She shoved the first man inside, then the second, ignoring their threats and struggling. Slamming the gate shut, she yanked the rusted latch down and wedged a heavy feed bucket against theoutside. It wouldn’t stop a determined escape, but it’d buy them time.
“Cops will find you soon enough,” she muttered. “You’ll be lucky if all they do is ask questions.”
By the time she got back to the rig, Sayer was gripping the edge of the trailer’s step, trying to hoist himself up despite the blood soaking deeper into his side.
“Stop,” she said, climbing up and bracing a hand on his back. “I’ve got you.”
He didn’t argue this time.
Diamond helped him into the sleeper, easing him down onto the bed as gently as she could. The mattress creaked beneath his weight, blood smearing onto the sheets, but he let out a shaky breath once he was horizontal.
“You’re gonna be okay,” she said, brushing sweat-damp hair back from his forehead. “Just stay put.”
As he nodded, eyes slipping shut for a second too long, she grabbed her burner phone and stepped to the front of the cab.
She punched in the number and waited.
“Yeah,” she said when the dispatcher answered. “I’ve got two men tied up in a horse stall on private land just outside of Bonner Creek. One’s a known domestic abuser. The other’s been caught trying to take children from a secure lot. You’ll want to bring cuffs. And backup.”
She gave the address, then ended the call before they could ask for her name.
Diamond fired up the truck, threw the rig into gear, and drove out of the barn with the weight of Sayer’s blood on her hands and a silent promise in her chest:
Chapter Thirty-Two
After leaving the barn behind.The drive back to the secure lot was quiet. No one followed. No more surprises. By the time she parked and climbed into the sleeper, Sayer was out cold.
He lay sprawled on the bed, his shirt and jeans stained red—some of it his, some from the fight. The smell of blood was sharp in the small space, clinging to the walls like smoke. She crouched beside him and carefully lifted his shirt.
The slice across his abdomen made her suck in a quiet breath. It wasn’t deep enough to be fatal, but it would need cleaning and closing before the bleeding would stop. What worried her more was the gash on his forehead, where a purplish lump was already forming beneath the skin.
She grabbed the first aid kit from the cabinet, hands steady even as her stomach turned. She’d seen worse. She’d patched worse. That didn’t make it easier.
With a clean cloth and antiseptic, she wiped away the blood, checking the depth of the cuts. The one on his head bled the most, sluggish and thick. She cleaned it, applied antibioticcream, then closed both wounds with steri-strips, pressing them down with practiced fingers.
Sayer stirred with a quiet groan, his eyes fluttering open, unfocused and heavy with pain.
“Lay still,” she said gently, pressing her palm to his chest to keep him grounded. “I’ve got you.”
Sayer blinked slowly, his breath shallow but steady. He looked up at her through the haze, his voice raspy. “You always know what to do.”
Diamond gave a soft snort, more exhaustion than humor. “That’s not true. I just don’t have the luxury of freezing.”
His brow furrowed, like he was trying to piece together more than just the pain. “You shouldn’t have left them,” he murmured. “Those two… you should’ve just?—”
“Killed them?” she interrupted, not unkindly. “Yeah. Maybe I should’ve.”
Her fingers paused over the strip she was pressing to his forehead. Her voice dropped, “But if I start killing everyone who deserves it, I’m not sure I’d stop.”
Sayer didn’t answer right away. His eyes slipped closed again, but not fully. When he spoke next, his words were softer, more grounded, “You could’ve let me bleed out.”
Diamond’s jaw clenched. “Don’t be an idiot.”
His hand found hers, weak but certain. “I’m just saying… thanks for taking care of me.”
She didn’t say anything to that. Just kept her eyes on the wound, on the steady rise and fall of his chest. Her thumb brushed against his wrist before she pulled away.
“Get some rest,” she said, clearing her throat. “I’ll keep watch.”
