Page 78 of I'll Be There
Conner would always be the first one to jump into danger. Despite his love for her, despite her worry for him—he couldn’t help it. She should have seen it in him that day he showed up on her beach, three years ago, grimy, sooty, on the raw edge of surviving a flashover. Or the day just last summer when, out of desperation and terror, she’d called him for help. Only for him to drop out of the sky and risk his life to save her. He might not realize it, but he lived for this life.
The life that pushed him to be better. To keep his promises, unspoken, to his buddies, himself. The ones that said he would leave no one behind, and not go down quietly.
Inventor, computer hacker, Green Beret, smoke jumper.
Brother.
She touched his face, ran a thumb across his grimy beard. “I know.”
He just stared at her, a crease between his eyebrows, confusion in his eyes.
“You need to finish this.” Oh, she couldn’t believe she’d actually said it—the words squeezing out between the tightening planes of her chest. “You need to find this Blankenship and bring him in.” She swallowed. “You’re pretty sure he’s the one who killed Justin?”
He nodded, muscles tight along his jaw.
“Okay then.” She got up, glanced toward the door, and met the gaze of Jim Micah.
Micah came in, followed by his own private army. “Any word on Reuben?”
Liza shook her head. Pete went over to stand by the ER doors, staring into the room, swallowed hard. Jed shadowed him, same dark posture, grim expression.
Micah knelt beside Conner. “Now what?”
Darek and John Christiansen had remained outside and met an ambulance pulling up under the alcove. Liza half heard Conner’s reply as she watched the ambulance doors open, and Raina and Layla piled out. An oxygen mask was affixed to Layla’s face as an EMT carried her into the ER.
Tears ran in furrows down Raina’s face as she ran into Casper’s arms. He held her hard, shaking. “Please tell me you’re okay,” he said, his voice rasping.
“Yeah. Layla has some smoke inhalation—”
Liza reached out her hand and Raina took it, squeezed, then followed the EMT into the ER.
Pete had edged into the room, arms folded in a clasp over his chest. The ER nurse came up, took his arms, and pressed him back out of the room. “He’s holding on,” she said right before the doors closed.
A truck pulled up, and out of it emerged Grace, Yulia, Ivy, baby Joy, and Tiger.
Two strides, and Darek swept up his family. They stood under the bright lights of the entry, a huddle of relief, Darek’s shoulders visibly shaking.
John had his arm around Ingrid, brought her into the hallway. “Are you sure you don’t need to get checked out?”
“I’m fine.” She glanced at Liza then, and gave her a sad smile. Liza cuffed a hand over her mouth and in a second, found herself in Ingrid’s embrace. “We’re okay. Thank God, we’re all okay.”
Only as Ingrid released her did she see Kyle stride in. Out of uniform, but with work in his eyes. “Conner. Micah—come with me. We need a statement. And we have a possible ID on the shooter.”
Conner eased up beside her, and she didn’t even bother to suggest that he get his wound checked out. Even if he bit back a groan as he followed Micah down the hall.
Liza gave Ingrid’s hand a squeeze. “I’ll be up later. I need to—”
“Go.”
She followed Conner out of the hospital, was halfway into the parking lot when he glanced behind him. “Liza—no. Go up to the Christiansens’.” He turned then, caught her by her upper arms, pain in his eyes. “Please, I need you safe.”
“I saw him.”
He just blinked at her.
“The shooter. I saw him. I talked to him. I thought maybe you’d need me to confirm—”
“I have a picture,” Kyle said, rounding back to them. He dug out his cell phone. “This guy. Was this the guy you talked to?”
