Chapter 7

Eddie opened her eyes to a cloud of white before her. The telltale burning in her eyes and throat confirming that the airbag had indeed deployed. She grimaced at the aches she felt throughout her body, but was relieved to be able to move all limbs without too much trouble. Eddie touched a spot on her forehead that ached and came away with bloodied fingertips. While reaching to unlatch her seatbelt, she caught sight of her partner out the corner of her eye.

"Reagan? Hey, Jaime?" she whispered, her voice coming out softer than expected. Eddie placed her hand on Jaime's right shoulder, afraid to do more than touch him should it cause him further injury. Although by the looks of it, the crash had done plenty of damage on its own.

The inside of the vehicle was dimly lit by the dashboard lights and the working lights that remained on the roof of their car. Eddie could see that the driver's side door had been crushed inward, almost tilting the seat to the right. The only thing that had kept him in place was the seatbelt. Eyes closed, his head was turned toward her revealing blood that still trickled from a laceration on his left temple along with more from his nose – blood that looked black in the gloomy interior. His left arm lay across the edge of the now broken window. Safety glass sparkled where it lay scattered across his uniform. He remained unconscious and unresponsive to her touch and words.

Eddie was pulled from any further attempt to rouse her partner by movement to the front of their vehicle. Turning forward, she saw the driver's door of the dark SUV open wide. A surge of adrenaline shot through her body, forgetting the pain she felt a moment ago.

The dark figure stepped out slowly, a weapon of his own aimed at the squad car. Eddie pushed her door open and scrambled out while drawing her weapon, positioning herself in the gap between the car frame and the door. "Freeze! Put your weapon down now or I will shoot!" she ordered.

Her words were ignored as he took a few short steps forward. The man was covered in a bulky overcoat and a hoody pulled over his head. "I said drop it!" Eddie blinked hard several times, trying to rid herself of the blood that had begun to dribble into her eye.

Seeing him take another step closer, Janko fired her weapon but not before the perp got a shot of his own off also - one that struck Officer Eddie Janko in the chest. She fell backwards, her gun falling to the ground. The perp stumbled back, the officer's shot hitting him high across the left arm, but he stayed on his feet. Waiting for movement from the fallen officer, but none came.

Jamie came back to consciousness and a world of pain. There was a roaring in his ears in rhythm with his heartbeat and his vision was a blur. He could make out shadowed movement in the direction he was facing but lacked understanding of what it was or what was happening. He closed his eyes for a few seconds to gather his bearings and when he opened them, his vision had cleared enough to make out his partner in a shooting stance outside their police car. He could hear her yelling but couldn't distinguish the words. He tried to call out for her when all of a sudden he saw her body jerk backwards and fall away.

He gasped in surprise which awoke a deep seeded pain in his chest. Eddie. That was all he could think. She'd been shot. The way she fell was of someone that'd been shot. No, no, no, no, no, no. Not again. His heart began to race. He struggled to move, but a groan escaped his lips as sharp pain flared up his left arm, useless where it lay across the car door. His legs were wedged under the steering wheel and dashboard and he could do little more than wiggle them in the confined space. "Eddie," he whispered, unable to get his voice to cooperate.

Jamie could hear sirens in the distance, but it was the movement to his left that had him turning his head with great effort. A dark, hooded figure stood before him, observing him in the crushed vehicle. Jaime knew who it was, even through the darkness that surrounded them both. He now thought of his family. How they would have to bury another son, brother, uncle and grandson.

The silent figure approached the shattered window shoving Jamie's left arm into the interior of the car, causing him to yelp in pain. Jaime clenched his teeth as the man leaned into the car to tear away the badge and medals on his uniform jacket. The perp pushed his right hand away as he fought to stop him.

"No," he gasped. Jaime attempted to retrieve the gun at his waist when a large hand gripped his throat, threatening to cut off his air supply. With the other, the perp fought to relieve him of his gun. His vision swam as the perp squeezed his neck harder. Jaime struggled for breath and his body jerked as it fought. He could make out the perp's face through the faint light and just inches from his own. The face from the sketch they had finally obtained a weeks ago. The man sneered as he took control of Jamie's gun, raising it to his right temple. Jaime used everything he had to pull at the hand now threatening to kill him with his own weapon.

Staring into his assailant's eyes, he realized it was in God's hands now, as he felt his body weakening from a lack of oxygen. Jaime closed his eyes and said a prayer when three deafening shots rang out in the small confines of the squad car.