Page 39 of Now Until Forever
Great. They were on their own here, at least for now.
The only thing he could think to do might make the situation worse. But he prayed for a second, the words leaving his lips just as the woman in cuffs leaned over and bit the zip-tied man on the side of his neck.
“Amen.”
Carlos pulled his gun from its holster, thumped the safety off, and pointed it into the air. “I am so going to get suspended for this.”
He fired a single shot into the air, and in the second after it, everyone hesitated.
He yelled, “Down on the ground!” Followed immediately by, “Everyone, down on the ground. Right now.” He let his voice ring loudly, authority in his tone. Half talking to the police andcivilians around him. All of them needed to take a breath and calm down.
Carlos threaded through the crowd, pushing down on each individual shoulder. Jogging the person out of their stupor and saying as he passed, “On your knees. Everyone here, get on your knees. You are all under arrest.”
One of the guys started to come at him, swinging his fist.
A police officer he didn’t know grabbed the man’s arm and got him on his knees. Carlos couldn’t worry about the effects of whatever happened in those canisters altering the man’s perception and the officer’s response. Right now, he just needed to keep everyone safe.
He kept moving, speaking as he walked. “On your knees. Everyone, down on your knees.” Along the way, he spotted a couple of raw scratches. More than one person had torn clothes or a split lip.
When he reached his partner, he said, “See those two over there?” He pointed to the man and woman in restraints. “Make sure they don’t hurt each other.”
Halstood looked a little excited at the prospect of dealing with the biter, but at least he’d separate them in some fashion.
“Sit down.” Carlos kept issuing orders, establishing that he was in control—at least in the minds of these people—and continued walking. “Settle in and take a breath. We’re going to get you medical attention.”
He spotted two guys close together. That was a bite about to happen. “Hey!” He kicked between them, swinging his leg in the open space. Both men flinched, and he knew he’d got his point across. “Hands, and anything else, are kept to yourself. Understand?”
Carlos grabbed his radio and called in his suspicions about the canisters releasing some substance that altered people’sstate of mind and made them violent, passing on the information so it could hopefully help someone else.
A fire alarm started in a nearby building, the sound echoing across the street. He kept an eye on the group he had under control. What he wanted to do was look back and see if he could spot Eliana in a window of the museum.
After what had happened yesterday, he thought he might be making progress on getting her to forgive him so they could, hopefully, build something better than animosity between them. But he really did need to find Luci before he could worry about that.
Carlos scanned the group, watching for signs that things might erupt again. Other cops stood around the periphery, keeping an eye out. He would also have to make sure fingers stayed clear of triggers.
“No one is badly hurt so far,” he told them. “Let’s keep it that way.”
He continued looking at each person, his attention alighting on a woman with dark hair. It shone in the light the way his did, falling forward to hide her face.
How had he not seen this woman before?
She had a white nightgown thing on, long enough it covered her knees but leaving her arms bare. She kept her head bowed. Not looking up. Not looking at anything.
Luci.
Carlos picked his way between a couple of older men, then skirted the edge of the group so he could get near her. “Luci! Luci!”
She didn’t look up.
He reached down and clasped her elbow, hauling her to her feet. “Luci!”
She lifted her gaze, but it wasn’t his sister. It wasn’t even a woman, it was a slender man with dyed black hair. He hissed in Carlos’s face.
Carlos stumbled back.
One of the other cops passed him, taking his place, and got the guy to sit again.
Carlos paced away a couple of steps and ran his hands through his hair. Then he patted every pocket and pouch he had, taking inventory. Centering himself in who he was, and the job he’d come here to do. The authority given to him with this shield he wore.
