Chapter 48 More Questions
Enzo's arm kept Grace pressed firmly against the cold linoleum floor as bullets continued to spray through the room. The sound was overwhelming, a rapid succession of muffled pops that made Grace's ears ring despite the silencer as it broke through the glass wall.
She couldn't think. Couldn't breathe properly. Could only focus on the feeling of Enzo's forehead and his body covering hers, shielding her from the hail of bullets tearing through everything around them.
Glass continued to shatter. The machines that were already destroyed due to the bullets still weren’t spared as they were completely shattered by the bullets. Something that sounded like the television crashed to the floor.
Then new sounds cut through the chaos. Heavy footsteps pounding down the hallway and shouting voices.
"Police! Drop your weapon!"
The door to the hospital room burst open and Grace heard rather than saw the officers rush in.
‘Why are they rushing into a barrage of bullets?!’
One of them immediately returned fire toward the window, the sound of his weapon much louder than the silenced shots coming from outside.
"Shooter on the roof across the street!" an officer's voice called out, sharp with adrenaline. "Officers need assistance! Active shooter situation!"
The exchange of gunfire intensified for a moment, bullets flying in both directions. Then Grace heard a grunt of pain, the sound of someone stumbling.
"Officer down!" the other cop shouted. "I need medical! Officer shot!"
As suddenly as it had started, the shooting from outside stopped. The silence that followed was broken only by the groans of the wounded officer and the sound of the other cop calling frantically for backup.
Enzo lifted his head cautiously, his body still covering Grace protectively. "Stay down," he muttered, his voice rough. "Don't move yet."
Grace stayed pressed against the floor, her whole body trembling. She could hear the chaos around her, could hear more officers flooding into the room, could hear someone administering first aid to their wounded colleague, could hear radios crackling with urgent communications.
But it all felt distant, like she was underwater and the sounds were muffled and distorted.
Someone had just tried to kill her. Had fired bullets into a hospital room with the clear intent of ending her life.
Despite Enzo telling her to stay down, Grace got up, her hands shaking. She looked over at the policeman who gathered around their injured colleague, and a nurse was already there telling them to clear the way.
A few people moved and Grace saw it was the younger cop from earlier. For some reason, Grace couldn’t find it in her to feel sorry for him.
The bullet was in his shoulder. He’ll live.
Grace was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she couldn’t hear Enzo calling for her till he grabbed her shoulders. “Are you hit?" Enzo asked harshly, his hands moving over Grace in a quick check for injuries. "Grace, are you hurt?"
Grace shook her head, not trusting her voice. She wasn't hit. The bullets had missed. But only because Enzo had pulled her out of the way at the last possible second.
If she'd still been sitting in that chair, if Enzo hadn't woken up when he did, Grace would be dead right now.
The thought made her stomach turn violently.
"It's the rogues," Enzo muttered, his eyes scanning what was left of the room. "Has to be. They're here for revenge."
Grace didn't understand what that meant. Didn't understand why the people who'd kidnapped her would come after her now, why they'd risk an attack in such a public place, why any of this was happening.
But she couldn't form the words to ask. She could only let Enzo sit her on the now destroyed mattress while officers secured the room and tended to their wounded colleague and tried to figure out where the shooter had gone.