Page 24 of For Rage

He didn't; he just kept holding it up.

"Drop it," she commanded again, her voice low but forceful. "Or I'll shoot."

"It's not fair," he stammered. "It's not—"

"Cross!" Derik's voice sounded from behind.

Before Morgan could react, the suspect fired his gun right at her.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

White-hot pain seared through Morgan's thigh. Disoriented, she tried to find her bearings through the new pain and the sound of the gunshot that still resonated through her head. The sun blinded her, and the pain was so intense it nearly made her pass out.

But only for a moment.

Morgan looked down to see her pants ripped open. The bullet had only grazed her thigh, and she looked up to see the suspect trembling, his gun still on her.

"I'll shoot again!" he warned.

Anger fired through her. That son of a bitch had shot her. She glared at him, then dove right after him. Clearly, he was a bad shot, but he didn't try to shoot her again—this time, he dropped the gun and ran off. Morgan hobbled after, but the pain in her leg slowed her down. The adrenaline pushed her forward.

"Cross, hold up!" It was Derik. Morgan ignored him and chased after the suspect. This time, it was anger that pushed her forward.

She was sick of men like him thinking they could get away with anything, thinking they could hurt anyone without consequences. She wasn't going to let him go.

The suspect was quick, but Morgan's anger and determination made her faster. She chased him through the maze, feeling the pain in her thigh with every step. But she refused to let it slow her down. He was slower now, too, and he kept looking back in fear as Morgan charged him.

She was going to catch this son of a bitch and make him pay for what he had done to her. She pushed herself to run faster, even as the pain in her thigh intensified. She could hear the suspect's frantic footsteps as he ran ahead, but she was getting closer.

And then she finally caught up to him. Morgan hurled herself forward, taking his weight down with her.

They tumbled to the ground, rolling over and over until she was on top of him. His face was twisted in fear and pain, and Morgan could see the fear in his eyes as he struggled to break free. But she held him down, pinning him to the ground with all her strength.

"You shouldn't have shot me," Morgan growled, her voice low and dangerous.

"I'm sorry," the man whimpered. "Please, let me go!"

Morgan shook her head. "It's too late for that."

She reached for her handcuffs and quickly cuffed the man's hands behind his back. She stood up, looking down at him with cold eyes.

"You're under arrest," she said, her voice firm.

The man stared up at her, fear in his eyes. "What are you going to do to me?"

Morgan didn't answer, just turned back as she heard the footsteps of her team quickly arriving. They were all out of breath, Derik included. He scowled at the scene as he took it in.

"Go on," Morgan said to the officers behind him, "he's already finished."

The officers took the suspect and carried him away, navigating toward the exit of the maze. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, the pain shot up Morgan's leg again. She looked down to see blood pooling through her dark pants, creating a giant splotch.

"Jesus, Cross," Derik said, stepping up to her.

"I'm fine."

But her head was getting woozy. She tried to ignore it, to look strong. But Derik clearly didn't buy it, because he came over and forced her to use him as a crutch. Morgan's face burned at the feeling of his body pressing against hers, both familiar and unfamiliar.

"I can walk myself," Morgan uttered, trying to push Derik away, but he wouldn't let her go. The truth was that she didn't mind the extra weight taken off as they hobbled away, but it felt awkward taking Derik's help after everything that had happened.

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