Page 13 of Code Trauma

“I don’t know, Penny. I really don’t, but I’m working on figuring it out.”

“Hold on a second. I’m going to check my purse.”

Andy caught sight of the car behind him. It had been there awhile. He kept his eyes on the mirrors while he waited for Penny to return to the phone.

“Holly?” Penny’s hushed voice finally came over the line. “The key is gone.”

Andy’s jaw tightened, and he spared a glance at Holly, who thanked her friend and hung up. She swallowed. “So, what does that mean?”

“We look for someone at the hospital who has a grudge against you.”

“Dr. Mann is the first person who comes to mind.”

“Dr. Mann.”

He slowed to cross the bridge that would take them to the hospital exit and looked in the rearview mirror in time to see the sedan behind him slam into the back of his truck. The wheel spun beneath his fingers, Holly screamed, and he rammed into the side of the guardrail.

4

Holly clutched the door handle and tried not to scream again while Andy yanked the wheel and got the tires back onto the road. In the side mirror, she could see the car coming back for another hit.

“Andy—”

“I see him.” He waited until the last possible minute, and Holly braced herself for another crash.

Andy jerked the wheel to the right and pressed the gas to race up the exit ramp, escaping the second hit. The sedan’s engine roared, but Andy whipped the wheel one more time, then slammed on his brakes to spin out of the oncoming sedan’s path. The dark car roared past them and disappeared around the bend just ahead.

Andy muttered something under his breath as he shoved the truck into park.

“What?”

“The license plate number. I got it.”

He grabbed a pen from his console and wrote on his palm. He tossed the pen down and grabbed his phone. After identifying himself, he started barking orders. “I need a plate run. Yes, now, please. The person nearly ran me off the road.”

Breathe, Holly. Deep breath in ... slow exhale.They were alive and the danger was over. As long as the person didn’t come back. Andy hung up his phone. “Garrett Mann.”

“What?”

“The car belonged to the doctor.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” She pressed a hand to her head, thankful the incident hadn’t triggered any more pain. “But, honestly, Andy, while Garrett is a flirt and a player who skates right up to the edge of sexual harassment, I’d never picture him doing something like this.”

“Guess we’re going to find out. Cops are looking for him as we speak.” He hesitated. “As soon as they pick him up, they’ll bring him in for questioning. Do you feel like going to the police station?”

Did she? “Yes, sure. Why not?”

He checked the damage to his truck and announced it minimal, then got them back on the road heading toward the police station. “You think they’ll find Garrett today?” she asked.

“I would think so.”

She bit her lip. “No, I’ve changed my mind. For now, I guess just take me to the motel across the street from the hospital. Assuming you can find him and pick him up, you can question him and tell me what happens. I don’t need to see him—which means staying away from the hospital for the moment. Because if that was him in the car, he’ll have to get back to work so he has an alibi. And if I’m at base ...” She pressed a hand to her right temple. While her head wasn’t hurting too much, she simply wanted to lie down.

“That’s probably a good idea.”

“Sorry I’m being such a wimp.”

Andy reached over to snag her fingers in his. “You’re not a wimp, Holly, you’re hurt and need to rest. I’m an idiot for forcing you to do too much too soon.”

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