LITMIR.BIZ

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here, I’ll give you both a ride back.”

      “Good, that way I can take Gabby someplace safe where this Creighton guy will never find her.”

      “Wait a minute,” Gabby protested. “I can’t just disappear! I have patient-care responsibilities.”

      “She has a point,” Nate said. “And really, it might be best if she stays inside the hospital where there are plenty of people surrounding her. These guys waited for her outside because it was a better place to grab her. It wouldn’t be so easy to get to her inside the hospital.”

      Shane hesitated. Nate was right. Being surrounded by dozens of people around the clock was a good way to remain safe. “I wish the hospital security guards carried weapons,” he muttered.

      “A Taser is a weapon,” Nate said mildly. “And I know the senior security guards carry Tasers.”

      “There are dozens of call rooms,” Gabby spoke up. “I can stay in one of them.”

      Shane considered the fact that Gabby might be safer in a call room at the hospital than in some isolated hotel room. And he could sleep on the floor outside her room as an extra point of security. The floor wouldn’t be comfortable, but maybe they could find a blanket or two for him to use as a cushion.

      “Uh-oh, we’re in trouble now,” Nate muttered. “I just saw Griff pull up.”

      “Who’s that?” Gabby asked with a frown.

      “Our boss,” Shane explained. “He’s tough but fair, even if he doesn’t know how to smile.”

      “That guy is seriously intense,” Nate added.

      Their tall, blond-haired leader climbed out of the police vehicle and strode purposefully toward them. “Hawk, fill me in on what went down,” he ordered.

      Shane gave him the condensed version and as he spoke, Griff’s serious expression morphed into a dark scowl.

      “Why didn’t you follow protocol by calling for backup right away?” Griff demanded. “You could have tailed the truck using your squad.”

      Shane shook his head, deciding this wasn’t the time to explain how he owed Gabby for saving his life. “I followed my instincts, and my vehicle was too far away to go back for it.”

      Griff glared at him for a long moment before he spoke in a grim tone. “Hawk, you’re the newest member of my team and a good cop. But I need you to follow the rules. Trust me, if you pull a stunt like this again, I’ll cut you loose so fast your head will spin like a top.”

      “Understood,” Shane said, swallowing hard. The last thing he wanted was to lose his job, but he wasn’t going to apologize for rescuing Gabby, either.

      Given the same set of circumstances, he’d do the same thing again.

      “Excuse me, Mr. Griff?” Gabby spoke up.

      It hardly seemed possible, but Griff’s expression turned even darker. “Vaughn, Lieutenant Vaughn,” he corrected in a clipped tone.

      “Oh, sorry, Lieutenant. I wanted to make sure you understand how grateful I am for Shane’s actions tonight. Maybe he didn’t follow protocol but he saved my life.”

      Shane wanted to tell Gabby to be quiet, that she was probably only making things worse, but the fact that she spoke up in his defense at all caught him off guard. Was she actually trying to shield him from Griff’s anger? The notion was inconceivable.

      “Look, Miss—” Griff began, but she swiftly cut him off.

      “Doctor,” she corrected, adopting the same clipped tone he’d used earlier. “Dr. Gabby Fielding, trauma surgeon.”

      Griff looked polaxed by Gabby’s quick comeback and Shane didn’t dare look over at Nate for fear he’d burst out laughing. Obviously, Gabby didn’t have red hair for nothing.

      “Dr. Fielding, I’m truly glad you’re all right, but the end doesn’t always justify the means.”

      Gabby opened her mouth to argue, but Griff shook his head.

      “Let’s put that aside for now, okay? Have either of these deputies taken your statement yet?” the lieutenant asked, his tone softer than it had been before.

      “No, but I’m happy to do that right now if needed,” she responded.

      Shane wasn’t surprised when his boss backed off. After all, Gabby wasn’t just any victim—she was a well-respected doctor in the community. She’d been the surgeon on duty after the airport shooting that had taken place ten days ago, and he’d had the opportunity to see her in action since he and Nate had ended up following the victims to the ER.

      Watching Gabby in the trauma room had only reminded him how good she was at her job. She was smart, gutsy and never once hesitated doing exactly what needed to be done.

      He’d admired her from afar but didn’t dare allow his feelings to get personal.

      Nate took her statement at Griff’s direction. Gabby reported the events she’d suffered in a monotone voice, as if she were reciting a recipe rather than describing the way she’d been victimized. Once again, he was struck by the need to place a reassuring hand on her arm, but of course he didn’t. Shane glanced back at the dead men in the clearing. After his dad died, he’d run with a rough crowd and had gotten arrested. He counted his blessings that he’d been able to turn his life around, becoming a cop rather than continuing on a downhill spiral.

      “Thank you, Doctor. Are you sure you can’t describe the men in more detail?” Griff pressed.

      Gabby’s control snapped. “I gave you everything I saw and heard in explicit detail. I have a good memory, so trust me when I say there isn’t anything more I can tell you.” She huffed out a weary breath. “Besides, I’ve been up well over twenty-four hours straight and I need to get back to the hospital so I can get some sleep.”

      “We’re almost finished here,” Nate said.

      “No, we are finished here. I refuse to be interrogated as if I’m the one who did something wrong.”

      “Dr. Fielding, I assure you my intent wasn’t to treat you like a criminal,” Griff said. “But victims often remember more details than they realize. We have to ask questions over and over to get the full story.”

      “I remember everything crystal clear,” she said flatly. “I have an eidetic memory, so there’s no point in rehashing this any longer. You know everything I do, so I’d like to leave. Now,” she added for emphasis.

      “Griff, why don’t you let me drive the doctor and Hawk back to Milwaukee,” Nate offered. “We can follow up more later if we need to.”

      “Okay, fine,” the lieutenant said with reluctance. “But keep in touch...and Hawk? I expect to see your report on his first thing in the morning.”

      “Will do,” Shane agreed, even though first thing in the morning was only six hours from now. It was already two o’clock and they had a good thirty-minute ride back to the city. Being off duty for the next couple of days was good timing. He’d have a chance to keep a close eye on Gabby.

      “Come on, my car is parked out on the road,” Nate said as he turned away from the clearing.

      Gabby followed the deputy without saying a word, stumbling a bit as she walked. Shane slipped his arm around her waist, silently offering support.

      “Thank you,” she murmured, leaning against him. “Do you think we can go to my house to pick up some things before we go to the hospital? I really need a change of clothes.”

      “If it’s safe,” he hedged, wishing he could do what she wanted. But he wouldn’t sacrifice her safety for clothes.

      She swayed as she walked and he told himself that if she stumbled again, he’d lift her up into his arms and carry

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