He hobbled to his feet to glare dead-on at Logan, his mind whirling.
If Kristen wouldn’t be implicated in any way, I’d rat him out in a heartbeat. It would definitely make my day if they nailed him for attempted murder—or murder, if Gina doesn’t make it. If they fry his sorry ass, even better. But for now, all that matters is Kristen’s freedom.
“Hey, whatever you want,” Logan sneered at Jake before turning his undivided attention back to Kristen. “So now that we're all on the same page, let's get it over with. Krissy, call Nick when they take me in. I'll need him to bail me out ASAP. And call his attorney.” He thrust Nick’s business card into her hand, closing his fingers around hers and looking deep into her eyes. “Oh, one more thing. Krissy, can you get me something to clean this up with?” He pointed to the cut, raising his eyebrows. She shuddered avoiding Jake’s eyes and rushed to the bathroom for cotton balls and peroxide.
Logan waited until she was out of view to discretely search the dining room for his gun. Strange how he’d forgotten he dropped it on the floor by a credenza—it was there the entire time. His eyes flashed to Jake.
Too bad, I could’ve finished you off and avoided this whole mess. You lucked out this time asshole. I have to lock it up for now. Stifling his laughter, he disappeared down the hallway.
Jake couldn’t stop frowning after they both disappeared from his line of vision. Funny how she jumps to take care of him, but when it comes to me, it takes forever!
The loud screech of sirens jerked him back to the present. Showdown time, the cavalry had arrived. It was stacking up to be a long, grueling night.
* * *
The paramedics were the first to arrive, followed by two uniformed police officers on their heels. After that it seemed like time flew by in a flurry of activity. They immediately checked out Gina's condition and began scanning the area to assess the situation.
A tall female cop instructed them to separate and maintain a good distance from each other and the victim. Kristen crept to a chair in the corner while Jake remained on the couch, trying to conceal his injury. Logan waited in the hallway closer to the bedroom, too flustered to stay still.
The medical team worked with fervor to stabilize Gina. It appeared she was unconscious but still hanging on. Apparently she suffered head trauma from the bang against the wall in addition to the bullet wounds. The chaos escalated when several General Investigation Unit personnel bustled in.
“Wait!” Kristen hopped up, calling out to prevent the paramedics from leaving with Gina. “What about him? He's hurt too.”
The female paramedic turned her attention to Jake, gesturing to her partner to give her a minute. She carried her huge red supply bag over, bending down to inspect his injury. Jake rolled his eyes, putting on a brave face when she cleaned and bandaged it.
“You're very lucky. It just grazed you. But you should get to the hospital right away. You can come with us,” she said, smiling at him.
“That's okay. I'll wait for her,” he mumbled, pointing to Kristen, who sat on the edge of seat watching them. I may be fucked up, but there’s no way I’m leaving her behind with him.
In a sudden convergence police staff scurried around them, photographing, measuring, taking notes, inspecting, bagging the weapons, examining everything. The once spacious living room was now noisy, crowded and chaotic. The detectives ordered them to separate into different rooms to prepare for interviews.
“Why can't we go together?” Not bothering to hide her alarm, Kristen clutched Jake's arm.
“They need to make sure we don't work together,” he kept his expression grim, determined to show her how serious the situation was. “Don't argue with them, and tell them what happened, like we discussed.” It hurt him to let her go, she looked so fragile. He glanced over, appalled to see Logan staring after her. A strange sinking feeling came over him. If she doesn’t convince them, then what?
They sat in the dining room.
“I'm Detective Rodriguez.” Kristen stared up at the large, GIU police officer.
Nothing registered, she was out of it. Until he announced he was the lead detective assigned to the violent crime unit, and she panicked.
“She’s not dead is she?”
“She's stable right now. But you never know!” The stern look on his face and raised eyebrows didn't help relieve her alarm. “And you are Kristen Holder, correct?” She found herself lost in space again, blocking out every word he said. He repeated the question. “You do know your name, don’t you?”
Her breathing intensified, she failed to pick up on the amused look in his eyes. The grip she had on the dining room table tightened, her knuckles turning whiter.
“Yes. That's right,” she muttered. Why am I freezing and roasting at the same time?
After a barrage of basic procedural questions, he delved right in.
“So Logan is your husband and Jake Wolf is?” His eyebrows shot up. He waited. When he took a long gulp of his Pepsi and thumped the can down on the table, it startled her. He didn't flinch or blink. Just stared.
Self-consciously, she pushed her hair out of her face and looked at him.
“Jake's my boyfriend. And she was, she is...” Fidgeting, she stalled, finding it impossible to get comfortable in the hard oak chair. She bit her lip so hard, she drew blood.
Detective Rodriquez eyed her with new found interest. “She? You mean Gina?”
After a deep breath and fiddling with her hair some more, Kristen mumbled, “Yeah... I guess that’s her name.” Shut up Kristen. Don’t ramble.
“Oh, now I get it. Gina is the victim, right?” He grinned without looking up from his notes. “What can you tell me about Gina?”
Shouldn't he know all this? Or did I say too much? Her mind raced. Do I need an attorney? Isn't that what Logan said? She couldn’t stop blinking. “Do I need an attorney?”
“Not yet, Kristen. We'll see. So let's continue, okay? Officer Bolton, who spoke to you guys initially said you were a witness. Is that correct?” He stared at her again, his thick mustache shining with droplets of Pepsi.
“Yes.” She took a deep breath. Suddenly Alex entered her head. Don’t we need to see him? What time is it?
“Really? So then what happened?” He waited until the vacant look in her eyes disappeared.
“She, that woman, came out of nowhere acting crazy. She had this gun and pointed it at Logan. He didn't do anything to her, she kept moving closer. He told her to stop and leave. But she kept yelling she was gonna shoot him.” Breathless, she was dying to drink the water sitting in front of her, but was too shaky to pick up the glass.
Breathe, Kristen! Stop shaking! Don’t make him suspicious!
“Hmm. So why do you think Gina was so mad?” His voice had become calm and reassuring. After draining the can of soda, he leaned back casually, continuing his close observation.
Fighting to keep her hand steady, Kristen reached for the glass, bringing it to her lips. It wasn't too bad. Her frantic breathing decelerated.
“I have no idea. She was really pissed off though.”
“So he shot her because she was pissed off?” The detective’s hand swiped his mouth, wiping away drops of moisture.