Page 9 of Relentless

A soft whistle greeted his statement. “Guess you’ve seen enough action to know the truth when you see it.”

More than he wanted.

An ambulance screeched to a halt in front of the SUV. The EMTs grabbed their gear. One checked on the status of the two kidnappers. The other approached the officers.

“What do we have?”

Al motioned to Piper. “Kidnapping victim.”

“Let’s have a look.”

Piper glanced at Liam. He gave her a nod. As long as the EMT didn’t try to take her to a hospital without one of Bravo to keep watch over her, he didn’t see the harm in on-site first aid.

Five minutes later, a familiar black SUV parked at the side of the road.

Relief flooded Liam. He looked at Colton. “Two of my teammates just arrived. One of them is a medic. I want Matt to check Piper.”

“You don’t have a say in what happens here, McCoy.” Vince scowled at him. “You’ll be transported to the station as soon as the detectives arrive.”

Liam remained focused on Colton. “I’m not sure Piper is out of danger. I want someone I trust with her.”

Matt climbed from the SUV with his mike bag in hand followed by Simon.

“No harm in that, I guess.” Colton motioned for his partner to let the operatives through.

The medic scanned Liam. “No injuries?”

He shook his head. “One of the kidnappers backhanded Piper.”

A scowl from his friend.

Piper pushed aside the EMTs hand. “I’d rather have my friend check me,” she told him.

“I’m a trained EMT, ma’am. I can help you.”

“I want Matt to do it.”

“Whatever,” the man muttered. He got up and moved to make room for Matt.

The medic spoke softly to Piper and checked her for injuries. Two minutes later, he reached into his mike bag and pulled out a chemically-activated ice pack. He shook the pack and laid it against Piper’s cheek. He said something to Simon who trotted toward their SUV and returned with a blanket.

Matt shook out the cover and wrapped it around her shoulders. He glanced at Liam. “A few bruises. I think she’ll be fine, but she needs to be checked out at the hospital.”

“We’ll transport her,” the EMT said, a smirk on his face.

“No.” Liam stared at the man until he dropped his gaze and looked away. “Matt and Simon will take her to Memorial Hospital in Otter Creek.”

Colton frowned. “That’s out of our jurisdiction.”

“I want her on our home turf and the original crime happened in Otter Creek. Blackhawk will have a say in the jurisdiction. Your detectives can ask her questions after she’s been cleared by a doctor.” Liam trusted Matt’s opinion more than any doctor’s. The extra time, however, would give Piper a chance to settle.

A nondescript car rolled up and parked. Unmarked police unit. The detectives had arrived. Let the circus begin.

---