone who might help.
Nothing good would come from meeting the big boss. And she knew that this time, there was a good chance she wouldn’t survive.
* * *
Finn kept his knee wedged in the center of the stinky guy’s back as he gently probed Abernathy’s wound. It didn’t look too deep, thankfully, just a bit of a gash but he still needed to get his partner to the vet ASAP.
“You’ll be okay, boy.” He gave Abernathy a one-armed hug, then shifted his weight off the prone perp. “Get up.” He grabbed the guy beneath his arm, helping him stagger to his feet.
“I’ll cut a deal.” The guy’s twang had turned whiny. “I’ll give you the big boss.”
“What’s your name?” Finn asked, pushing him toward the road. He could see cops milling around, but they hadn’t stumbled upon the narrow alley.
Finn wasn’t sure he would have found it, either, if not for Abernathy.
“Stu Greer,” was the grudging response.
“Well, Stu, you’re under arrest for arson and attempted murder of a police officer, among other crimes.” He rattled off the Miranda warning, then added, “I’m not sure that a deal is in your future.”
“I’ll give you the big boss,” Greer repeated. “And I didn’t attempt to shoot your dog. The gun went off by accident.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Finn didn’t doubt that Greer’s lawyer would play that angle. “Come, Abernathy.”
Gamely, his K-9 partner kept pace beside him, and Finn wished he could carry his partner to safety. When he reached the street, he waved a uniformed officer over. “Take this guy for me, would you? My partner is injured.”
The officer nodded and took Greer’s other arm. Finn bent down and lifted his seventy-five-pound yellow Lab into his arms. Abernathy licked him on the cheek.
He strode quickly toward the spot where he’d left Eva. The cop urged Greer along as well, keeping pace. He noticed the fire crew had doused the flames inside Eva’s home, and they continued to pour water on the building to be safe. In the summer heat any spark they missed could easily ignite a second fire.
“Where’s Eva Kendall?” He raked his gaze over the area. When he noticed the ambulance in the center of the street, with some sort of wires lying across the bumper, a bad feeling settled in his chest. “Eva? Eva!”
At the sound of his shout, the paramedic glanced over at him, then looked at the empty spot where the monitor was quietly alarming. “Hey, where did she go?”
Finn set Abernathy just inside the ambulance. “I need you to clean him up and put antibiotic ointment on his wound.”
“I don’t treat dogs,” the paramedic protested.
“You do now.” Finn wasn’t about to take no for an answer. He raked his gaze over the crowd, searching in vain for Eva’s blond hair. “How long as she been gone?”