Page 86 of The Hacker
Tully gave the okay to Agent Wertz, who hustled off to organize the prisoners’ exit.
She thought of what Chad had said and turned to Tully. “Should Leland and I be concerned about the cartel coming after us?”
Tully grimaced. “Wertz has promised to do everything in his power to keep your names out of this. He’s solid so I believe him. The FBI will be more than happy to claim credit for finding Griselda through their own work. It’s in the best interest of both Chad and Vicky to keep their mouths shut about the whole situation but, as you noticed, Vicky is not good at that. However, I’ll keep a close eye on the situation and make sure you’re protected.”
That wasn’t entirely reassuring but there was no point to worrying about it right now. She just hoped Leland hadn’t heard Chad’s outburst. He would feel even guiltier about involving her than he already did.
At least her faith in her own judgment had been restored. She had known in her gut that Ramón couldn’t be an arms dealer. However, her boss was going to be devastated to find out his wife was aiding and abetting one. Not to mention that she was headed for jail.
The EMTs were still working around Leland as she walked up to the chair where he sat. “What’s the prognosis?” she asked.
The woman packing instruments back into her bag looked a question at Leland.
“You can tell her,” he said, wincing slightly as the other paramedic tied off the gauze wrapped around his arm.
“He got lucky.” The EMT zipped the bag and straightened. “The bullet just grazed his arm—barely touched the muscle—so he won’t even have a divot after it heals. We cleaned it up and gave him antibiotics, but I don’t think infection will be a factor. Jumping in a pool helped clear the wound of any potential debris. He should try to ice it—twenty minutes per hour—for the next few hours and elevate it when possible to reduce swelling. Other than that, it’s just going to hurt like a sonofabitch.” She raised her eyebrows at Dawn. “We gave him something for that but I can tell he’s not the type who will take it.”
Dawn grimaced at how right the EMT was but a wave of relief rolled through her. “Thanks for taking care of him.”
The medics nodded and picked up their gear before they headed toward the exit.
She sat down beside Leland. “How badly does it hurt?”
“I can barely feel it.” The planes of his face softened as he asked, “Did you get an honest answer to your question?”
“Yeah, Ramón wasn’t involved. Vicky deliberately made him sick today so he wouldn’t catch Chad moving the guns out.”
“That’s pretty cold but I suppose she was protecting him in her own twisted way,” Leland said. “I’m glad for your sake.”
He lifted his hand to touch her cheek, his eyes scanning over her face like lasers. Then, with a low groan, he doubled over, his elbows on his knees.
“What is it?!” Dawn scooted off the chair and knelt in front of him so she could see his face. Terror ripped through her when she saw that his skin had gone pale and his eyes were squeezed closed. “Are you feeling light-headed? Are you going to pass out?” He could be going into shock from blood loss. She braced her hands on his shoulders. She didn’t want him falling forward onto his head. She looked frantically for the EMTs but they were nowhere in sight.
His eyes opened to meet hers. “I thought you were going to die. When I heard the gunshot and the glass shattered around you ...” He pulled her in against him using both arms in a grip like a vise. He was shaking. “I thought Chad was going to kill you.”
“I think he was shooting at you, not me.” Dawn wrapped her arms around Leland’s rib cage, his body heat soaking through the clinging cotton of his shirt. He’d put himself between her and Chad’s gun every time he had the chance. He’d tried to draw Chad’s attention away from her in the pool. Her heart twisted in her chest. “You were doing a damn good job of protecting me.”
“It was my fault he pulled that gun. If I hadn’t walked into the gym, he would have let you leave without a confrontation. I set him off.” She didn’t think he could hold her any tighter but he did.
“You don’t know that. He was looking for me and he had a gun hidden behind his back. Who can tell what he intended?”
“I should have overruled Tully and his FBI connection. You should never have been here.” His shuddering grew stronger.
She wanted to shake him but he was already shivering, and she figured that might hurt his arm anyway. “Stop beating yourself up. I made the choice to come to work because I wanted to help catch the bad guys.” Maybe she’d had something to prove to herself too, since she’d let them get away back in college. “You couldn’t have stopped me. It was my decision, not yours.”
“It was a bad decision.” But he sounded less desolate and the trembling eased.
“Hey, they caught Chad and we’re both still alive.”
“Just barely.” He tipped her head up and kissed her as though he was never going to stop.
Chapter 20
Two hours later, Dawn sat on her sofa with her legs across Leland’s thighs, her head resting on his uninjured shoulder while his good arm circled her. Leland’s damaged arm was propped up on a pillow with a gel ice pack resting on it. The television was on but muted so they could catch any news flashes about the drug and arms busts. Leland had pounded on Tully again to keep their names out of it because he worried about the same thing Chad had mentioned: retaliation by the cartel. Dawn was pretty sure the DEA and FBI would be quick to take all the credit, but Leland was obsessed with her safety.
“Did I tell you how brilliant you were to jump in the pool?” Leland asked, his breath tickling through her hair.
“About five times, but go ahead and tell me again.”
