Free SEIZED, A Romantic Suspense Novella by Suzanne Ferrell Page B

adopted family. The Marshall was wrong. He would be missed. The decision made, Dave swallowed hard and nodded, before fixing his gaze back on her.
    Slowly, Dave slid his hands from the glass. Shoulders slumped, he turned and followed the others down the hall, hitting the exit to the ER doors at a jog. As soon as it closed behind him a sob escaped her.
    “Judy. Did Wilkes say anything to you about the bomb?”
    She shook her head. She was going to die.
    “Judy, look at me.”
    Castello’s deep commanding voice penetrated the pain inside her. She dashed the tears out of her eyes and raised her gaze to meet his. “You need to find someplace safe, Frank.”
    Lips set in a thin, determined line, he shook his head. “Not happening. I promised your husband. What I need is for you to think. Did Wilkes say anything about the bomb or a code?”
    She shook her head, trying to remember. “No, all he talked about was wanting justice for his wife and child’s death.”
    “Did he give you their names?”
    Dave’s words hit her. I love you, babe. You are my life. You are the most important thing in it. I can’t leave you to do this alone . Dave would do anything for her, anything in his power to protect her. Would Wilkes do the same?
    “Betsy. Her name was Betsy.”
    Five buttons, five letters .
    “B-E-T-S-Y.” She counted the letters on her hand and looked hopefully at Castello. “Do you think he used her name as the code? Could it be that simple?”
    He gave her a half shrug. “It’s as good a clue as we have.”
    She looked at the timer. Forty-eight seconds. Forty-seven .
    “What if it’s not right?”
    “You’ve got to try it. It’s the only chance we have.”
    She reached out to the cell phone, her fingers shaking as they hovered right over the keyboard.
     

Chapter Six
     
    T hree feet. That’s as far as Dave made it past the ER doors before his legs gave out. He sank against the brick wall of the ambulance bay, despair gripping him like a vise, squeezing all the air out of his lungs.
    “Dave, we’ve got to move a little farther,” Matt said, grabbing him by the elbow.
    “No,” was all he managed to get out around the huge hole inside him.
    Matt put his hands up in a submissive fashion. “You made a promise to Judy. Do you want to break it by having half the building coming down on you?”
    “What’s one more?”
    “One more building?”
    “No, one more fucking promise!” He surged off the wall, hands clenched. God he wanted to plant his fist into something. He eyed the opening to the parking garage across the street where the senator’s entourage stood beneath the awning—surrounding the bastard, their umbrellas keeping the sleet off him—and started toward them.
    “Whoa! You don’t want to do that.” Jake grabbed his arm and spun him around, ducking at the punch he threw his way.
    “Let go of me, Carlisle,” he growled and his sister’s husband let him go, but when he turned, sweet Katie stood in his way.
    “What other promises have you broken to her?” she asked quietly, taking some of the anger out of him.
    “You know, the one that said I’d always protect her? How much time?” He dragged his hands over his face then looked at his other brother. “How. Much. Time. Until the love of my life is blown all to hell?”
    Luke looked at his watch, his face growing intensely serious, a rarity for the fun-loving geek. He raised tear-rimmed eyes full of pity. “Forty-five seconds.”
    “Oh, God.” He doubled over as if someone had gut-slammed him. Staring at the ice-covered asphalt between his feet, Judy’s tear-streaked face begging him to leave was all he saw.
    “Thirty seconds.”
    The image shifted to the first time they’d made love. Her eyes staring up at him, trusting him to make it right for both of them. A virgin still, she’d been so scared. He’d been barely past the stage himself and so worried she’d be disappointed in him, so afraid he’d hurt her. In the end she’d