Page 39 of Legends: Easton (Legends of Fire Creek #3)

The unknown explosion threw Bailee to the floor, and an unsecured Easton fell on top of her.

She heard a moan and wasn’t sure if it came from her or Easton.

It took her a moment to gain enough momentum to roll them until Easton was on his back.

Pieces of the ceiling rained down on them, and she covered her head with her arms while stretching her body over Easton to protect him.

She peered under her arm to see Melvin crawling to Sabra’s side.

His shirt rode up, revealing the gun tucked in his waistband.

That gun was hers, the one he’d taken when he’d searched her, but Bailee couldn’t be sure if he had the other gun as well, the one he’d pulled on her.

Melvin removed the gag from Sabra’s mouth and started pulling at her ties to break them.

Bailee wasted no time jumping to her feet and pulling Easton up. He rolled his head until he started into her face.

“I need you to stand. We have to get out of here.”

Easton leaned against her as he struggled to his feet. Bailee was strong and in shape, but Easton was heavy against her, making moving quickly an impossibility. They hobbled to the door, and Bailee prayed they reached it before Melvin freed Sabra and realized what they were doing.

Bailee reached for the doorknob but was inches from touching it before Melvin’s voice rang out.

“Don’t!”

Bailee turned, positioning herself in front of Easton. She glared at Melvin, aware that he pointed the gun not at her vest but at her head.

Melvin’s mouth twisted in a sneer. “You thought your little explosions would give you an escape?”

“I expected a distraction mostly. But that last one?” She smirked at him, and she liked seeing the doubt that sparked in his eyes. “That wasn’t me.”

Bailee felt the gun slip from her waistband followed by a double tap on her shoulder.

She bent at her waist, leaning out of the way, as gunshots rang out one right after the other.

She righted herself in time to see Melvin drop to the floor.

Blood spread across his chest, and his eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, all the life gone from them.

Easton lowered the gun as his knees buckled beneath him. Bailee rushed over to use her body to support him, gently pulling the gun from his hand.

“No!” Sabra’s scream was ear-splitting, sending a chill down Bailee’s spine.

Sabra rushed over to Melvin and collapsed beside him. Her wails filled the room as she clung to his lifeless body.

“Come on,” Bailee murmured.

Her priority was to get Easton out to safety. Though it went against her law enforcement training not to secure the criminals first, she would come back for Sabra later. She needed Easton out of harm’s way before she could do her job. He’d sacrificed too much for her not to put his needs first.

“No!”

Sabra’s scream was different this time. Bailee jerked her head up to see the woman reach for Melvin’s gun. Bailee dropped Easton to the floor and pointed her own weapon at the same time as Sabra stood with the gun drawn.

“Drop it, Sabra! It’s over.”

“You killed him! You killed her!”

“No, Sabra. Not me. You know it’s not me who’s responsible, so drop your weapon before you force me to do something we both regret.”

“It’s all your fault! You bitch! You ruined everything!”

The next several seconds were a blur. The door behind Bailee burst open. Two other figures hustled into the room and surrounded Sabra with their automatic weapons.

“Drop the gun!”

“Down on the ground! Now!”

Before Bailee could react, strong arms closed over the top of hers, lowering her weapon and subduing her.

“Bailee, it’s Luke. Stand down.”

She didn’t fight him, and she saw that Sabra was shaken enough to do what they demanded without resisting. The gun clunked to the ground, and Sabra collapsed to her knees with her hands raised.

Sobs wracked her body, and her wails chilled Bailee’s blood. She watched Ben rushed forward to secure her hands. Once Sabra was bound, Jackson checked for Melvin’s pulse, and Bailee snapped out of her trance.

“Oh, my God! Easton! Luke, we have to get him to a hospital. He’s hurt. He’s barely conscious.”

She struggled against Luke’s hold as her gaze fell on Easton’s crumbled form. Easton met her eyes, and she almost sagged with relief to see him conscious and alert.

“She’s hurt.”

“What?” Bailee spoke before she realized Easton wasn’t talking to her. He spoke to his brother.

“Bailee,” Luke loosened his hold and stepped around to look at her. “Your arm.”

She shook her head. “I don’t…”

Then she suddenly registered the sting at her bicep. She stared incredulously at the bullet wound, trying to remember when she’d been shot. The bullet had gone through the tissue, leaving a gaping hole that oozed blood. Her clothes were coated.

“Melvin shot at us. I thought he hit Easton, but he didn’t so I never realized...It’s nothing,” she insisted, almost robotic. “Please take care of Easton. I’m fine.”

Sirens sounded in the distance. Bailee could feel her adrenaline start to wane. Her legs were wobbly, but she refused to collapse. Easton needed her to hold it together. He needed medical attention before she did.

“Luke, please. Take care of him.”

“Okay. I got him.”

With his weapon shifted to his back, Luke reached for his brother, hauling Easton across his shoulders in a fireman’s carry. He hurried out of the room, and Bailee turned to see Ben leading a weeping Sabra out of the room, yelling profanities at Bailee as she went.

Jackson appeared at her side, his hand on her elbow. “Come on, Bailee. Let’s get out of here.”

She nodded, but her limbs felt too heavy to move.

“Bailee.” Jackson nudged her.

She peered into his face. Spots appeared in her vision. Her head spun, suddenly feeling too heavy for her neck to support. Her legs buckled, and she fell to the ground before she succumbed to the darkness.

∞∞∞

Bailee’s eyes fluttered open, and she took a moment to gaze around the room as far as she dared without making her headache worse. She was still in the emergency room unit, judging by the curtain giving her privacy. Shifting her weight in the bed, she winced at the pain radiating through her arm.

The bullet wound had been stitched and bandaged, and her other cuts and bruises had been treated with antiseptic and ice to reduce the swelling.

The doctor insisted on IV antibiotics to reduce the possibility of infection.

Looking at the bag hanging beside her, she only had a few minutes left of that before she could be discharged.

Once she sat up straighter, she looked over at her Gran, who occupied the chair next to her bed. Darby Anne watched her in silence, fatigue clouding her eyes. Bailee smiled slightly at Gran, pleased to see her safe and unharmed.

“Good to see you awake, Bailee Anne.”

“I told you not to stay. You have to be tired and probably hungry.”

“I know what you told me. Didn’t mean I was going to do it. How are you feeling?”

Bailee shrugged. “As well as can be expected. Any news?”

“They took Easton into surgery. He has some internal injuries they want to repair. Becky said his condition is critical. The boys have checked in on you. We promised to keep each other posted.”

Bailee looked away, concern squeezing her heart. She’d rode in the ambulance with Easton, so she knew he’d lost consciousness again along the way. The paramedics kept him stabilized, but she could see by the grave looks on their faces that Easton’s injuries were severe.

Once they arrived at the hospital, everything was a blur.

She and Easton were separated. Each saw nurses and doctors, had IVs started and blood drawn, and vitals monitored.

At some point, Darby Anne appeared and hadn’t left, though Bailee insisted she go home.

She asked about Roxy and was assured her dog was being cared for.

Roxy probably thought she’d been abandoned again, giving Bailee another reason to feel guilty.

“Stop it, Bailee Anne.”

She turned her eyes back to her grandmother. “Lecture time, Gran? Because I doubt you could say anything I’m not already thinking right now.”

“You did nothing to earn a lecture or the self-deprecating thoughts you’re entertaining.

You’ve had a rough time of it. You’re allowed to feel sad or angry or frustrated.

Hell, you can even feel like giving up. But you are not to feel responsible for anything that has happened today or any day before this.

You’re a cop, Bailee Anne. You see rotten things and deal with rotten people and watch innocent people get hurt.

That doesn’t make you at fault. It makes you determined to right the wrongs as best as you can, but even you have limitations.

Accept those. Feel guilt only for the actions you can control. ”

Tears pricked Bailee’s eyes. “They kidnapped Easton because of me.”

“They kidnapped Easton because they were too stupid and too evil to know better.”

Her grandmother’s assessment brought a faint smile to her lips. “I didn’t even learn all the answers. The only reason I even found Easton was because I’d been there before. I figured you, or Mom and Dad, or Adam would be targets, not Easton. Some detective I am.”

“Good Lord, Bailee Anne! You’re not perfect.

No one is. Instead of trying to figure things out on your own, if you would have trusted the ones around you who care for you, you would have found more answers.

The boys never stopped trying to find out what was going on.

Easton is their family, so they weren’t going to be pushed to the side because you chose not to involve them. ”

Bailee sighed. “I didn’t shut them out, Gran. I knew they’d find us and come for us. I counted on it actually.”

Darby Anne frowned. “So why run off? Why make it difficult for them?”