Page 4 of Code Trauma (Extreme Measures #1.5)

4

H olly clutched the door handle and tried not to scream again while Andy yanked the wheel and got the tires back onto the road. In the side mirror, she could see the car coming back for another hit.

“Andy—”

“I see him.” He waited until the last possible minute, and Holly braced herself for another crash.

Andy jerked the wheel to the right and pressed the gas to race up the exit ramp, escaping the second hit. The sedan’s engine roared, but Andy whipped the wheel one more time, then slammed on his brakes to spin out of the oncoming sedan’s path. The dark car roared past them and disappeared around the bend just ahead.

Andy muttered something under his breath as he shoved the truck into park.

“What?”

“The license plate number. I got it.”

He grabbed a pen from his console and wrote on his palm. He tossed the pen down and grabbed his phone. After identifying himself, he started barking orders. “I need a plate run. Yes, now, please. The person nearly ran me off the road.”

Breathe, Holly. Deep breath in ... slow exhale. They were alive and the danger was over. As long as the person didn’t come back. Andy hung up his phone. “Garrett Mann.”

“What?”

“The car belonged to the doctor.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” She pressed a hand to her head, thankful the incident hadn’t triggered any more pain. “But, honestly, Andy, while Garrett is a flirt and a player who skates right up to the edge of sexual harassment, I’d never picture him doing something like this.”

“Guess we’re going to find out. Cops are looking for him as we speak.” He hesitated. “As soon as they pick him up, they’ll bring him in for questioning. Do you feel like going to the police station?”

Did she? “Yes, sure. Why not?”

He checked the damage to his truck and announced it minimal, then got them back on the road heading toward the police station. “You think they’ll find Garrett today?” she asked.

“I would think so.”

She bit her lip. “No, I’ve changed my mind. For now, I guess just take me to the motel across the street from the hospital. Assuming you can find him and pick him up, you can question him and tell me what happens. I don’t need to see him—which means staying away from the hospital for the moment. Because if that was him in the car, he’ll have to get back to work so he has an alibi. And if I’m at base ...” She pressed a hand to her right temple. While her head wasn’t hurting too much, she simply wanted to lie down.

“That’s probably a good idea.”

“Sorry I’m being such a wimp.”

Andy reached over to snag her fingers in his. “You’re not a wimp, Holly, you’re hurt and need to rest. I’m an idiot for forcing you to do too much too soon.”

“You’re not an idiot.” She paused. “Well, not in this case anyway.”

He barked a short laugh. “I’m working on it.”

“Good.”

Within minutes, he had her checked into the motel and inside her room. With a gentle finger, he stroked her cheek, looking like he wanted to kiss her, then backed off with a sigh. “Get some sleep. We’ll talk when this is all over.”

“You mean really talk?”

“Yeah. Really talk.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

He handed her the overnight bag, which she set on the floor beside her while she watched him leave. Once he was out of sight, Holly shut and bolted the door, went to the nearest bed, and sat on it with a groan. Her head ached, and she grabbed the Motrin from her purse and took another pill.

But finally, she was safe.

She would stay here tonight and make arrangements for the townhome to be painted and cleaned up as soon as possible. With that in mind, she called the pastor at her church and asked for a recommendation for someone to take care of the chores. Once she explained what happened, he told her he’d take care of it.

“But I don’t expect?—”

“I know you don’t, Holly, but you’ve been a blessing and a help to more than one person in this church, myself included. Let us help you now.”

So, she’d agreed with a grateful heart, checked in with her family—without telling them what happened, and turned on the television.

With the news playing in the background, she pulled her iPad from her bag. She planned to read while she waited to hear back from Andy, but soon, her lids grew heavy. She set the iPad aside and stretched out on the bed. Okay, so she’d sleep a little.

She’d just drifted off when her phone buzzed.

She grabbed it from the end table. Dr. Kirkpatrick. “Hello?”

“Holly, I just wanted to call and check on you.”

“I’m doing okay. Headache has eased and, to be honest, I could have probably finished my shift.”

“I’m so glad to hear you say that. Do you think you could come back in?”

She sat up. “Probably. Why?”

“We’re short a nurse practitioner. Janine just got a call that her son has the flu, so she has to leave, and Hank is still on vacation.”

“Um ... yeah. Give me about thirty minutes to get there.”

“Of course. Hopefully, we won’t have a call before then.”

“I’ll shoot for twenty minutes.”

“You’re the best, Holly.”

She hung up and texted Andy.

Going in to work. I’ll just have to avoid the ER and anywhere I might run into Garrett.

I should have texted you. Mann is in custody. You should be safe for now.

Relief kept her rooted to the bed for a few seconds before she stood and headed for the shower. She probably still had blood in her hair and needed to freshen up. She glanced at the clock. She could do this—she just had to walk across the street to base. And she’d make sure she was walking with someone in the same direction, just to be safe.

* * *

“I’m telling you, you’ve got the wrong guy.” Dr. Garrett Mann crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair.

Andy watched through the two-way mirror while the sheriff tried to wring a confession from the doctor. Only he wasn’t budging. “Someone stole my car. And I was at the hospital during the time you say I was running that guy off the road.”

“We’re checking your alibi. Until we get some answers, you want to tell us about your relationship with Holly Cooper?”

“Relationship?” He snorted. “It’s strictly professional.”

“So, you’ve never asked her out?”

The doctor sighed. “Yes, I’ve asked her out. She said no, that she was in love with someone else. End of story.”

Andy’s heart flipped at the thought of Holly saying she loved him. She hadn’t given up on him just because he’d acted like a jerk.

One of the deputies slipped into the conference room being used as the interrogation room and passed a note to the sheriff.

Sheriff Lewis read it and frowned. He looked up at the mirror. “Alibi is solid. And the stolen car report is there just like he said.”

Dr. Mann stood. “Now, may I please leave and get back to work?”

“Yes. Thank you for your time.”

He left, and Andy’s heart chilled. “I need to get back to Holly. If Mann’s not the one we’re after, the person threatening Holly is still out there.”

The sheriff nodded. “You’d better give her a heads-up.”

Andy headed for the exit, snagging his phone from his pocket. Still walking, he called Holly. When it went to voice mail, he texted her.

Mann isn’t the guy who’s threatening you. Stay on guard. I’m heading to the hospital. You’ve got a bodyguard until all of this is resolved.

Her response was almost immediate.

I’m headed for the chopper. We got a call. Will text when I’m back.

His adrenaline surge abated a fraction. As long as she was in the air, she was safe.

At least from someone who intentionally wanted to hurt her.