RUTHIE ROLLED AWAY FROM THE MAN who now lay on the ground. Isaac’s bullet had hit its mark. Trembling, she reached out and pressed her fingers against his neck. A faint pulse beat. “We need an ambulance!” She wanted him to live. So he could face a lifetime in prison. Death was too easy for him.
Paramedics who’d been given the green light to approach rushed over and dropped next to Lansing. “I’m a doctor. Get me his vitals.” Ruthie shouted orders as though she were in the comfort of her operating room. The paramedics worked quickly and got Lansing loaded into the ambulance.
They took off, and Ruthie found herself enveloped in a one-armed hug, her nose buried in Isaac’s hard chest. For a moment, she simply stood there and soaked in the comfort being offered. “I should have gone with him.”
“No, they’ll take care of him.”
“They can do everything I could have done if I was with him, right?”
“Yes, Ruthie.”
She sucked in a deep breath. “I think I might be a little rattled, but I’m entitled, aren’t I? I mean, I did get held at gunpoint several times today. Surely I get a pass—no, I should have gone with him.”
He gave her a light shake. “It’s okay. You did all you could. They’ve got it.”
“Right. Of course.”
“So. Are you okay?”
“I think so. Yes.” She glanced at her hands and grimaced. “I would prefer not to have that man’s blood all over me, but yes, I’m okay.”
He waved a paramedic over who’d just driven up in a second ambulance. “You have something she can wash the blood off with?”
“Yeah. Hold on a second.”
When he returned, Ruthie scrubbed her hands and arms, then used the proffered towel to dry them. “Thanks. That feels so much better.”
Isaac hugged her again like he didn’t want to let her go. She found she was okay with that idea.
“Ruthie?”
She looked up to find Brady standing next to them, eyeing her and Isaac. She slipped out of Isaac’s embrace to wrap her arms around her brother’s waist. “You got her. You got them all, right?”
“We got them.”
“And the kids? I could hear them crying. I hate that they had to see her get arrested.”
“They’ll be all right. Social services is on the way. I heard someone say something about grandparents in Florida. You know the drill. While they’re waiting on the relatives to get here, they’ll have the kids see a counselor immediately and will let them see their mom as soon as it can be arranged.”
“As weird as it sounds, I think she was a good mother. She really seemed to love those kids.”
Brady scowled. “If she loved them, she wouldn’t have made the choices she made.”
“You really believe that?”
He sighed. “Some days. Other days, people like her just confuse me.”
“I think her motivation was in the right place, but everything else was mixed up.”
“You’re a softie, sis.”
“Maybe so.”
“Ruthie?”
She turned to see Isaac, face pale, hand pressed to his shoulder. “Yes?”
“I think I may have pulled my stitches loose.” When he removed his hand, his palm was covered in blood.
She gasped. “Oh no!” She hurried over to him and grabbed him by his good arm. “Let’s get you in the back of the ambulance so I can take a look.”
In the ambulance, Ruthie helped Isaac remove the sling and his shirt to expose the wound. It didn’t look nearly as bad as she’d feared. For that much blood, it must have been seeping for a good while. “Looks like you popped three. I can fix that right up.” She grabbed the nearest suture kit, disinfectant, and other items she needed. “Lie down. I’m going to give you a couple of shots to numb the area, and then we’ll take care of this.”
“What? Here?”
“Yep. Now be still.”
Brady appeared. “You have the flash drive?”
“I buried it,” she said.
“Where?”
Ruthie directed him where to find it. While she waited for the numbing medication to take effect, she watched her brother dig up the flash drive. He blew the dirt off and returned to the ambulance with a laptop. Nodding to Isaac, he inserted the drive into the USB port. “I figured you’d want to see this.”
“You figured right.”
“Is it all right if I sew while you watch?” Ruthie asked.
“Sure.”
A few clicks later, a video popped up on the screen. Brady and Isaac watched it while she worked.
“There.” Brady pointed at the screen. “There’s Sullivan slipping cash into a bag, and there’s Lansing doing the same. It’s all security footage that was scrubbed. I guarantee that if we went back and looked at the time stamps on the other footage, we’ll find it’s repetitious.”
“They made a loop,” Isaac said, then grunted when Ruthie tied off the last stitch.
“Yeah.” He removed the flash drive and turned to Isaac. “You did it.”
Isaac ran his good hand over his face and nodded. Then he looked at Ruthie. “We did it. I couldn’t have done it without your help.”
She smiled at him. “Always glad to support the blue.”
“You did a good job, Ruthie,” Brady said. “I don’t like that you put your life in danger, of course. And when Mom finds out the details—”
“Um, we don’t have to tell her those.”
Brady’s right brow shot up. “You really think you’re going to keep this from her?”
“We’re in North Carolina. She’s a chief in South Carolina. I think it would be very possible to keep this from her.”
He laughed. “You can try, but she’s got friends all over this state.”
Ruthie’s shoulders deflated. Brady kissed her cheek. “Now, I’ve got to go deal with Sullivan, that turkey Isaac trussed up.”
Brady left and Isaac let out a low, mournful sigh. “You know, when I took that oath all officers take when they decide to risk it all every day of their lives, I never once thought I’d be arresting those I considered my family—people I would have died for.”
“I know.” Ruthie brushed a stray lock of hair from his eyes. “It’s heartbreaking that there are those who’ll betray the badge, but those are few and far between.” She gave him a light nudge. “But you’re a hero. You just potentially stopped those stolen drugs from getting back out on the streets and in the schools.”
“That’s what it’s all about.” He nodded and gave her a half smile. “Being one of the good guys.”
“Exactly.”
But she knew this would hurt for a long time, especially when the media got hold of it. They would magnify the four who’d betrayed their oaths of honor and most likely play down the roles of those who’d risked their lives to bring them to justice.
It wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair, but she knew those who wore the badge would do it all over again tomorrow, regardless of their portrayal in the media. Then again, maybe the media would surprise her.
Brady led Sullivan from the trailer, the lamp cord replaced by cuffs. Sullivan favored his left leg, limping, his lips twisted into a tight grimace as Brady pointed him toward the police cruiser. Sullivan’s eyes caught hers, and he glared. She lifted her chin and narrowed her eyes, refusing to let him intimidate her.
Isaac’s hand wrapped around hers. She looked at him and smiled. “It’s over.”
“Yeah. It’s over, and I have one question for you.”
“What’s that?”
“Will you go out with me?”