The Boot - Next Steps (Book 2)

Chapter Fourteen

A/N: Sorry, this is a bit of a filler chapter however I felt that it was important to give a little background on what was going on with Tim before he found Lucy as it explains why he reacted the way that he did - but don't worry, I've got some big things planned for the upcoming chapters - but I wanted to at least get something out today for you guys, so I hope this is okay :)

TIM'S POV

The entire way back to the station I'm fuming. It's as though every inch of my body was on fire, ready to, at any given moment and without any further warning... simply... spontaneously combust.

It's her first day back and she's already putting herself in harms way. I have no idea what went down before I got there, but as a highly trained officer I was easily able to discern at least a general idea of said events which had prior unfolded.

I was on my way to the hospital with Sasha when I got a call from Sergeant Gray. He told me that Lucy had volunteered to be on the team to look into Alejandro's known associates. Even fresh-out-of-the-academy rookies could easily tell that's a dangerous situation to be in. The fact that it's her first day back and she's pregnant... what was she thinking?

After that, I drove to Wesley and Angela's house, and luckily Wesley was home. I gave him a brief explanation and asked if he'd be willing to keep an eye on Sasha. He agreed. So I left her with him and booked it to the address that Sergeant Gray had given me as quickly as I could.

I was only a few blocks away when I heard a gunshot, the sound originating from the exact direction I was trying to go. After many years of practice, I've gotten pretty good at telling how close or far away a gunshot is, and based on that it became clear to me immediately that it was as far away from me as I was from the address. And it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together.

I sped up a little, admittedly going a tad bit over the speed limit, but I just knew that I had to get there as fast as humanly possible.

Once I finally pulled into the clearing, my stomach is filled with dread as my eyes landed on a few black motorcycles with nothing else on them aside for a symbol on the right side of each that I knew all too well. A bright red lotus. Alejandro's mob calling card. They're already inside.

I hardly even put my car in park before throwing my seatbelt off and all but leaping out of the car, sprinting insanely fast to the house. I wanted nothing more than to kick the door down, to assert dominance over whoever dared threaten my girl. But deep down, years of police instinct kicked in, and I knew better. This isn't the type of situation where an intense entrance is the way to go. These are the types of people who don't need much cause to do something. Even something as simple as myself kicking the door down could be all these people need to set off a grenade. They don't think logically, which means I had to do so even more.

I wait and listen, mildly alarmed when I hear absolutely nothing. For a moment, I'd thought that I had heard a faint shuffling, but quickly realized that it was coming from the bush behind me. A quick glance at the source of the sound which turned out to be a bunny told me all that I needed to know. I was going to have to go in blindly. I had to prepare myself for the possibility of literally anything.

Slowly and carefully, I opened the door. I walked forward just a few steps and that was when I saw it. Angela and Aaron each had a perp in handcuffs, and right in front of me, on the floor, I saw Lucy, covered in what I desperately hoped was someone else's blood. She was on the ground, pinning the third perp to the floor. My eyes drift to her hand which based on its positioning I gather must be what she used to break her fall. It's clearly in rough shape. Although not sticking out of her skin, you could see where her bone is broken, causing a deformed wrist. Her wrist was badly swollen and already turning a dark, almost black, purple color.

I couldn't believe that she would put herself in harms way like that. I wanted nothing more than to check on her, to make sure that she was okay. But in the moment, something came over me, and I only felt rage. Not at her, at least, not directly. But at the situation. I knew that I needed to get out of there before I did or said something I would regret.