Silent Night Standoff. Susan Sleeman

“You will pay for Bonnie’s death.” He shoved her hard and took off.

      Skyler’s arms flailed out, trying to regain her balance, as Clyde ran toward the other end of the alley. Logan set off in pursuit, but came to a halt when Skyler slammed into a Dumpster and ricocheted off, plummeting to the ground. Her head connected with a concrete barrier, and she landed by the pregnant woman.

      “Skyler,” he said, rushing to her side. She looked up at him for a long moment, her eyes going wide, then closing, and his heart refused to beat.

       THREE

      Blinding pain sliced through the back of Skyler’s skull, blocking out all clear thought. She felt strong arms lift her from the ground and place her on a gurney. The movement increased her pain, and it was all she could do to hold back a cry of distress.

      “Will she be okay?” Logan asked, his deep rumbling voice echoing down the alley.

       Why is he here?

      He’d left town two years ago after breaking up with her, and she hadn’t seen him since. Maybe this was all a bad dream and she’d wake up soon. She still dreamed of him sometimes. Pleasant dreams of working on the shelter’s Christmas party together. Something they’d done at this time of year. Would still be doing if he hadn’t left her. Holding hands. Smiling. Then she’d wake up, remember and feel betrayed all over again.

      She didn’t want to talk to him, but she couldn’t ignore him, either. She pried her eyes open and squinted into the sun. He came into view, standing tall above her. Dressed in a power suit, white shirt with gray tie, blue eyes ringed with black searching hers.

      “Welcome back, sweetheart.” His lips lifted in a sweet smile.

      Her heart skipped a beat as she stared at him. At this man from her past. From her dreams.

      “Look at me, Skyler,” Darcie commanded from her other side.

      Skyler turned her head, seeing her best friend’s expression tight with concern. “Glad to see you’re conscious again.”

      Skyler’s head cleared and the afternoon’s terrifying events came flooding back.

      Clyde. The gun in her mouth. Its bitter taste. The stench of fear in the bank. Brady’s shot. Leaving the building. Faith.

      “Faith.” Skyler tried to sit up. “How’s Faith?”

      “She’s fine.” Darcie gently pressed Skyler back down on the gurney. “On her way to the hospital just to be sure.”

      Skyler sighed. “Good. What about Clyde? Did he... Oh, Logan.” She turned to look at him, surprised to find him still carefully watching her. “You were here. In the alley. Did Clyde...?”

      “Get away?” He nodded. “Yeah. I got off one shot, but he’s in the wind.”

      “There you are.” Jake’s angry voice came from the end of the gurney and suddenly Logan was jerked away. “What part of ‘stay out of our way’ didn’t you understand, Suit? You could’ve gotten Skyler killed with that foolish stunt.”

      “Jake, wait,” Skyler shouted, the effort making her head throb harder. “He saved my life.”

      “He could also have gotten you killed,” Jake said. “And putting you in that situation wasn’t his decision to make.”

      “But it worked out for the best, and he did save my life. Clyde blames me for Bonnie’s death. If he’d kept me with him when he left, he would’ve killed me the minute he felt safe enough to do so.”

      “What?” Jake glanced at her over his shoulder but didn’t release Logan.

      “Clyde said if I hadn’t texted you, they could’ve safely gotten out of the bank. So he blames me for Bonnie.”

      “That’s what he meant,” Logan muttered.

      Jake glared at Logan. “Meant by what?”

      “Before Clyde took off he said this wasn’t over and Skyler would pay.” Logan freed his jacket from Jake’s grip and pressed out the wrinkle. “Besides the obvious threat here, it’s also important to mention he called his partner Nicole. This is the first time we’ve heard her name, and he was under such duress we have to believe he wasn’t making it up.”

      “His name is Marty,” Skyler added.

      “Marty?” Logan moved closer to her.

      “Most of the time, they called each other Bonnie and Clyde, but in a private conversation when they didn’t think I could hear, she called him Marty and he called her Nicole. He also screamed out her name when Brady took her out.”

      “And you’re sure she called him Marty?”

      “Positive.”

      Jake stepped to the gurney. “We’re losing sight of the real issue here. Marty or Clyde or whatever you want to call him could be coming after Skyler.”

      Logan nodded. “That’s a very real possibility.”

      Jake locked gazes with Skyler. “I don’t want you going out on your own until this creep is brought in. Be on alert. In fact, you might want to stay home.”

      “Please.” She rolled her eyes and even that slight movement brought pain. “If everyone on the squad took precautions like that each time someone threatened one of us, we’d all be hermits.”

      “Talk some sense into her, Darcie.”

      “She has a point. Tempers flare at these standoffs, but the suspect usually calms down.” Darcie squeezed Skyler’s hand. “Besides, I’m less worried about Clyde and more worried that she may need stitches and has a concussion.” Darcie peered at her. “Loss of consciousness is a warning sign, honey. We should get you to the hospital.”

      “No.” Skyler wished she could shake her head for emphasis without worsening her headache. “I’m fine.”

      Jake got in her face. “You lost consciousness. County procedure dictates a trip to the hospital to be checked out.”

      “Procedure, schmedure. I’m good to go.” She tried to push him out of her way and sit up, but the arm Marty had grabbed buckled and a wave of dizziness assaulted her.

      “You’re fine?” Logan asked. “Explain why you can’t sit up then.”

      She shot him a frustrated glare. “Okay. You all win. I’ll get checked out, but I won’t ride in the ambulance. My car’s in the lot. I’ll drive myself. It’s less than a mile away. I’ll be fine.”

      “Ha!” Jake said. “Like I’d let that happen with a head injury.”

      Darcie crossed her arms. “And if he did let you go, I’d stop you.”

      “I can give you a ride to the E.R.,” Logan offered.

      Skyler shot a look at him. He’d never voluntarily offer to leave his crime scene before inspecting it. Never put anything before work. Not even her. Next thing she knew pigs would fly overhead.

      “I need to take your statement anyway,” he went on. “We can do it on the way and save time.”

       Right, my statement. The job.

      Skyler glared up at him, and tried to hide her disappointment, but she felt certain she hadn’t managed it.

      Nothing had changed. She still took second place with him. Third, if you counted his father, who truly came first since his career focus was aimed at making his father proud. That wouldn’t change even if Logan was dating again. Making his father proud was Logan’s top priority. Had always been his top priority, but Skyler had let the blush of love distract her and hadn’t seen it. Until the day he’d walked out