She heard the officer in front tell the others to back out of the room. Guns still up, the officers did as they were told and backed slowly out. Taylor saw Sean glance quickly over at the leader and hesitate before moving.
The leader hissed sharply, “Reed.”
He backed out with the others. It was what he had to do, but not what he wanted to do.
The man dragged her to the doorway. She tried to resist but the gun was jammed against her head and her side felt like it was on fire. She was very afraid he would pull the trigger and even Sean would not be able to prevent her from dying if he did that.
The police officers were in the hall. They moved back slowly as the man came out of the room. They still held their weapons up.
The creature whispered into her ear, his breath foul on her cheek. “You are coming with me and if you try anything, I’ll shoot you in the head before anyone can get to you. Do you understand?” He squeezed his arm around her neck very tightly to force a response. She did not make a sound. He pulled her into the hall, his back against the opposite wall the cops were lined up on.
When she didn’t answer, he pushed the gun harder into her head as if he was ready to pull the trigger.
“I hear you, you stupid, pathetic, scared little coward. You’re afraid to confront them without hiding behind me? What kind of man are you, scaring little kids? Does it make the little man feel big and important?” She did not know where that came from, but she was scared.
Sean’s eyes narrowed and he shook his head no. The movement of his head was slight so no one noticed except for Taylor. She could see a horrified Maggie up against the wall standing next to the Principle. A woman she assumed was the ex-wife stood in the back behind another cop, tears running down her face. There were others there too but they were staying well back.
His ex-wife begged the man to stop, “Please don’t do this.”
“Shut up, shut up.” He screamed again.
The man grunted in Taylor’s ear, “Watch your mouth, bitch.”
Taylor was breathing hard. “I’m not the one hiding behind a gun and a woman, you pitiful psychopath. Put the gun to your own head and let’s see how brave you are. Are you afraid? You should be. They have bigger guns than you do. You are outnumbered so I’d give up now if I were you.” She was mad now and she knew it was wrong, but she was not going to let this man think she was intimidated by him and turn into a simpering female. It was her life. She put her hand to her side. Her hand came away wet and sticky.
She could see Sean’s angry gaze and he shook his head no again. She looked away. Was he mad at her, the man, the situation, or a combination of all three? She knew he wasn’t happy from the look he had given her.
The man let out a guttural noise, “It’s the teacher’s fault I shot you. She’s the one you should blame. I’ll deal with you later and enjoy making you suffer.”
“You’re the one who is going to suffer,” she retorted.
“Shut your smart mouth or you’re gonna die right here.” His voice had risen and he sounded like a man about to lose control. Still she could not let him think she was afraid of him, no matter much he frightened her.
“You can’t kill me. You need a shield, you freak of nature.” She wasn’t sure how she dared to say the things she was saying because she was so scared, but she also was not going to back down.
He looked momentarily off balance. Then he pressed his back against the wall. She didn’t dare look at Sean. If she died right here, she did not want to remember the angry look he was probably giving her. She didn’t want to die. She wanted to go home. With Sean.
The bitter and angry man dragged her along the wall with her in front. She thought about stopping but he must have known what she was thinking because he pressed his gun arm against her wound. She grimaced and could not stop a soft cry from escaping her lips. It had hurt. She bit her lip to keep from crying or screaming. He seemed to enjoy doing it and she had no doubts he would keep doing it.
He looked around wildly. She glanced down at her side. It was covered in blood. She actually felt a little dizzy from it so she focused on him.
Taylor told him, “Let me go. They’ll let you leave. You haven’t done anything terrible. They’ll help you.”
“Shut up,” he screamed. She could the spray from his mouth hit her cheek. He punched his hand into her side. This time she cried out. It really hurt. She fought back the tears. She was not going to let him see her cry.
“Stay back or she’s dead.” He was screaming. The gun was back on her temple.
She swallowed hard. He was getting ready to lose it. What should she do?
Sean tightened his grip on his gun. He thought about shooting him in the head, but if he went down and pulled the trigger… He couldn’t think about. He glanced quickly at her bleeding side. Anger and fear came in waves. He had watched him push his hand into her side and heard her cry out. He had deliberately hurt her even more. The man was almost ready to lose it, he knew. But so was he. He focused on the man, trying to regain some control.
Taylor tried to calm her breathing. She was breathing too fast and too hard, just like in the smashed up van. She thought about all the times in those scenes in the movies or on TV where the girl just went along as a helpless victim and did not fight. She had berated the women, thinking they were stupid. They usually got killed anyway, didn’t they? She could understand better now how they felt.
No, she was not going to be a victim that did not try something. The creature had moved his arm from her throat to her grip her across the shoulders to pull her better. She continued to make him drag her. She finally looked over at Sean again.
Sean was watching her with narrowed eyes and once again shook his head no. What? Was he reading her mind?
He had seen the look in Taylor’s eyes. And the ever so slight tilt of her head as she thought about something. Again he shook his head at her hoping he could stop whatever she was planning. A flash of uncertainty crossed her features as if she could not decide now.
They continued agonizingly slow down the hall. She couldn’t stop him from dragging her along. She was afraid of getting shot again and she knew she could not move fast enough. The officer in charge was talking to the man, “Let her go. This can end well if you put your gun down. What do you want?” Taylor tried to focus on what he was saying.
“Put your guns down or she dies. Do you think I’m kidding? I’m walking out of here. She comes with me or she dies.”
“We’ll put our weapons down but you need to let her go. Look, you can go, just leave her. Show us some cooperation and we can help you.” He slowly holstered his gun and told everyone to stand down. Sean gave him a quick look and paused slightly.
He threw Sean an angry look.
Sean reluctantly did as he was told. He really just wanted to shoot the man, but he knew he could not. He had never felt so helpless and putting his gun down was hard to do. Really hard.
The officer in charge was still talking, “Our guns are down. Show us some cooperation. We did what you asked. Now just let her go and you can go out the door at the end of the hall. Look man, you don’t want to hurt her anymore in front of the kids. What is your daughter going to think?”
The man’s face twisted with rage, “I wanted my daughter, but this bitch got in my way. What do I care if she dies?”
The cop repeated calmly, “Let her go and I promise you that you can walk out of here. It is your only chance to see your daughter again.”
“Do I look stupid, cop?” He screamed out the words. Spittle and froth flew across the hall. He was turning rabid, Taylor thought. She was going to need a rabies shot if she got out of this alive. He really was an evil creature. Turning into a werewolf and getting ready to attack.
This was not going to end well if she did not do something. Taylor wasn’t going to go anywhere with him, no matter what. He would probably kill her if he did get away. She took a breath and looked over at Sean. He did not look happy.
“You look pretty stupid to me,” she told him.
“I’ve had enough of you.”
Sean tensed. It looked like he was ready to shoot and he was not close enough to them to do anything to stop it. His fists clenched as he tried to think of what he could do without her getting any more injured or killed.
Taylor decided since he was distracted and his hold on her shoulders had loosened a bit, it was time to faint. It was the only thing she could think of. Maybe the creature would go down with her and hopefully the gun didn’t go off. Hopefully Sean would be there before he could use the gun on her. Whatever happened, she was not going to go with this thing dragging her along. It was time for this to be over.
The creature screamed. Taylor fell into a limp heap. Taken by surprise, he went down with her onto the cold tiled floor.
Forty-three
Sean was moving before they hit the floor. He grabbed the gun and held the man’s arm away from Taylor as other officers rushed over. The man was screaming and kicking. He made a grab for Taylor, but Sean pulled her away from him man while the others subdued him.
Sean held her tightly for a brief moment. She could feel the tension in his body. She opened one eye, “Is it over?” He gave her an angry look.
Sean knew he was in for a lecture from his boss. He had not been as disciplined and as impartial as he should have been and had been trained to be and he knew it. He was so tense he wanted to shake her but he also wanted to hug and kiss her. That would go over well he suspected.
“Are you okay?” his voice raspy.
She nodded yes. Sean pulled up her bloody sweater and pressed his hand onto her wound. She winced. “This was one of my favorite sweaters, it’s ruined.”
He did not seem amused, “Forget the damn sweater.” He said it quietly and forcefully.
Taylor heard the officer in charge tell Sean to take her out to the EMTs. He picked her up and carried her to the door. She put her arm around his neck.
“You’re going to get blood on your uniform.”
He said nothing as they reached the door, her bleeding side pressed against him. She heard Maggie behind them.
“Sean, is she okay?” Maggie sounded like she was about to cry.
Taylor looked over his shoulder and gave her a thumbs up as Sean told Maggie to stay there.
“It wasn’t my fault, Sean.” She looked at him but he just glanced at her and said nothing.
Just before they got to the EMTs, she whispered, “It hurts, Sean.”
He looked at her pale face, “I know, hold on.”
Forty-four
At the hospital, she lay on the emergency room bed. Why did these things have to be so hard and uncomfortable? Why couldn’t they feel like that king sized bed she slept in? Maybe they wanted you to be uncomfortable so that you wanted to get out of there faster. That sounded good to her.
She kept her eyes shut. The bleeding was stopped. She had been bandaged and given a pain shot.
She wished she was someplace else. Enough with hospitals. She really hated hospitals and here she was. Again. What was it with her and hospitals?
Maggie was sitting quietly in a chair in the corner. At least Maggie was there and she was not alone.
She felt someone take her hand and opened her eyes. Sean was there. She started crying when she saw him.
“I want to go home, Sean. Please take me home. I hate hospitals.” He put his arm around her and she put one arm around his neck. He kissed her and then ran his fingers down her cheek to wipe away the tears.
“I know. Finish getting treated and then you can go home, okay?” He brushed the hair out of her face with his hand.
“What if they won’t let me go home?”
“They will, even if I have to kidnap you.”
She smiled a tiny smile, “You’d do that for me?”
“Yep.”
She sniffled. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“Yeah. I had to stop and check on you first. They say it’s not too bad, he grazed you so no bullet to remove and it’s shallow. You’ll be okay. I know it hurts, baby. Hang in there. I’ll see you tonight.” He kissed her, gave Maggie a brief nod and left as the doctor came back in.
Taylor watched him leave. He was still in his SWAT uniform and there was blood all over it.
She received an antibiotic and pain prescriptions. Her instructions were to rest, no lifting or work until she was seen again.
As Maggie was walking alongside the wheelchair they were taking her out with, she took Taylor’s hand. “Walter came and is going to take us home.”
“What about your car?”
“We’ll get it later, honey. We do not need to worry about that.”
“I wonder why they always make you go out of the hospital in a wheelchair, even if you can walk.”
The nurse wheeling her out said, “Its hospital policy.”
“I know. I guess the hospital just wants to get rid of me and if I fall going home, I’m out of their hair.”
Maggie squeezed her hand and smiled. “You can always come back.”
“No thanks.”
Maggie ran into the drug store and got the prescriptions filled and they took her home. Maggie started to go in with her but Taylor begged her off. “I need to lie down for a while. Thanks for being there for me.”
“I will always be there when you need me. Are you sure you want to be alone? Is there anything I can get you?” She watched Taylor shake her head no. Maggie gave her a careful hug. “Call me if you need anything.”
Maggie felt terrible but she got into the car. She told Walter everything that happened. Walter told her it was not her fault and not to feel guilty. They had to be thankful Taylor was okay.
Maggie smiled, “You always make me feel better. Sean came to the hospital. I got the impression that he was not supposed to be there. You should have seen him with Taylor, Walter. He was so sweet and gentle to her. I knew those two were perfect for each other.”
“You’re usually right. How, I don’t know, but they do seem to be right for each other. Like we were when we met.”
“You ignored me the first time we met, Walter. And the second time.”
“Shows how much you knew. I was very interested in you. How do you think we ended up at the same place to eat?”
Maggie laughed, “After all these years, you can still surprise me. Love you.”
Taylor made it over to the couch and sat down, her head in her hands. She knew Sean was upset at the school but she was not sorry that it was over or what she had done. Still, he had come to see her at the hospital. He couldn’t be too angry. And it made her feel better that he had come.
Maybe it hadn’t been the smartest thing to do, but she was alive. With shaky hands, she picked up the remote and turned the TV on even though she did not watch it. Even with the pain pill, it still hurt. Her throat felt raw as tears ran down her face. She went to the kitchen, got a bottle of water and slowly sipped it.
When Sean got back to the precinct, he knew he was in trouble and he knew he deserved it. Not that he would have done anything differently. He had to check on Taylor and let her know he was there.
Sargent Mayfield angrily gestured him into an empty conference room. “Thanks for showing back up. I told you to come back here. Where have you been?” His voice was livid.
Sean stood perfectly still. “I stopped by the hospital, sir.”
Mayfield eyed him, “Did I tell you to stop there?”
“No, sir.”
“Did you ask me if you could stop there?”
Sean shifted his weight, “No, sir. I should have.”
“What the hell happened today? Do you have any idea how much trouble you are in?”
> Sean simply said, “Yes, sir.”
“You know I should suspend you. You’re a good cop, Sean, but don’t ever hesitate to obey an order again.”
“Yes, sir.”
He looked Sean over, standing there tense and still. It was so uncharacteristic of the young cop on his team, he thought. He had trained him and been his mentor for SWAT as well as his boss for regular duty. “Who is she?”
“Sir?” Sean knew who he was asking about.
“The woman who was shot and held at gunpoint, who is she?”
Sean knew Mayfield pretty well and he deserved a completely honest answer. He said softly, “The most important person in the world.”
Mayfield stared at him for several long moments. “Get out and get cleaned up. Never again, Sean.”
Sean left quickly and Mayfield watched him go. Very interesting. Like most people, he understood that Sean did not talk about his personal life or his feelings. He thought of his wife, Allison, and wondered how he would have reacted if it had been her standing there, shot and bleeding, held at gunpoint. He wondered if the lovely young woman knew how important she is, he mused.
Forty-five
Later, she heard Sean come home but did not look at him. She had been right about what she had done. She had no doubts in her mind. She was safe and alive even if she was a mess. Of course it helped that Sean got to her so fast and got her away before that man could use the gun on her, but she made her rescue possible.
Sean sat next to her on the couch. “We need to talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about, Sean. Not if you are going to talk about this afternoon.”
“We need to talk about it.”
She jumped up from the couch and turned to face him, “It’s going to be a one way conversation because I am not going to talk about it.”
She turned to walk away but Sean grabbed her arm. “Taylor.”
She winced and he saw it. It hurt to breathe right now, let alone to try to pull away from him.
Unexpected Love Page 16
