Page 81 of Run

“I called Rachel.” Harvard stared at the bloodstains on his suit. “She said she’d grab Joe and Julia and get to the hospital. Never heard her that upset.” He gave them a wry smile. “She told me that Ryan’s the only member of the team who can take her attitude and not get hurt, upset, or vindictive. Not to mention, he can give as good as he gets. There aren’t many people in her life who interact with her the way Ryan does.”

David watched the organized chaos of the techs working the crime scene. He was as worried about Ryan as everyone else, but time was ticking for Elle too.

“I need to go after Elle,” he said quietly.

They stood huddled in a corner, out of the way of the huge number of cops swarming the area.

“Aye,wedo.” Callum was firm, his eyes flint.

“That won’t work.” Although he found himself wishing he could take the team with him, despite being used to working alone. “Cops are going to want to question us. One missing team member is explainable, but the whole team walking out? Not so much. I can’t risk them chasing us straight to Tommy. He’ll kill her if he thinks the cops are charging in.”

“She’s important to us too,” Callum argued.

“And this is how you show that.” David wouldn’t be swayed. “Stay here, keep the cops occupied, and let me go in alone. I’ll call if I need you.” He reached for the gun tucked into the small of his back, being careful to keep it out of sight of the cops. “I need you to get rid of this.” He handed it to Harvard. “Used it to end one of Tommy’s guys.”

Harvard slipped it into his pocket. “I’ll wipe it and make sure the cops think it belongs to the gang.”

There was no need to ask if it was registered to David; they all knew it wasn’t.

Callum’s expression was thunder. “Hate sitting this out.” He took a breath. “You got a backup weapon?”

“I’ll find one.”

Callum lifted his shirt to reveal a belt holster. He took out the gun and slipped it to David. It was small but effective and better than nothing.

“It’ll do until you get something else.” Callum scanned the area as he spoke. Aware that they had a couple more minutes at most before someone became curious about their huddle.

“How you gonna find her?” Harvard said.

“I bought half a dozen of those digital tracking disks you put on your keys so you can find them. I hid them all over everything she wears. They’re under the insoles of her boots, inside the casing of her laptop, sewn into the waistband of her jeans. They aren’t as good as our usual tech, but they work.” He held up his phone. “I know exactly where she is.”

“Sneaky bastard,” Callum muttered with approval. “Guess I’m on distracting Tessa then. Well, she deserves it.” He was particularly angry with the cop because she’d taken away his prisoner before he could get any useful intel. “Be careful out there, and keep in contact. If we have to make a break for it to back you up, we will. Remember, you still have Joe. He’s waiting for your call. And, Knight? Keep in mind that there are people who won’t be happy if you end up in a bad way because you didn’t call for help. We’re a bloody team.”

David nodded, his throat strangely tight.

He watched as Callum strode toward the police commander. “Tessa, what the hell’s going on? We cannae stand around all day waiting for you to get to us. We’ve a seriously injured man, a woman with a concussion, and another who’s in danger and needs finding.”

Harvard gave David a chin lift before sauntering toward the car with the dead gang member. Obviously, he’d already decided on a place to dump David’s gun.

“No bloody way,” Callum roared, attracting everyone’s attention.

It was enough to allow David to slip behind the barrier and into the crowd. Although his hands had been rinsed clean, Ryan’s blood was on his clothes, blending with the black until only he knew it was there. Years of experience had taught him that black hid most of his sins, which is why he wore it all the time. Elle had been right: it was his uniform.

And didn’t that say everything about his life?

Two streets over, he helped himself to an old Ford Escort and joined the steady stream of London traffic. All the while keeping an eye on the screen of his phone and the dots that represented the woman he loved.

“Hold on, Ellie Blue,” he whispered. “I’m coming for you.”

It was as close to a prayer as he’d ever gotten.

* * *

Her kidnappers were takingElle home. That knowledge was like a bucket of cold water, jarring her out of the shocked daze that ensnared her.

“Bet you never thought you’d see this place again.” The guy sitting in the back with her chuckled. “You’re in for it now. Tommy don’t tolerate people betraying him. You’re gonna end up like your brother—in pieces.” He threw back his head, laughing louder and exposing his Adam’s apple.

Elle swung her arm, hitting him hard with the side of her fist. He clutched his throat, choking as he turned a fetching shade of purple. Just because she was small didn’t mean she hadn’t learned how to hit.