Casey reached my side and ran his hands over me frantically. “Jesus, Quinn.”
I winced and whispered, “I’m fine. Go help Travis. Please.”
He shook his head, yanking his phone from his back pocket.
Travis slammed David against my car, his eyes wild as rage engulfed his body. David grunted, his head cracking back before falling to the ground. Then Travis was on him, knuckles slamming into his face again, and again.
My head pounded and I moaned, trying to struggle up from the ground, crying out when white hot agony ripped through my shoulder.
“Stay down.” Casey put a gentle hand to my chest as he spoke into his phone for an ambulance.
I struggled, moaning as the world tilted. I called out for Travis and in the split second he tilted his head to make sure I was okay, David grabbed at him and they were rolling and as daylight flickered out, a gunshot went off with a loud crack and my heart exploded with fear.
***
Chapter Twenty-One
I roused from unconsciousness to a hospital room and the blotchy tear-stained face of Lucy. My stomach pitched.
“Lucy,” I croaked and swallowed. “You look like you’ve been crying.”
“Rubbish,” she replied angrily. “And ruin my beautiful face? You look like you’ve gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson and lost. I warned you that you were no Rocky.”
I struggled to sit up when my stomach pitched again. She started to lean back when my arm snapped out and grabbed her with panic. “Travis?”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Oh,” I murmured and swallowed hard, but tears climbed my throat and spilled down my face before I could take another breath. I snatched my hand back. “No. Oh no.”
My mind swam with the image of him laughing at me when we joined the other idiots swimming in the ice cold ocean. Travis had looked so beautiful in that moment, and I’d thought nothing could ever hurt him. Clinging to him in the water with his arms holding me tight against him, I’d thought he was infallible.
“Quinn,” Lucy whispered.
“No,” I shouted, holding stubbornly to the image of Travis brimming with life. “Shut up.”
I swung my legs over the bed and screamed with pain, not knowing what hurt more, my body or my heart.
“Quinn, he’s okay,” Lucy shouted as I panted past the pain, feeling sweat pop along my brow.
A nurse dashed in as I sat on the edge of the bed. Her cardigan was flapping in her rush, her brow pinched with harried irritation. She picked up my chart from the end of the bed and without looking up, asked, “What’s your pain level between one and ten, love?”
My eyes were stuck on Lucy. “You mean he’s not…not…”
“No!”
“Then why—”
“Because he’s—”
The nurse cut Lucy off. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to leave the young lady to rest.” She directed her stern gaze on me. “Now, Miss Salisbury, what is your pain level?”
I turned a glare on her. “A hundred.” My eyes found Lucy again. “Luce?”
“He’s been arrested,” she told me.
“What?”
“Excuse me, miss,” the nurse said determinedly to Lucy, “but you’re going to have to come back.”
“Arrested for what?” I asked breathlessly.
Lucy ignored the nurse and reached out to take my hand. She gave it a squeeze. “Honey. Travis shot David. He’s been arrested for manslaughter. Casey rang to tell me you were here. He’d told me everything, about the assignment, the police handcuffing Travis and taking him away. Oh, Quinn.” Her eyes were sad. “How could you believe he didn’t love you?”
I stared at her waiting for the words to sink in. I licked my lips. “David’s dead?”
She winced and I realised my nails were digging in to her hand.
“Lucy, that’s…crazy. David was…Travis didn’t mean… It was an accident!” I burst out, remembering their tussle with the gun. “Travis wouldn’t have done it deliberately.”
“Are you sure about that? If it were me I would have shot him myself.” Her nostrils flared dangerously, and Rick walked in looking tired, his eyes red, as she said, “Have I told you how much I motherf**king love Travis? I’m glad David’s dead. He’s hurt you for the last time.”
“But at what cost?” I whispered. For Travis to languish in prison for the rest of his life? “If I hadn’t taken off this morning in an emotionally induced panic, this whole mess wouldn’t have happened.”
“Here.” Lucy shoved a cup of water under my nose. “Have a sip.”
“Fuck water.” I smacked it out of her hand. “I need to get out of here.”
The nurse bustled around my IV, and within moments I felt myself drifting, her capable hands tucking me back into bed. “What did you do?” I slurred in accusation.
“Eased your pain, love. I’ll be back later.”
“Rick,” I whispered. He stood stoically against the wall, and I tilted my head to watch him step closer to my bed. His eyes were sad as they raked me over. I indicated for him to lean close and he bent right down.
“Listen to me carefully,” I slurred. “Go...car...bring...dammit.”
“I can hear you clear as day, Quinn,” Lucy called out. “And we’re not helping you bust out of here.”
“Travis,” I muttered.
Tears rolled down my cheeks that I wasn’t able to wipe away. Rick reached out and wiped them with his thumbs. The touch was soft and a giggle bubbled out of me before I could swallow it.
“Oh shit,” I sobbed.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” Rick said. “It’s just the drugs. Get some rest.”
“Mistake, Rick. Travis and David. Accident. I don’t have time to be high, dammit,” I growled.
“Yes. You do,” Lucy snapped from over Rick’s shoulder. “God. You fight at everything. Just this once will you bloody well be quiet and close your eyes.”
“You can tell us what happened later, okay?” Rick said and patted my good shoulder.
“Okay,” I lied. There wouldn’t be time for telling later. I needed to get hold of the federal police and get Travis out.
I must have mumbled something because when Rick pulled back from my bed, Lucy snorted. “This isn’t Prison Break, Quinn. Besides, it took them a whole season to bust out. What are you going to do?”
I ignored her and instead asked, “Where’s Casey?”
I lost consciousness before anyone could reply.
Later that afternoon I woke groggy to a commotion at the door. It flew open loudly, swinging back and clicking into the doorstop behind it with a loud thunk.
“Mac, for God’s sake,” came Evie’s exasperated voice. “Can you just try for a little less force next time?”
“Shut up, Sandwich,” she snapped. “If you didn’t decide you had to make a food stop on the way here, then I wouldn’t have had to rush.”
They both halted simultaneously when they saw my face. Tears filled Evie’s eyes; anger narrowed Mac’s to slits.
Evie came around one side of my bed, Mac around the other, and she put her bag down to take my hand in hers.
“What happened?” Mac barked.
“Mac! She’s tired. Save the inquisition for when she’s up for it.” Evie turned back to face me and nudged a small packet onto my bed. “Here,” she muttered. “I brought you a burger and chips. I’ve seen my fair share of shitty hospital food, so I figured you’d be hungry.”
My stomach pitched terribly at the idea of food, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her considering she’d made such an effort.
“Thanks,” I said and nudged the packet a bit further down the bed. “You two don’t know what happened?”
“No. So tell us. All I got was some vague message from Jared saying shit had gone down and you were okay but in the hospital.”
“Travis has been arrested for manslaughter.”
Mac’s mouth fell open. “What?”
“David’s dead.”
I waited for the relief those words would give, but no matter how much I wanted to see him pay for his actions, it wasn’t this way. “We need to get down to where Travis is being held.” I swung my legs over the bed and bit down on my tongue to stop the whimper. “They said I could be released…” I lied “…so we really should get a move on to make sure this mess gets sorted out.”
Evie gave me a doubtful look. “You don’t look like they should be releasing you.”
I wiped casually at the sweat on my brow. “Are you saying I look like shit?”
“Pretty much,” Mac confirmed.
“Thanks a bunch,” I snapped. The pain and fear for Travis was making me irritable, but Mac and Evie appeared to be taking it all in their stride. “Help me find my clothes. I hate feeling nak*d in these hospital gowns.”
“You’re a shitty liar, Quinn. What’s the plan—bust you out of the hospital and then bust Travis out of prison? Seems too easy. What’s the catch?” Evie asked.
“There’s no catch,” I replied. I just couldn’t bear the thought of Travis being behind bars any longer than necessary. How could the police have arrested him? I didn’t like to think shitty thoughts towards the police, but their actions were stupid. I couldn’t understand how Casey, Jared, or Mitch hadn’t sorted any of this mess out.
“The catch,” Mac said, rummaging through the little cupboard on the left of my bed, “is that you have to retract your resignation. In fact, it wasn’t really official and I didn’t accept it. So once you’re fully recuperated I want you back in the office.” She pulled out a plastic bag of clothes.
Unfortunately they were the same clothes I was wearing earlier and covered with dirt and blood. Evie helped me dress while Mac went and collected a wheelchair. Soon after I was standing outside the busy hospital entrance with Mac while Evie went to get her car and bring it around. When a man came and stood beside me I thought nothing of it. The entrance was busy and it looked like quite a few people were loitering or waiting for their respective rides. That was until I felt something hard press into my side. The man leaned in a little and said softly, “Lose your friend. Now.”
Without moving my head, my eyes shifted down and saw the gun. My heart hammered hard in my chest, and I closed my eyes.
Shit.
“Mac,” I croaked and cleared my throat. “I’ve just realised I left my phone on the counter where we signed the release papers. Would you mind ducking in to get it for me?”
Mac rolled her eyes. “It’s not like you to forget shit, Quinn. Stay put. I’ll be right back,” she called over her shoulder as she disappeared through the automatic doors.
They whooshed closed behind her as a black BMW slid to a halt in front of me. The driver got out, came around, and opened the back passenger door.
“Get in,” the man beside me ordered quietly and nudged me forward.