Page 29 of Brick (Chosen Few #5)

Arnie nodded at Natalie then Brick as they entered his office. “Afternoon. Natalie, it’s good to see you again. I’m really happy you came in.”

“It’s nice to see you, too, Chief.” She gave him a weak smile.

“Have a seat.” He gestured at the two black leather chairs positioned in front of his desk. Behind Arnie’s chair was a bookshelf displaying several pictures and medals. A potted plant sat on the corner of the desk, and a large mug of coffee waited near his keyboard. “Can I get you anything?”

Brick shook his head. “No, thank you.”

“I’m good,” Natalie said. “I just want to get this cleared up as quickly as possible.”

Arnie gave a sympathetic nod. “I understand. I’d like to offer you a formal apology on behalf of our precinct. Proper protocols weren’t followed. Those accusations—” He shook his head. “I’m disappointed, to say the least.”

Brick studied the man’s tired, weathered face. He wanted to point out the kind of lawsuit Natalie could draw up against the department, but he pressed his tongue to the back of his teeth so as not to overstep. The last thing he wanted was to make things worse for Natalie, or make her uncomfortable.

“Yes, well. Keetan wasn’t happy I left him.”

Arnie’s mouth firmed. “Is that what happened to your eye?” His gaze inched toward Brick, and in it was a flash of warning.

Brick’s temper wanted to flare but hell, clearly the guy was looking out for Natalie.

“That’s correct.” She lifted her chin and crossed one leg over the other. “Actually, I need to file a police report. Keetan broke into my apartment, attacked me, and kidnapped Bray.”

Arnie’s eyes bulged. He glanced at Brick again, then refocused on Natalie. “What? I—”

“And he didn’t do it alone,” she added.

Arnie’s cheeks flushed with anger. He got to his feet and shut the door. Then he sat back in his chair, adjusted the desktop monitor, and tugged his collar away from his neck. “Let’s start at the beginning.”

***

Brick’s arm around Natalie’s shoulders was the only warmth touching her chilled skin as they made their way past the waiting area. She’d taken a huge step, but how her confession might change their lives was still unknown.

As soon as she’d walked into the police station, fear had seized her veins. Thankfully, Arnie had made things almost easy. He’d seemed genuinely stricken by the claims she’d made about Keetan. Finally, Keetan would pay for the abuse he’d inflicted upon her and Bray.

Brick had also recounted their experience of going to Keetan’s old home to retrieve Bray and finding his empty room, and mentioned that Ellie would testify as a witness if need be.

“Thanks for doing that,” she said softly, as they went outside into the sunshine. The breeze danced over her cheeks, and its subtle bite promised fall would soon arrive.

“For what?” he asked.

She nudged him with her shoulder. “For everything. Adding your own statement of what happened.”

“Just sharing the truth. I could tell it was hard for you to talk about Shelby.”

She nodded. Sadness washed over her again.

But more than that, shame. Keetan’s sister’s memory deserved transparency.

She just prayed it didn’t come at the cost of her losing Bray—of her son losing his mother just after finally getting both parents in his life.

“Arnie was pretty tight-lipped about Shelby’s case. That made me nervous.”

Brick gave her a comforting smile. “I’m sure he had to be. He couldn’t compromise a future investigation.”

She sighed. “Yeah. I guess I won’t be able to move anytime soon.”

“Don’t worry about that, okay? We’ll make it work.” His arm slid from her shoulders and he entwined his fingers with hers as they stepped onto the asphalt to walk across the parking lot.

She smiled, feeling the greatest sense of relief she’d experienced since that fateful day with Shelby. Movement in the corner of her eye made her gaze dart to the parked cars across the lot. The long, slim barrel of a gun was aimed at them. She sucked in a breath to scream, but Brick moved faster.

He took her to the ground as gunfire erupted.

Crack , crack , crack !

Glass rained down. Brick’s arms covered her head. Her cheek pressed into the unrelenting ground, and the concrete swallowed her shrieks. Brick’s curses reverberated next to her ear. His weight shifted, and his return shots shook her body.

Panic stung her like angry bees. The blast of bullets stopped and Brick quickly rolled off her.

“Get up, we’ve gotta move.” He caught her beneath her arms and hauled her to her feet behind his SUV.

He opened the driver’s-side door and hustled her inside.

The scent of leather hit her nostrils, mixing with the acrid taste of gunpowder and fear.

She scampered to the passenger seat, keeping her head down. Brick hauled himself inside and flipped open the center console. He removed his gun then stepped back onto the pavement.

Crack!

A bullet struck his shoulder. No! A cry tore from her chest. She dove across the vehicle, arms outstretched, as she watched him stagger. Another shot fired, but he ducked.

“Brick!” she cried.

The passenger door opened. Rough hands grabbed her calves and yanked her backward. She screamed as her knees hit the pavement. Brick’s gaze was wild as he reached for her.

Another gunshot clapped the air, but she didn’t see what happened. A rough hand slammed against her mouth, cutting off the shrieks coming from the depths of her heart.

“I’ve got you now, bitch,” she heard Keetan snarl, just before she was thrown into a waiting trunk.

The lid clanked shut, snapping her into darkness.