Page 42 of Draven

She takes off running. By the time I reach halfway to where we left Louise’s vehicle, I’m blinded by oncoming headlights. A car slows to a halt, and Louise clambers out. She opens the backdoor, and it’s then she sees the bloodstain on her sister’s leg.

“She’s been shot!”

I lay Kiera on the backseat. “I know. Get in with her. I’ll drive. I don’t think it’s hit an artery, but see if you can tie it off, anyway.”

Louise clambers in after Kiera, and I get in the driver’s side. Even pushing the seat the entire way back still doesn’t give me a lot of room for driving. I spin the car around, tires screeching, and floor the gas.

“Kiera, it’s okay, honey. It’s Lola. I’m here. You’re going to be okay.”

I glance in the rearview mirror. Louise is bending over her sister, her ear next to Kiera’s mouth.

“Oh, God, Draven, get us to the hospital. Please. Her breathing… it’s so faint.”

“Keep talking to her.” I wrestle to get my cell out of my pocket while trying to keep the car as steady as possible. I dial Rick’s number. After a few rings, Rick’s sleepy voice comes on the line.

“Rick, listen up. We’ve found the women.”

A rustle of bedclothes and the click of a lamp being illuminated is followed by, “Shit, you have? Where? How?”

“They’re at the docks. Warehouse number 72. It looks empty, but there’s a basement. That’s where the women are. I need you to get the feds crawling all over that place stat. I put a bullet in two of the perps. No idea if they’re still alive, but they’ll be incapacitated, for sure. One is in the bushes out back, tied up. Tell the feds to go easy. No need to go in all guns blazing. Send the paramedics, too. They all require medical attention for drugs and fuck knows what else.”

“Hang on. Catch me the fuck up, will you?”

“No time to explain right now. I’ll write it up later. Louise and I are on our way to the hospital with her sister. I gotta go.” I toss my phone on the passenger seat and glance once more into the rearview mirror. Louise’s lips are moving, but I can’t make out the words. It’s then I realize she’s singing a lullaby.

Entranced, I almost miss the turn off for the hospital but somehow sling the car around a corner, the unexpected movement sending white-hot pain through my arm. I hiss, and a wave of nausea washes over me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. A flesh wound, that’s all.”

I park the car right in front of the entrance to the Emergency Room. Louise climbs out of the car, and I lean inside, lifting Kiera into my arms.

“We need help here!” I holler as we burst through the doors into the waiting area. A passing nurse takes one look at Kiera and gestures for a gurney.

“What’s her name?”

“Kiera Rhodes,” Louise says. “I’m her sister. Please is she… is she…”

The nurse squeezes Louise’s arm. “We’ll take good care of her. If you can give as many details to the patient representative as possible, that would be helpful.”

I lay Kiera on top of the gurney, and they wheel her away. Louise doesn’t take her eyes off her sister until the gurney disappears into a nearby room, then she bobs from foot to foot, nibbling on the skin around her fingernails.

I put my arm around her shoulder. “Let’s get her checked in.”

With quiet dignity, Louise fills in the forms, answers every question, but as we walk over to the waiting area, she stops, tips back her head, and peers up at me. Her eyes glisten with unshed tears. “What happened, Draven? You said you were taking a look around. That’s all. A quick scout of the area.”

I shake my head. Now isn’t the time for recriminations. I did what I thought was right at the time. And, yeah, I wanted to save Kiera. For Louise.

I wanted to play the hero.

“There’s plenty of time to talk later. Let’s find out what we’re dealing with first.”

“I need to call my parents.” She sweeps a hand over her face. “They should be here in case she… in case she…”

A twinge of remorse tightens my chest, but I quickly push it aside. In my experience, regrets are pointless time sucks that do no one any favors. Sometimes risks pay off. Sometimes they don’t. If we’d called it in before I’d known what we were dealing with, and the women hadn’t been there, the feds would have come down hard on Louise for breaking protocol, and locked us both out of the case—probably by throwing our asses in jail. Once I saw her lying there on that filthy mattress, naked and drugged to the eyeballs, I couldn’t leave her. I just couldn’t. She looked too much like Louise, it would have been like leaving here there.

“Go call them. I’ll wait here in case there’s any news.”

---