Free Bar None by Eden Elgabri

hurt her.
    They weren't moving fast enough. He'd heard the directions and knew where the police were headed. “Pull over and let me fucking drive."
    Lori glanced over at John and sped up. “I can't go any faster even with the siren. We'll intersect in a few minutes."
    A blip on the radio and a call went through. “We got the RV. Hit a pole on Maple two blocks from the highway. Two cars are on it. No movement from the vehicle yet. He may use her as a hostage, depending. What's your ETA?"
    John radioed back, “Minute or two, tops.” He knew what the depending meant. Depending on if both of them were alive.
    His heart beat wildly and his stomach lurched. No. She had to still be alive. His heart ached with things unsaid. The things he hadn't told her. The things he hadn't realized were true until the possibility of her never hearing them arose.
    The car skidded to a stop and John bolted from the door to the side of the RV, gun raised. He ignored the yells from his colleagues to stop. It didn't matter if the perp shot him, as long as he got off a fatal shot. At least that way, Dani would have a chance. If she was still alive. The thought galvanized in his stomach and he yanked the passenger door open.
    The man from the club worked diligently to unpin himself from the deployed air bag and a crunched front end. He had managed to slide from the seat where he continued to groan and pull at his leg, which was obviously broken. John held his gun cocked in front of him and turned to yell for the others to approach when a knife hit his arm. He dropped his gun but kicked it out of range before the man could pick it up.
    The man grabbed at John's cut arm and pulled him down to punch him. John swung with his left and got him in a choke hold when he saw Dani's nude body hanging there not moving. Unbridled rage flooded his body and he tightened his grip. The driver's side door opened and two officers held up their guns. “Let him go, man. We've got it now. “
    A groan from the back made him drop his grip and run to Dani. He pulled the chain down and scooped her up in his arms. “Look for cuff keys,” he yelled back to the others. “And make sure there's more than one ambulance. She's not going to be anywhere near that bastard."
    "John?” Dani's voice was no more than a whisper. She looked up at him for a second and then drifted back into unconsciousness.
    He wrapped the comforter from the bed around her and waited for the ambulance to arrive. An hour later he sat at her bedside relieved that she'd suffered no more than a concussion and a few bumps and bruises. She'd come to and had asked questions, but he'd told her to save her breath, that they'd have plenty of time to talk. And it was a talk he wouldn't relish having.
    His boss walked into the room with Lori. John nodded at them. “You fill in the locals?"
    Trevor nodded and Lori walked over to the side of the bed. “How's she doing,” Lori asked.
    He smiled a tired smile. “She's going to be fine.
    Trevor put his hands in his pockets. “You know we have to talk to her. We don't know what he might have done. . . . “
    The thought of her naked body hanging like a slab of beef filled his mind and turned his stomach. “I asked the doctor after the examination and it didn't look like he'd. . . . “ He paused for a second, having difficulty completing the sentence. “I think he had to move her before anything could happen."
    John turned toward Dani when he saw both Trevor and Lori were staring at her. Dani's eyes were open and she blinked as if trying to focus.
    "Ms. Summers, I'm Trevor Whitman with the FBI and I'm here to ask you a few questions. Do you think you might be able to answer them now?"
    John stood up from the bed. “Can't this wait? She's been through enough."
    "I can answer. It's fine, John. Let's just get this over with. Will I have to repeat this to the police or can I just say it this once?"
    Trevor pulled out a small recorder. “Once should be enough."
    John