Page 39 of Save Me

Chapter 19

Eric arrivedat Juliet’s apartment only a minute or so after Mike. He pulled his rented Lexus into a slot near the security chief’s tricked-out Dodge truck.

“It’s the one just up there.” He pointed, relieved that the building seemed quiet.

Mike narrowed his eyes at the door on the second story walkway. “Were the blinds drawn the last time you were here?”

Eric frowned. “I don’t think so.” He glanced at the other apartments. Only the ones facing the sun had the blinds down, but it wasn’t that unusual to have them down in units like these. “Do you think there’s something off about that?”

“Probably not, but the reason I’m still here is because I don’t take anything for granted. Wait behind me until I give you a signal.”

Nodding his assent, he trailed behind Mike as the bigger man started up the stairs. Eric’s lips parted as he saw his friend shift from normal man to hunter between one step and the next. Mike stalked down the hall, approaching the door on silent feet.

Eric tried to mimic his friend’s fluid movements, but his medical school hadn’t included black ops training. Wincing, he tried to quiet his absurdly loud breathing. Even his shoes wouldn’t cooperate. They scraped on the concrete hall floor audibly as he trailed a little behind.

He thought Mike would turn and berate him, but he wasn’t paying him any mind. Mike stood in front of Juliet’s door with an intent expression, putting his ear to the wood before abruptly pulling back and fishing a black cylinder out of his pocket. It was a reverse peephole viewer. He fit the barrel over the lens, leaning in to put his eye to the opening.

He held his breath, waiting for an update but Mike didn’t say anything. Without a word he reared back, kicking the door open with a loud splintering crack, then rushed inside at a dead run.

Startled, Eric followed. What he saw at the threshold was nothing short of his worst nightmare.

There was a man with a shaved head bending over Andie. She was lying on the floor, completely still. He didn’t see a gun in the guy’s hands—they were busy arranging Andie’s body.

Eric’s vision darkened. He barely registered when Mike flew toward the assailant. One second he stood next to him at the door, the next he was pulling the guy off her and pounding his face.

The stranger was an experienced fighter, but he didn’t have the years of training Mike did. When the guy threw a punch Mike pushed, forcing him off-balance. The goon struck hard, going for the soft spots of the Adam’s apple and groin to incapacitate Mike, and failing.

Mike returned those strikes with his trademark right hook, a punch so powerful it had felled men much larger than him in one blow. It didn’t let him down now. He hit the guy, and the guy hit the floor and didn’t get up.

“Eric.”

Eric blinked at him, frozen. Mike flinched, going to Andie. He yelled something Eric couldn’t hear. The buzzing in his ears was too loud.

“Eric, if you don’t move your ass she’s going to die!”

The icy grip of shock fractured and Eric gasped, taking a huge lungful of air into his burning lungs.

“Get over here,” Mike ordered, shifting to secure the assailant’s hands with his belt.

Eric stumbled over to Andie, frantically checking for a pulse. In the background he heard Mike calling 911.

“Is she okay?” Mike asked.

Eric didn’t answer. Mike grimaced and finished the call to emergency services before going down on his knees on Andie’s other side. “What can I do?”

Eric’s hands were shaking, his breath coming in short sharp pants. Mike reached out and put his hand on his shoulder. “You need to calm the fuck down. Andie needs you.”

“Yes,” Eric said raggedly in agreement. His hands were still shaking as he opened Andie’s eyes to check her pupils.

He started CPR. “I need you to go to my car and get my med kit. She’s been given an overdose and stopped breathing. I need the Narcan stat!”

Bending, he put his mouth on Andie’s, tossing his keys in Mike’s direction.

His friend jumped to his feet and ran out of the room. It felt like an eternity before pounding footsteps signaled his return, but was probably less than an minute.

Mike threw the black bag down next to them and knelt to tear the zippers open for him.

Eric’s hands had stopped shaking. Indeed all emotion had been wiped away. He was on autopilot now, the years of training kicking in. He reached into the bag and had the Narcan injector assembled within seconds. Eric squeezed Andie’s shoulder, plunging the needle on the thickest part of the muscle. After a beat, he resumed CPR while Mike started counting down aloud. But almost a minute passed and there was no response. Narcan usually worked right away.

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