Page 34 of Doc
Nova sprinted toward me as the guard emerged from the break room.I yanked the side door open, holding it for her as she flew past me and into the night.The guard was faster than he looked, already closing the distance.
“Security breach at the county clerk’s office,” he barked into his radio as he gave chase.“Two suspects, male and female, fleeing the building!”
I grabbed Nova’s hand as we ran across the parking lot.“This way.”I pulled her toward a narrow alley between the clerk’s office and the adjacent building.“There’s a service road that runs behind these offices.”
We sprinted down the alley, the guard’s flashlight beam bouncing wildly behind us.I knew these small-town buildings from countless similar layouts -- connected by service corridors, sharing loading docks, with multiple exit points that most people never noticed.My time in Afghanistan had taught me to always know my escape routes.
“Left here,” I instructed as we reached the end of the alley.“There’s a gap in the fence behind the electrical junction.”
Nova followed without question, her breath coming in sharp gasps as we pushed our pace.The messenger bag bounced against her hip, heavy with evidence that could expose the entire trafficking operation.Evidence worth killing for.
We rounded the corner of the building just as the first shot cracked through the night air.The guard was armed -- something I’d calculated as a possibility but hoped to avoid.
“Warning shot.”I pushed Nova ahead of me, using my body as a shield between her and the guard.“He’s trying to scare us into stopping.”
“Is it working?”I could hear the fear and exertion in her voice.
Despite everything, I felt a smile tug at my lips.“Not even close.”
We sprinted across an empty loading area, aiming for the gap in the chain-link fence I’d spotted earlier.I could hear the guard behind us, his footsteps heavy, his breathing labored.He was falling behind, but still close enough to be dangerous.
Another shot rang out, this one hitting the metal dumpster to our right with a metallic ping.Maybe not just warning shots after all.
“Almost there.”I guided Nova toward the fence.“Through here, then cut right toward where we left the bike.”
She nodded, pushing herself harder.We reached the fence, and I held the gap wider for her to slip through.As she squeezed past, her foot caught on an uneven patch of gravel.She pitched forward with a startled cry, hitting the ground hard on the other side.
“Nova!”I was through the gap in an instant, kneeling beside her.
“My ankle.”She gasped, and her face contorted with pain.“I twisted it.”
My medic training kicked in, and my hands moved automatically to assess the injury while my brain calculated the shrinking distance between us and the pursuing guard.I didn’t have time for a full exam, but a quick check told me it wasn’t broken -- just a bad sprain.
“Can you stand?”I asked, already sliding an arm around her waist.
She nodded grimly, gritting her teeth as I helped her to her feet.She put weight on the injured ankle and immediately winced, her body sagging against mine.
“Not well,” she admitted.
The guard’s flashlight beam swept across the fence behind us.We had seconds, not minutes.
“Hold onto me.”I bent to lift her into my arms.
“Doc, no,” she protested.“I can walk, just --”
“Not fast enough,” I cut her off, already scooping her up.She weighed almost nothing.“Hold the bag tight.”
She clutched her messenger bag with one hand, the other arm wrapping around my neck as I started running.My military training had prepared me for carrying wounded comrades under fire -- Nova was significantly lighter than the average soldier in full gear.
The guard reached the fence just as we disappeared around the corner of the next building.I heard him cursing, the rattle of chain-link suggesting he was trying to follow through the same gap.
“He’s still coming.”Nova pressed her face against my shoulder.
“Let him.”I lengthened my stride.“We’ve got a head start now.”
I could feel her heart hammering against my chest, her breath warm on my neck as I ran.The motorcycle waited exactly where we’d left it, hidden in the shadow of a large oak tree two blocks from the county building.I set Nova down gently, leaning her against the tree while I prepared the bike.
“How bad is it?”She gestured to her ankle.
