‘Let her go,’ Cody growled. Fury was building inside him. ‘Incapacitating her isn’t going to change a thing.’ It was obviously a painful hold. Her throat was going to hurt for days. He gritted his teeth. It was crazy to think anyone would have to deal with an assailant in a place where people came to get fixed up, but it happened.
Another man threatening a woman on his watch, though? No, it wasn’t happening again.
‘You think I won’t use this? Huh? Want to see what happens when a bullet goes through brain matter?’ Lowlife laughed, a hideous sound that must’ve been heard throughout the department and made Cody’s skin crawl.
But it was the shock in Harper’s eyes that really got to him. She probably hadn’t encountered anything quite like this before, while he had. He had held his wife in his arms while she’d died of a knife wound to her heart. He’d been unable to halt the life draining out of her that day—had felt so useless, so helpless. Which was why the quiet evil about this man tightened his gut and had him fearing for Harper. That fear vied with anger. Nothing he said or did helped Harper while she was trying to help her patient. She did not deserve to be held to ransom. Or worse. Evil had no boundaries.
All the things he hated about bullies and nasty SOBs burst through him, and it took every ounce of self-control not to leap on the guy and take him down. That would really help the situation. Not. He’d probably get Harper killed in the process. He would not face that again. Once in a lifetime was once too often. He had to be careful; acting impulsively only led to disaster. ‘Let’s be sensible here. Dr White cannot save Mick’s life while you’re holding her.’ Damn, but he hated grovelling.
‘Who says we need to save the useless piece of garbage? I only want my drugs out.’
Jeez. Cody rammed his fingers through his hair. This guy didn’t deserve to be breathing. ‘Still need the doctor for that.’ Though Lowlife probably had his own knife strapped somewhere on his body; Cody had no illusions about the man getting his merchandise back himself. Which only underlined the dire situation they were all in.
Harper blinked at him. Mouthed something he couldn’t read. Her eyes tracked sideways towards the head of the bed.
The monitor? Reluctant to take his eyes off Lowlife while he held that gun to Harper, Cody quickly glanced sideways and saw the flat line on the screen. Mick Frew had gone into cardiac arrest. He hadn’t even heard the changed electronic sound; he’d been so focused on the doctor and her captor.
Cody needed to act quickly before anyone else rushed in to help and found themselves in this dangerous situation. He immediately hit in the centre of Mick’s sternum with his clenched hand, watching the screen intently. The flat line continued. Another thump and he said as calmly as possible, ‘Paddles, Jess.’ It wasn’t Mick’s condition churning his gut, but Harper’s. Dealing with this cardiac arrest wasn’t going to quieten Lowlife any, but no way could he ignore their patient either.
Thankfully Jess already had the paddles in her hands, even if she was staring at Harper.
As he shoved the paddles firmly onto Mick’s exposed chest, he couldn’t stop thinking about the doctor behind him. She was amazing, more concerned about their patient than her own life. She’d read the monitor, or heard it go into that monotone that went with lack of heartbeats, and had tried to let him know even when her windpipe was being squashed. She was some lady. Careful, pal. Don’t get too impressed. You’d hate to follow that up with something more caring.
He held the paddles in place and said urgently, forcefully, ‘Stand back.’
‘Want to get closer, doc?’ Lowlife chuckled.
Cody froze. Never before had he heard such an evil chuckle. It was a match for that hideous laugh. He tried for reasoned and calm. Tried very hard. Snarled, ‘Stand back. If the doctor gets zapped, so will you.’ Dumb idiot. Hadn’t thought of that, had he?
Behind him Harper was hauled back so fast she lost her balance and fell into the man behind her, who also lost his balance.
The hand holding the gun wavered, the fingers tightening as Lowlife struggled to remain upright.
The air stuck in Cody’s chest as he waited for the explosion as the trigger was inadvertently pulled. It didn’t happen.
Instead, Harper dropped lower, fell to the floor. Deliberately? Lowlife no longer had her by the throat, or the gun at her head. Cody sprang forward, his shoulder aimed directly for the assailant’s chest. They went down together, sprawling across the floor while the gun spun out of reach.
Harper crawled after the weapon as Cody worked at subduing Strong by flipping him on to his stomach and planting a knee in the small of his back. ‘Don’t even bother trying to get away.’ Sometimes it was a bonus being a big man, Cody admitted as he looked around for Harper.
She was standing now, holding the gun as though it was about to go off and shoot her. Her hands were shaking and her eyes were wide with shock.
Cody’s heart squeezed for her.
Jess called from the bed in a terrified voice, ‘Still no sign of cardiac function.’
Harper blinked, shook her head abruptly and shoved the gun into the waistband of her scrubs. Rushing across to pick up the paddles from where Cody had dropped them moments ago, she instructed, ‘Stand back,’ and delivered a jolt of electricity. And another, and another.
‘Jess,’ Cody called as the man under his knee squirmed and started swearing loudly. ‘Go get help. Let everyone know we’ve got Strong under control, but as soon as the police arrive I’m more than happy to hand him over.’
Harper was zapping Mick like her life depended on it. ‘Come on. Don’t leave us now.’ Tears ran down her cheeks and her bottom lip trembled.
‘Harper. Stop.’ Cody desperately wanted to go and wrap his arms around her, take away some of the shock presumably making her react like that. As if he’d get away with doing that. Even in the circumstances he knew Dr Harper White would not thank him for showing her concern—especially in front of the staff. Her reputation for being strong, solid and independent went before her, and in the week he’d been working here he hadn’t seen anything to negate it.
Suddenly the room was full of gun-toting men dressed in the dark-blue overalls of the armed defenders squad and Cody relaxed for the first time in what seemed like hours but according to the wall clock was little more than ten minutes.
He couldn’t help himself prodding the man beneath him as he stood up. ‘You’re history.’ What he really wanted to do to the guy wasn’t going to happen even though the creep deserved every moment of pain for what he’d done to Harper White. The fear in her eyes would stay with him for a long time. And then the anger. She was something else; she really was.
As cops grabbed their man, Cody crossed to Harper. ‘It’s over, doctor.’
Her hands were shaking as he took the paddles from her. ‘Mick—he didn’t stand a chance.’
As her fingers oh-so-gently closed Mick’s eyes she said quietly, ‘I’m sorry, Mick Frew. I am so sorry.’ Then she slashed her sleev
e across her face. ‘Damn.’
Cody muttered around the road block in his throat, ‘We weren’t exactly given much of a chance.’
Watery eyes met his as her fingers went to her temples, rubbed hard. ‘Unfortunately you’re right.’ Then she straightened up to her full height, bringing her head to somewhere about his shoulder.
A few unruly curls had escaped the wide band meant to keep them in place and were now stuck to her moist cheeks. Cody’s fingers itched to be able to lift them away and tuck them behind her ears. But he didn’t dare. He already loved this job, and wasn’t going to spoil anything by getting offside with this particular doctor.
So why was he wrapping his arms around her and hauling her shaking body close to his? Because he needed to hold her against him. However briefly, whatever the outcome, he just did. Tucking her head against his chest, he dropped his chin on the top of her thick, soft hair and held her. Breathed in her scent of citrus and residual fear. Her being in his arms gave him strength, helped him settle his jittery muscles. He hoped he was giving the same back.
She’s a perfect fit for my body. The realisation banged through him, made him tense.
Made Harper lift her head and look at him with puzzlement beaming out at him from watery eyes. She sniffed once and plastered a tight smile on her mouth. ‘Let’s go face the second round. There’ll be questions from all directions.’
Slowly Cody unwound his arms from that warm body he shouldn’t be noticing in any way. From somewhere deep he found a smile that was entirely for her. ‘You did good, doctor. Really good.’
CHAPTER TWO
REALLY? I DID a good job? Of what? Harper asked herself as she stepped out of Resus One. Their patient was dead, the assailant had been taken down by Cody and she felt like a toddler who’d just had a huge sugar fix. The shaking had started in earnest now that she had nothing to focus on. That impending migraine had also become reality.