2. 2
Alesha folded her arms across her chest as she stared at the scuffed floor of the hospital waiting room. She felt sick, knowing there was someone out there that had tried to shoot her and James. She touched her head, gingerly feeling the bump that was forming there.
"Lesh!"
She turned to see Matt jogging towards her with George a few steps behind her. She stepped towards as Matt reached her.
"Hi."
"You ok?" He held her shoulders, his eyes running over her. "Your head?"
"I hit it when i rugby tackled James. I'm ok. Honestly." She smiled slightly as George approached her.
"And James?"
"He was the target. I'm sure of it." She bit her lip. "The nurse took him in when we got here. I think he dislocated his shoulder."
George ran a hand over his face. "Why?"
"We were going to get a coffee before going back to the office. Joe and Sam had already gone. I." Alesha closed her eyes for a moment. The shock seemed to hit her as George nodded.
"Ronnie and Joe are at the court now." Matt sat down, tugging her hand so she sat beside him. "You're Ok and it sounds like James is going to be ok. Thank God." Alesha smiled slightly, resting her head on his shoulders as they prepared to wait.
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"Three gun shots." Joy pulled off her vinyl gloves as she walked towards the yellow police tape where Ronnie was stood with Natalie.
"Three?" Natalie shook her head . "It's a miracle neither of them were killed." Ronnie nodded.
"Seems like Alesha's quick thinking saved them." Joy looked over at the street as Joe jogged up to them. "Bit amateur for a professional hit."
Natalie nodded as the thought someone had wanted to kill her friends sunk in. She frowned as Joe bounced on his heels to keep warm.
"Perhaps that's the idea." Joe blew in his hands before rubbing his palms together to keep warm in the frigid winter air. Ronnie pulled his scarf closer to his neck. "Make it look like a drive by. None of the witnesses can give much detail."
"Any detail?" Natalie sighed. "Any at all?"
"All we have is two clerks of the court and one journalist say that they saw a small red car speed off west." He looked over at where the forensic officer was marking where the bullet had hit the wall outside the court. He looked away, knowing it was more luck than anything else that one of his friends was not on a slab in the mortuary. "I. Er."
"I know son." Ronnie tapped his shoulder. "Cmon, lets go interview the witnesses."
"Ok." Joe ran a hand over the stubble on his chin. Natalie nodded once before heading to where Joy was stood talking to another scientist. She felt sick to her stomach but knew as the most senior officer there she had to push all her feelings away. There would be time for that when the person who tried to kill her friends was behind bars. Ronnie looked over at her, knowing she would never let her feelings get in the way of her work but he had been with her when they had found out about the attack. He knew how badly she was affected by the news. He just hoped James and Alesha would be ok and they found out who it was that had fired the gun.
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"I'm fine." James pulled his shirt over his injured shoulder, glad that Alesha had called Bea to the hospital. The Irishwoman was not easily upset but she had come straight to the hospital.
"George and Alesha are in the waiting room."
"What? Why?"
"I imagine it's because Alesha is your friend. Not to mention that she has a head injury too. And George is your boss." She started to help fasten the buttons on his shirt, batting his hand away when he fumbled with one hand. "She's ok, Matt is with her."
James sighed in relief. "I'm going to have to give a statement to the police."
"You were shot at." Bea stared at her partner. "You could have been killed. I could be explaining to your sixteen year old son why you are not coming home! You." Her voice wavered as hell stood up.
"Hey."
He touched her chin, tilting her face so she had to look at him. "I. God knows I've wanted to kill you more than once."
He smiled. "Bea. I'm ok. Right now my shoulder is throbbing like you would not believe. I am high as a kite on whatever painkillers the doctor gave me. But I'll live."
She nodded once before stepping away. "You better had. Or I'll kill you." James smiles as he let her lead him away from the treatment room to where their friends were waiting for them.
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Angie picked up her mug of coffee as she thought about the case. James and Alesha had been prosecuting a woman who had murdered her family but that seemed to be unrelated to the case. She couldn't shake the feeling that it hadn't been a random attack. She sipped her coffee as the computer bleeped.
"Oh no." She set her mug down. "Oh my good God no."
"Ang?"
She looked up, realising that Natalie had returned to the office. "Guv."
"What is it?"
"I think James and Alesha were targeted. I think I know who. I just."
"What?"
"I might be wrong."
"Angela."
"Morrison is out of prison. He's out. Served half his sentence. It could be him. It could be revenge."
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