Page 94 of Fatal Vision
“What? Are you fucking kidding me?”
He felt the weight of all eyes in the room look at him.
“Trust me,” Beatrice said. “I’ll get you out surreptitiously so you can hunt the killer. Meanwhile, Zeb and Jon will keep an eye on Shelby at the black site.”
“There’s no fucking way I’m going along with—”
The line went dead and Shelby asked, “Colton?”
He turned around to see two cops coming through the doorway. “Colton Bells?” one of them asked.
Special Agent Theo Ingram appeared behind the second man. “That’s him.”
“You’re under arrest,” the first officer said. “Turn around and put your hands behind your back.”
Jaya and Agent Feldon exchanged confused glances. Shelby and Connor came to their feet. Shelby shoved her walker out of the way and took a step toward Colton, shielding him. “Theo? What’s going on?”
Ingram grabbed her arm and pulled her aside and Salisbury went crazy, barking at him. Jaya had to restrain the mutt.
“We found the cell phone he used to detonate the bomb, Shelby. It was lying in the rubble.”
“What cell phone?”
“That could have been mine,” Connor said. “Or Sabrina’s. You can’t possibly think Colton set off that bomb.”
Ingram crossed his arms over his chest. “We’re testing for his prints, but it definitely was used to set off the explosive.”
“The killer planted it,” Jon said from where he leaned on the wall.
Hard eyes locked with Colton’s, and Ingram’s cheek twitched, even as he projected a frown.
He’s enjoying this.
“The killer,” Ingram said, trying to hide a smirk, “is right there.”
The rest was chaos as everyone started talking at once. Colton eyed the exit, calculating what he’d have to do to avoid capture. There was no way he was letting Beatrice, Ingram, or the cops separate him from Shelby.
But then Zeb was back, a cup of coffee in one hand and a doctor in scrubs in tow, blocking the exit. Zeb put his fingers to his lips and a shrill whistle echoed in the room, cutting through the uproar. “Yo. Shut up and listen.”
The doctor swallowed hard and nodded at Connor. “Ms. Merinos is out of surgery and in recovery. The damage was extensive as you know, and the next twenty-four hours will be critical, but her vital signs are strong. I understand her father is on his way?”
“Yeah.” Connor stepped forward. “I’m staying until he gets here.”
“It may be a while before she wakes.”
“I don’t care. I need to be with her.”
The cops moved in to handcuff Colton.Trust me…
Trust, such a fragile thing. Such a hard thing.
His side screamed as one of them jerked his arm behind his back. The other kneed him and sent him to the floor.
Pain exploded in his right side, sending white-hot lightning up his spine. Dots danced in front of his eyes. The room grew blurry.
The doctor spoke to Connor. “I’ll have a nurse come and take you to the recovery room in a few minutes.”
He vamoosed and Shelby reached for Connor’s hand once more even as she whirled on Theo. “Colton didn’t have anything to do with that bomb. I told you, the killer was there. Isawhim.”
