Deadly Lies (Deadly #3)(46)

“Get the EMTs here,” Luke ordered, knowing they were already on standby.

Max shook his head. “No, they could still be watching. They’ll see—”

“They know, Max.” Sam’s voice. Tighter and harder than Luke had ever heard before. “When the shots were fired, we ran right over, anyone watching—they know.” Her breath heaved out. “You’re bleeding too much, and it’s not stopping. We have to get you to a hospital.”

“Quinlan—”

“Our priority is you.” She nearly shouted at him. “We don’t have Quinlan here; we’ve got you!”

“I’m all right.” A muscle flexed along his jaw, and Max caught her hands. “I’m not going to be hauled away from here, not while Quinlan is still out there.”

Luke’s gaze swept the ground. Too much blood. Shit. Sam was right. The bullet must have clipped an artery. “EMT, now.”

The park would be insane. Luke knew it. Those gunshots would have sent folks right into panic mode. Chaos would reign as everyone ran.

That would be just what the kidnappers needed. So easy to disappear in the madness.

“Ramirez, tell me you’ve got him!” Luke said. Ramirez wouldn’t have lost his mark. No way. Ramirez never missed his man.

Static crackled in his ear. Then… “I got him.” But those words didn’t come from the earpiece.

They came straight from Ramirez as the agent shoved through the brush. Oh, hell.

“The perp circled back. I stayed clear at first, to see what he was doing…” His dark eyes narrowed. “I had to fire. He had a clear shot at Ridgeway. There was no choice.”

Sam’s breath hissed out. “Where is he?”

“On the ground, about fifteen feet back.” Cold.

“We’re not gonna be tailing him anywhere,” Luke said and cursed beneath his breath.

“Fuck,” Ridgeway growled, and Luke didn’t know if it was because of the pain he was in or because they’d lost a lead.

“The second man—where is he? Where is he?” Luke wrenched the tiny microphone as he fired out his question. Hyde was there. He’d—

“Moving,” came Hyde’s cool voice. “The suspect is driving fast, in a blue pickup truck, heading west.”

Hell, yeah. Calmer, Luke spun away as the EMTs burst on the scene. “I want chopper coverage on this *,” he instructed, knowing the command center was monitoring the line. “Keep him in sight, but stay back. Give me the tag number and let’s track this rat back to his hole.”

“What about Quinlan?” Frank demanded. “Where’s my son? Dammit, is he even still alive? What happened to that other boy? Where is he—”

In pieces. Monica had called to go give Luke the news. He lowered the mike, just for a moment. “Sir, stay with the agents,” he said to Malone. Luke threw a quick glance at Ramirez and Sam. Ramirez nodded but Sam didn’t look away from Ridgeway.

Luke sucked in a quick breath and turned his attention to the civilians. “Until this is over, you’re both remaining in protective custody.” He wasn’t losing either man.

Hyde rattled off the license plate number in his left ear. The techs would have heard it, too, and the APB would be hitting the airwaves—but with the order to stand down. Follow the perp, but no confrontations. Not yet.

“What happened to the other young man?” Frank demanded, voice shaking.

Luke holstered his gun. Malone and Ridgeway deserved honesty. He always tried to give the victims honesty when he could. Even when the truth hurt. “They killed him.” With the way this drop had gone down, Quinlan Malone would be the next to go. If he wasn’t already dead.

But that part he didn’t tell them, because he knew Malone was already close to breaking.

“I’m coming with you,” Ridgeway’s cold voice stopped Luke as he turned away.

Luke slanted a fast glance over his shoulder. Bloody, but on his feet now, Ridgeway stared back at him. Sam stood right beside him.

“You’re not shoving me to the side,” Ridgeway said. “I’m coming.”

Luke could understand the man’s determination. This was about family. Didn’t even matter that it wasn’t by blood. Family was family.

“I played by your damn rules,” Ridgeway snarled, “and look at the shit that’s happened.”

Luke squared his shoulders. Did the guy really know what he was asking? “You understand what we might find.” Once they’d tracked the kidnappers back to their base, there might not be a happy ending. Just more blood and another body.

“You all think he’s already dead.” Ridgeway’s gaze darted to Sam. She didn’t speak. Just stared right back at him. Once, Luke knew she would have tried to give him hope. Not now.

“Either way,” Ridgeway said, not even flinching when two EMTs grabbed for his arm. “I’m coming.”

It would be so easy to put the man down. To lock him up until this hell was over. But that just wasn’t Luke’s way. “Stitch him up,” he ordered the EMTs. “He’s bleeding all over our scene.” If they could stop the bleeding, if an artery hadn’t been nicked…

Then he’d give the guy what he wanted. Luke just hoped Ridgeway knew what he was asking for.