Page 108 of Desperate Justice

Shouts of “Drop your weapon!” followed. Relieved, she glanced up and saw armed men wearing FBI and DEA flak jackets.

Ignoring them, she unplugged the wire to prevent anyone else getting hurt and then untied her sister. Diana tore out the gag and fell into her arms, sobbing.

“Hey, jellybean, it’s okay. I need to take care of Rafe now. You’re going to be fine.”

Quickly, Allison checked on Lucy on the sofa. No pulse. Not sleeping.

Sniffling, Diana ran to Paul. Allison had a moment of fear, thinking Diana still loved the guy...

“You bastard! I hope you rot in prison.” Diana kicked him between the legs.

Allison beamed. “Bull’s-eye!”

She raced to Rafe lying on the floor. Blood streamed from the wound. His skin was pale and clammy. She checked his pulse. Weak and thready. He was losing too much blood.

Ripping open his shirt, she assessed the wound. Allison sliced his shirt into strips and bundled them up to apply pressure to the stab wound. She listened to see if air escaped. He moaned.

“Sorry, babe. I know it hurts like hell, but I’m not going to let you bleed out on me.”

“Feels like he landed a hard punch to my chest,” he wheezed.

“He stabbed you, sweetie. Adrenalin dump. The pain is setting in. Have to keep you from shock. Di, grab that blanket on the sofa and find something to elevate his feet.”

While her sister did, Allison went into trauma mode. Didn’t matter that this was Rafe, her heart, her love. He was a patient and she had to save him.

“What can we do? Damn, Rafe, you should have waited.”

She glanced up at Sam’s worried face as the US Marshal lowered his shotgun. “Tell me what you need, Ally.”

“I need an ambulance, stat. Tell the EMTs Rafael has a penetrating chest trauma to the right upper quadrant. Checking him now for a pneumothorax.”

Diana draped the blanket over Rafe and placed her shoes on the floor, putting his feet atop them.

“We’ll need two ambulances.” Sam spoke into a shoulder microphone.

“Rafe gets the first ambulance. That bastard Paul can have a slow ride to the hospital,” she muttered.

Allison jerked her head toward the sofa. “And you’ll need the coroner. Lucy Martin is dead. Possible drug overdose.”

She stroked his sweat-dampened hair. “You’re not going to die on me, Rodriguez.”

Diana told the agents what happened. Allison listened as she treated Rafe.

“Paul came to the cabin that night you were gone, Ally. He wanted to elope that night. I was in my room, gathering my things when I overheard him in the living room talking in Spanish, so I snuck into the hallway to eavesdrop. He was talking with Lucy. They were still sleeping together. She was his mistress!” Diana sniffed. “He never realized I was eavesdropping.

“I was ready to tell him to go to hell when I heard him mention his uncle and I realized Paul was smuggling drugs. I knew if I went with him, I might never make it out okay. So when Paul came into the bedroom, I said I needed time to organize my things and I’d meet him at the hotel in Ashville.

“I left the veil for you, Ally, and the clues. I was hoping and praying you’d find me. I figured if you saw the blood on the veil and the ring, you’d know I was in serious danger.

“I hid in the old barn for a while, but he found me through my cell phone. Paul had placed a tracking app on my phone to know where I was at all times. He brought me here, and Lucy kept an eye on me. But she got stoned tonight and couldn’t pick up the bears. They needed a woman to make it less suspicious, so Marty, Marty held me at gunpoint and forced me to do it.”

As the EMTs rushed into the warehouse, pushing a stretcher loaded with equipment, Rafe opened his eyes. His breathing labored, his pain-wrenched gaze held hers.

She stroked his hair. “I’m here, Rodriguez. I’m not leaving you.”

Ever.

CHAPTER 25