Page 5 of Safe
"Okay, Chief." I just stayed there, remaining knelt beside her, whispering a plea that she was alive.
"She's got a pulse!" the chief yelled toward the hallway. "Get the med unit here now!"
The next few minutes were a chaotic blur. I couldn't focus, couldn't process anything. A whirlwind of people, medical equipment, and flashing lights surrounded me as I stayed by Danielle's side.
How could this have happened? How had I let thishappen? And where was Landon?
I swear to God if he did this…
Once again, a hand settled on my shoulder. "You go with her, Trase. We'll handle this."
I looked up, tears filling my eyes, and took the chief's offered hand as he helped me to my feet. I followed Danielle's limp, almost lifeless body on the stretcher, climbing into the back of the ambulance.
The entire ride was a silent agony. I did the only thing I could do, and held her hand. The EMTs fought to save her life as the sirens played the soundtrack to her desperate race against time.
The EMTs pulled the stretcher out of the ambulance and rushed Danielle into the hospital. I followed close beside her, trying to talk to her, unsure if she could even hear me. At the entrance, a doctor intercepted me, taking my hand to halt my progress.
"We need you to wait here."
Are you serious?
I thought for a second, momentarily forgetting my usual aversion to using my badge. I flashed it in her face while I pushed past her to follow the stretcher.
"I'm going where she goes."
The doctor looked at the badge I held up and stepped aside. I joined the medical team, helping guide the stretcher down the long hallway.
"What happened? The police… did they find anyone at the scene?" the doctor asked as she took a mental inventory of Danielle's injuries.
"I don't know. Police are on the scene. We'll find him," I choked out.
Once Danielle reached the operating room, I had to let go and trust others to save her life after I'd failed to protect her. Asthey wheeled her inside, I released her hand, and as they pushed her through the double doors, I yelled, "I'll be right here."
The waiting room was bleak and sterile. A small TV droned in the corner, showing the nightly news, and the buzz of a vending machine was the lone, jarring counterpoint to the silence. Minutes stretched into hours, and soon the hours felt like days as I paced, desperate for any news: a call from the chief, a doctor, anything. Two hours crawled by before my phone rang.
"Traser," I damn near shouted into the receiver. I was full of anxiety and, worse, fear.
"Hey man, it's Warren."
"Where is that son of a bitch?" I didn't know for certain it was Landon, but in my gut, I also knew it was. Something had always felt off about him; his personality always felt like a meticulous facade, showing me exactly what he wanted me to see, and nothing more.
"Slow down, okay? I know this is hard, but we have to do this right. You can’t just fly off the handle and do something stupid just because it’s Danielle. Promise me that, okay?"
I thought long and hard for a minute. I could end this with a location and a bullet, and God, did I want to, but he was right. I had to be smart about this if we were going to pin Landon for this. I needed a conviction.
"I promise. What did you find out?" I almost didn’t want to know.
"It was definitely Fletcher. His stuff is gone, and whatever he used to beat the hell out of her is gone too."
"That's impossible. His car's still there. There’s no way he got far."
"Look, Alex… this isn’t going to be easy. Just stay calm, okay?" He waited for my affirmation, but I couldn't promise that. "We can't find him. No trace. No phone activity, no footprints, no credit card use, no emails, Nothing. He'svanished."
Once again, he waited for a response I couldn’t give. Words failed to come out because nothing felt adequate. How had I been so blind? How had I let any of this happen? And worst of all, how had I let him slip through my fingers?
“We found out something else. Landon Fletcher isn’t who we thought. His fingerprints matched a different name—Landon Rider. He’s been running drugs for the Juarez Cartel since he was sixteen. Alex, the guy has deep connections. Money. Influence. Resources. If he wants to disappear, he can. My guess is, Danielle stumbled onto something she shouldn’t have.”
His voice softened. “Alex, are you listening? We’ll find him. I swear. Listen, Danielle… is she—?”
