Page 96 of Edge of Steele
Carla inserted the key in the motel door.
Finn’s adrenaline kicked in. He gripped the handle tighter.
She pushed the door open.
“Go. Go. Go.” Russ bolted from the car.
Finn made it out almost as fast as the sheriff, and he beat Ryleigh. They traveled left for the walkway to the room, he charged right, skirting the pool and a few landscape shrubs. He headed down the other side of the rooms until he reached the fourth from the end. In case someone passed by, he leaned casually against the concrete block wall serving as a fence for the property but kept his gaze sharp behind his sunglasses.
He watched the window and started counting down in his head.
One, one thousand.
Two, one thousand.
Three, one thousand.
On and on until he’d hit two-hundred-fifty. The window opened.
Hello. Game time.
He came to his feet. Ready for action if needed.
Carla got the window all the way open, punched the screen onto the ground, and tossed out a backpack. She slid her feet into the opening.
Finn stepped out of the shadows, silently making his way across the lot. He searched her for the telltale bulge of a weapon but saw nothing. Still, he retrieved his pistol from his ankle holster.
She came out feet first, her back to him.
He crept closer, only three feet behind her.
“Oomph.” She landed in a crouch but was on her feet in an instant and bending for her backpack.
“Hello, Carla,” he said, his adrenaline now flowing like a cold stream in Alaska and putting him on high alert. “Going somewhere?”
Ryleigh peeked through the window and into the slit in the curtains. Carla’s back disappeared into the bathroom as she bolted with her backpack into the space.
“She’s running. Stay here. I’m going to the back.” Ryleigh was glad she beat Russ to the punch and took off toward the back of the building. She hadn’t been on an op like this in too long, and her adrenaline was nearly swamping her. A run around the property would help burn some of it off.
She kicked it into gear and rounded the corner. She came to a screeching stop. Finn was approaching, holding Carla by the elbow, her backpack in his other hand. The woman’s face was narrowed and oozing frustration.
“Carla Nye?” Ryleigh asked.
She lifted her chin. “Yeah, so what?”
“So, I’m Deputy Ryleigh Steele, and I have some questions for you.” Ryleigh retrieved the handcuffs Russ had issued to her. “And these are in order since you’ve already tried to run.”
Carla frowned but didn’t argue when Ryleigh pressed the woman against the wall and slapped on the cuffs. Her jacket reeked of marijuana, and her hair was dirty and stringy.
She wasn’t under arrest, but Ryleigh wanted to know if she was armed. She patted the woman down and found a knife in a sheath at her ankle, which Ryleigh removed. She also took the room key from Carla’s pocket.
Ryleigh held up the knife. “Worried someone is going to hurt you?”
“Maybe.”
Ryleigh gave the knife to Finn and took hold of the cuffs to direct Carla toward her room, where they would question her. She glanced at Finn. “Thanks for the backup.”
“You ever need backup again, I’m your guy.” He smiled and it was intense and, might she say, possessive.
