Page 7 of Sinful Seduction
“About two. I think… I…” He licks his lips, his jaw gritting over his flexing cheeks. “Maybe the bullet nicked his heart, because I stuck my finger in to stop the bleeding. I felt his pulse for a bit.”
And then you didn’t.
“I don’t know if I did the right thing,” he murmurs. “Probably not supposed to even touch him, especially since I’m not a doctor. But I was trying to help and?—”
“You did good.” I set my hands on my hips and hold his terrified stare for as long as it takes for him to inhale another breath. For his lungs, seized and shaky, to unclench and refill. “You’re not a doctor, Officer Clay, and you’re not even a veteran cop. You’re a guy just a few years older than our vic, working beat at midnight, alone. You did the best you could with the resources you had.”
“I didn’t save him.”
“We can’t save them all. I wish we could.” I lift my chin, nodding in his direction. “If you stay as pale as you are right now, you’ll force me to consider your psychological state. Especially in light of your recent wound and the similarities between that and the case you stumbled upon tonight.”
“M-mine?” He brings a hand around and unconsciously rubs the scar hidden beneath his shirt. “My injury was a while back, Detective. I’m fine. If you’re worried?—”
“I’m worried you’re comparing his night to the one you had in February. He didn’t make it, but you did.”
“I made it becauseyouwere there to help.” He glances at Fletch. “Youpacked my wound. And Ms. Swanson. And Chief Mayet.” He comes back to me. “I was lucky. But this kid… tonight…” He shrugs. “Not so lucky. Sucks.”
“Mmm.” Fletch rolls his bottom lip between his thumb and finger. “You saw no one besides the two who were hit?”
“Ihearda car peeling away. And footsteps. Opposite directions,” he murmurs. “Means there were witnesses, more than one, but they split up.”
“And the other vic?” I wonder. “The injured one.”
“Female. Late teens, I think. She was dazed and dropping in and out of consciousness for the few minutes I had with her. I put my focus into the male at first, since he appeared more in need of my help, but I was trying to talk to her, too. I was asking her questions.”
“Her name?”
“She didn’t answer. Couldn’t,” he clarifies. “She was dizzy, and suffered a lac on her temple that kinda makes me think she fell and hit her head after she was shot. I only had a second to decide who to help first, and she wasn’t gushing blood the way he was, so I picked him.”
“She made it to the hospital alive. Means you did the right thing.” I cast my gaze back toward our scene. Specifically, to the markers on theground and the trail of blood leading away from our vic. “They’re too young to be mixed up in this kind of shit.”
“Recover a weapon?” Fletch questions.
“No, sir. I’ve seen no weapons, no other responding officers have reported finding one, and the vics were empty-handed when I arrived.” He pauses, wrinkling his nose and studying the ground between us.
Tension pulses in waves, warming the already warm air and landing against my chest like a physical blow.
Fletch and I have had ample experience dealing with kids just like him, those who have something to say, but they’re not quite sure how to say it. So we wait. We let the silence hang for two—three, four, five—beats of my heart. We stand in passive unity, in sync, and without hesitation.
Until finally, Clay brings his gaze up again.
“I’m okay, Detectives. I know you’re thinking I was thewrongguy who landed on thewrongcase, and I know it’s kinda similar—this one and mine. But I’m not a civilian, and I’m not a kid. I’d like younotto assume I’m about to fall apart.”
“Are you?” Fletch presses. “Gonna fall apart.”
He broadens his shoulders, shaking his head gently from side to side. “No, sir. I’m comparing, I guess. It’s human nature. But I won’t drop the ball on this. I want you to find whoever hurt him, and if you have more questions, I want you to ask me and not worry about my mental state.”
“It’s our job to worry about that stuff.” I glance up as sirenswhoopin the air and emergency personnel rush off to somewhere else. They speed toward someone else’s worst day ever. “You have another thirty years left on the job, Officer Clay. Gotta stop you from washing out early, so you don’t miss out on the truly disturbing shit.” I flash a teasing grin and watch as the tension slowly fades from his face.Slowly.He’s wound so fucking tight, if he doesn’t bend soon, he’s gonna break. “We’ll come find you again. Probably tomorrow, once we’ve got our case notes straightened out and need you to fill in the blanks. Talk to your CO if you’re feeling a certain way about all this. Debrief with the department shrink if you’ve gotta. Detective Fletcher and I will be available if either of them needs us.”
“Yes, sir.” He swallows again, his throat bobbing and his Adam’s apple shifting. “I’ll be ready to take your calls.”
I turn on my heel to walk back to the doctors. But Fletch stays put.
“You got a girl, Officer Clay?”
Stunned, I swing back around again.
“A-a girl?” The poor, baby-faced cop tugs at his collar. “Sir?”
