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“Lucky swipe.”
“Yeah, sure.” The medic glanced over his shoulder to Eli. “Help me roll Rafe onto his side.”
Rafe braced himself but the wave of pain almost did him in. He fought off the darkness with grim determination, breathing deep.
Jackson whistled. “Some swipe. Kristi’s right. You need stitches, buddy.”
“Just tape it. I’ll be fine.”
“Ha. You wish. I’ll clean your arm and use butterfly bandages to hold the wound closed, but you’re going to the hospital with Kristi and her father.”
“Hurry up, then check Kristi.” He flinched when Jackson cleaned his arm with antiseptic wipes. “Where’s Adams?” he asked Eli.
“Waiting out front for the police. Jon?”
“They’re three minutes out.”
“Come join the party.”
“Copy.”
“How did Adams do out there?” Rafe asked Eli.
“He impressed the boss enough that Maddox scheduled him for an interview in two days.”
Two minutes later, Jackson sat back, medical detritus littering the floor. “That’s all I can do for now. Stay on your back unless you want to embarrass yourself by passing out.” He looked at Kristi. “Which side did Ward kick?”
“The bruised side.”
He scowled and grabbed a chemically-activated cold pack. After shaking it, he handed the pack to Kristi. “Place that against your lip.”
“Cops and ambulances are here,” Adams announced through the comm system.
“Copy that.” Eli stood. “Do what you can for Kristi, Jackson. We’ll be knee-deep in twitchy law enforcement in a minute. I’ll hold them off as long as I can.”
“Yes, sir.” By the time several officers with weapons drawn stormed into the room, Jackson had finished checking Kristi for injuries. The medic kept his hand on her shoulder to hold her in place. “Stay down,” he murmured.
“I want to see Dad.”
“If you go, Rafe will drag himself upstairs with you. Do him a favor, and stay where you are.” He patted her shoulder. “I’ll go to the hospital with you and update you on his condition.”
Eli strode into the room with another cop. “Our medic has to go with the vics to the hospital.”
A frown. “Our paramedics are well trained.”
“We aren’t sure that our principal is safe. Her boyfriend is injured and won’t accept treatment unless she’s protected.” Eli gave the cop an easy smile. “It’s how we operate. You’d do the same for one of your witnesses, Lt. Sloan.”
The lieutenant rubbed his jaw. “All right. One of my officers will follow the ambulance and help with protection until the detectives finish questioning the rest of you. After that, your principal’s protection is on you. We’re a small department with a limited budget.”
“We’ll handle the security.” Eli tipped his head toward Ward. “Hugh Ward is the man behind all the trouble tonight.”
Sloan’s eyebrows winged up. “Huh. We’ve never had trouble out of the Wards. Sounds like an interesting story, Wolfe.”
“Complete with multiple players with their own motives for going along with Ward’s scheme.” Eli looked at Jackson. “Go with Stewart. The county sent three ambulances. Someone from Fortress will meet Rafe and Kristi at the hospital.”
After learning that Rafe shot Ward to protect Kristi, the lieutenant asked for his weapon and Ward’s. Rafe handed over the weapons, glad that he had another Sig in his collection at home.
As four EMTs walked into the kitchen, Sloan motioned one pair to Ward and the other pair to Kristi and Rafe.
