v

Allie caught a flicker of movement across the street. Reese was ducking cautiously from one yard to the next, checking up and down the street and scanning driveways. Allie wanted to go with her to cover her back, but she stayed at her post. She couldn’t see all the way down the street to the intersection with Bayberry, but that’s where Everly had first been spotted. The shot sounded like it came from down there—

where Bri and Carter were. She didn’t let herself think about that. She just kept watch, waiting, preparing. Reese was out of sight now, and she suddenly felt very much alone. Every second felt like an hour.

Her bare arms were covered with goose bumps even though she was sweating. Two houses up and diagonally across the street from her, a young woman with long blond hair and a short clingy dress came out her front door, beeped her car remote at a dark blue Honda Accord in the driveway, and hurried toward the driver’s side door. A second later, a bearded man in a dark T-shirt and blue jeans appeared out of nowhere and sprinted across the street on an intercept course with the blonde.

Everly. He was going to carjack the young woman. Allie didn’t even question her next move. She couldn’t let him take a hostage. She bolted into the street, her arms extended in front of her, her weapon two-fisted and trained on Everly.

“Stop, police! Down on the ground. Down on the ground!”

Without breaking stride, he half turned in her direction and fired.

• 194 •

RetuRning tides

The air around her vibrated with heat and her ears rang with the report of the shot. She couldn’t return fire because now he was directly between her and the civilian. If she missed him, she could hit the woman or someone in the house. Hoping to draw his fire again, anything to distract him from the woman, who was now crouched next to her car and trying to scramble away, Allie ran toward him. Carter and Bri materialized at the end of the block and raced up the street, weapons out. Reese bolted from between two houses and grabbed the civilian, dragging the young woman behind the front of the Accord. Then Reese just stood up, tall and solid, and aimed her weapon at Everly.

“You’re done, Everly,” Reese shouted. “It’s over, drop the weapon.”

Everly’s head swiveled between Allie, who was blocking the street in one direction, and Bri and Carter, who cut off his retreat in the other direction. Smith and Chang vaulted out into the street from between two houses and took up a position behind him. Reese walked forward slowly, her face completely impassive, her weapon never wavering from his center mass. After another quick look around, Everly raised his free hand, knelt, and slowly placed his weapon on the ground. Then everyone converged on him. Bri got to him first and jammed her knee into the middle of his back while she cuffed him.

Allie couldn’t hear what Bri was shouting at him. She was still running, but she didn’t seem able to reach them. Her weapon was shaking in her hand, but when she tried to holster it, she couldn’t seem to do it. Then she saw the blood running down her left arm. That probably explained why she was moving in slow motion. In fact, she wasn’t really moving at all. She was kneeling in the middle of the street. That wasn’t what she wanted to do, but she was having trouble getting up.

“Officer down, officer down! Medics. We need medics, now,”

Reese shouted into her radio as she knelt next to Allie. “Take it easy, Allie. The medics will be here in a minute.”

“I don’t know why I’m bleeding,” Allie said quietly, confused.

“He didn’t hit me.”

Reese holstered her weapon and put an arm around Allie’s shoulders. She eased Allie back against her chest and, using her fingers, pressed closed the wound in Allie’s upper arm that pumped blood at a steady cadence. “Looks like he winged you. You’ll be fine. Medics will be here in a second.”

• 195 •

RAdCLY fFe

Allie tilted her head back on Reese’s shoulder. “You have the most gorgeous eyes. I mean, like smoking sexy hot eyes.”

“Thank you,” Reese murmured.

“Is Bri okay?” Allie wondered why she sounded drunk.

“She’s good. Everybody’s good. You did fine today, Tremont.”

“I didn’t. I so didn’t,” Allie slurred. “I really fucked things up with Ash.”

“You can sort that out later,” Reese said.

“You think?” Allie whispered.

“Yeah, I’m sure of it. Just take it easy now.”

“That’s good. That’s good because I really…” Allie sighed and closed her eyes. “You’ll tell her, won’t you?”

“You bet.”

With Reese to keep her safe, Allie drifted off.

• 196 •

RetuRning tides

chapteR twenty-twO

Tory heard the approaching sirens and hurried out the clinic door. When she saw Reese climb out of the patrol car ahead of the EMS vehicle in the clinic parking lot, she faltered, her legs suddenly weak. Reese’s shirt was soaked with blood. “Oh my God! Reese!”

“I’m okay,” Reese called, “it’s Allie’s. GSW—left arm.”

The back doors of the EMS rig flew open and two medics jumped out with Allie on a gurney. One held an IV bag in the air as he ran alongside the stretcher.

“Vital signs?” Tory asked as she stepped aside for them to get through the clinic door.

“Pulse ninety, BP one thirty. She’s in and out. Better since we got some fluid into her.”

Allie turned her head and her eyes fluttered open. “I want to go home.”

“Oh, I love cops,” Tory muttered, assessing the bandage on Allie’s arm as she followed the medics into the clinic. A three-inch splotch of bright red marked the center of the white gauze. Fresh bleeding.

“Treatment room two.” She glanced at Reese as they went back together.

“You’re all right?”

“Fine.”

“Everyone else?”

“All good.” Reese grasped Tory’s arm to slow her down as they approached the treatment room. “I have to get to the station to take care of booking Everly. Let me know as soon as you’ve checked her out, okay?”

“I will. Has anyone called her mother?”

• 197 •

RAdCLY fFe

“Sorry. Not yet.”

“I’ll do it after I evaluate her. We may need to send her to Hyannis for a surgical evaluation.”

Reese nodded, her jaw tightening. “Call me. I’ll arrange an escort.”

“You’re sure you’re all right?”

“I’d rather it was me than one of mine on that stretcher.”

Tory skimmed her fingers along Reese’s jaw. “I know that. So do they. And that’s what matters.”

Reese smiled wryly. “Thanks for the reminder.”

“Happy to do it.” Tory kissed her cheek. “I’ve got to go. I’ll call you as soon as I know.”

v

Reese crossed to the small knot of officers congregated in one corner of the reception area. “She’s stable. Dr. King’s evaluating her now. It will be a while before we know anything, but I need volunteers to drive escort if she has to go to Hyannis.”

Three men and a woman immediately stepped forward. Reese smiled. “Two of you will be enough.” She pointed to two of the officers who were supposed to be off duty but who had answered the All Units call. She knew none of the officers were going to leave until Allie’s condition was known. “You two, stand by.”

“Yes ma’am,” they said in unison.

“I’m headed back to the station. Good job today, all of you.”

Ash Walker intercepted Reese just as she reached the door.

“Is it bad?” Ash asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” Reese said truthfully. Ash looked like hell—

pale, hollow-eyed, shaky. Recalling Allie’s somewhat incoherent conversation about Ash after she’d been shot, Reese surmised their relationship was in some kind of flux. She wasn’t absolutely certain that Allie really wanted her to say anything to Ash, and thinking back to Allie’s disjointed ramblings, she thought Allie might change her mind when she was awake. Just the same, Allie had wanted her to send some kind of message. “It looked to me like a flesh wound, but it was bleeding pretty good.”

Ash raked a hand through her hair and cast a wild look toward the

• 198 •

RetuRning tides

doors leading to the rear of the clinic and the treatment areas. “Jesus.

I wouldn’t ordinarily ask, but is there any way you can get me back there?” She let out a shaky breath and fixed Reese with tortured eyes.

“I’m pretty much going crazy out here.”

Reese took her arm and pulled her farther away from the officers, some of whom were regarding them quizzically. “I can’t right now.

Tory’s working on her. You know Tory won’t let anything happen to her. When Tory calls me with an update, I’ll tell her that you’re out here. If Allie is ready to see you and Tory clears it, I’m sure Tory will take you back.”

“Okay. Yeah. I get it.” Ash looked away. “I don’t even have the right to be here.”

“Look,” Reese said quietly. “Allie wanted me to tell you that…

well, I don’t know what she wanted me to say, really. She was rambling a little. But she asked for you.”

Ash jerked her gaze back to Reese’s. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. So just try to hang in there, okay?”

“I fucked things up, Reese.”

“Funny, that’s exactly what Allie said.” Reese squeezed Ash’s arm. “Look, I’ve got to go. And I’m not the best person to be giving relationship advice. But if Allie’s got a hold of you, inside where it counts, don’t let her go easy. Not unless she tells you straight out you’re done.”

“Okay,” Ash whispered, looking as if Reese had just thrown her a lifeline. “Okay.”

v

Ash followed Reese outside and sat down on the top step of the small landing in front of the clinic. She really needed to get some air and clear her head. Reese said it didn’t look too bad. Her arm. Thank God it hadn’t been a body shot. Christ, she hadn’t even been wearing a vest. What was she thinking? Young and crazy and brave. Ash tried to put the thought of losing Allie out of her mind as she half focused on an EMS vehicle pulling into the gravel parking lot. At this rate, Tory was going to need more doctors to staff this place. She stiffened when the blonde from the bar—no, Allie’s girlfriend, not just some bar pickup—