Page 40 of Now Until Forever
Halstood came over. “You good, brother?”
Carlos nodded. “That was crazy. I thought he was…someone else.”
He didn’t want Halstood to take the bait of Carlos saying the guy looked like his sister.
Carlos shook his head. “Whatever was in those canisters is nuts.” His head swam, but he had to keep it together.
The radio on his shoulder erupted to life. “Six-Five, come back.”
He grabbed it. “Six-Five here. Situation under control.”
“Be advised, units on their way to you.”
“Copy that.” He did a quick head count. “We have a lot of people who need medical attention.”
“Understood, Six-Five.”
Carlos looked from Halstood to the other cops. “We should load the ones we can into our units.” There weren’t enough ambulances in the county to take everyone, and clearly some or even all were in use.
His partner blew out a breath. “Gonna be a long afternoon.”
Carlos nodded. “At least no one got hurt.”
“Who knows, the day is still young.” Halstood laughed, wandering off to assist the person closest to him.
Carlos stood watch, aware he had taken command of the scene, even though he wasn’t the most senior cop here. Halstood would either write that up as a good thing, or recommend him for a reprimand or suspension. Then again, he might write it up so he got all the credit for Carlos’s actions.
As long as someone figured out what had been in those canisters, Carlos didn’t care what happened to his career.
Chapter Fifteen
The elevator doors opened, but Eliana didn’t move. She held the knife in front of her and rose slowly, Tony facing her. A heartbeat the only space between him either backing off or coming at her—and getting stabbed.
Her breath caught in her throat. She reached out with her free hand and found the rail that went around the elevator, worked her way to the panel, and looked at it long enough to find the button to hold the doors open.
The last thing she wanted was to be stuck in this box with the guy who’d dragged her in here.
She had no phone. No weapons but this knife.
It wasn’t like security in this museum actually had to subdue anyone. Ever. She didn’t even carry a stun gun, just a set of keys. And while those could injure someone, they weren’t exactly lethal.
“Out.” She jerked the knife toward the door.
Her hair still hurt, her scalp stung. Her head was just one mass of throbbing pain. Even calling the police or trying to get backup here wouldn’t help. It might actually make this all so much worse.
She took a side step toward the door, aware that the doors would close anyway before long. They wouldn’t stay open forever.
Tony dove at her. On a reflex, she moved the knife away from him. He grabbed her, and the blade glanced across the front of his bicep. He roared, grabbing her with a punishing grip and shoving her out of the elevator.
Her foot caught, and they tumbled onto the floor just outside the elevator car. Eliana cried out, and the knife skittered across the floor to hit the wall.
They weren’t alone.
“Get him off her.”
She tried to turn her head to see who was there, but Tony’s weight held her down.
Someone lifted him from on top of her, and she scrambled around, sitting up in the process. Breathing hard. Every bit of her body thrummed in pain like she was one giant bruise. How did her motherdothis?
