rocks off beating someone up, you try it with me.”
James’s eyes flicked from Jo, still gasping
for breath on the bed, back to Drew. “Oh, isn’t it cute Jo, your
fancy man’s come to your rescue. A real knight in shining armour,”
he sneered, reaching into the pocket of his bomber jacket. Metal
glinted as he withdrew it, a flick of his wrist opening the knife.
“Guess I’ll have to teach him a lesson about messing with what’s
mine. Say goodbye Jo.”
Drew went still, all his attention focused on
the madman with a knife in front of him. Jo screamed but he
couldn’t afford to look at her. If this guy got him, Drew held no
illusions about Jo’s fate. No way was he letting psycho here get to
her.
“Come on then Rambo. Let’s see what you’ve
got.” His voice was calm, as though being threatened with a knife
was an everyday occurrence. Which it wasn’t. Just every week or so,
making it common enough for an A&E doctor like Drew to have
been trained how to disarm someone.
James grinned, slashing out in front of him
with the knife. Cocky, that was the only way to describe him. Drew
watched his every movement, waiting for the right time to
strike.
“When I’m done with you, there won’t be
enough left to stitch together again.” James raised his arm, knife
slicing down towards Drew in a vicious arc. The overhead light
caught the vicious edge of the blade, an ominous shimmer along its
length as it descended towards Drew’s unprotected abdomen.
Drew wasn’t there, sidestepping and catching
James’s wrist. He wasn’t a martial artist, not by a long stretch
but he’d had this move drilled into him so many times he could do
it in his sleep. And that one move, practised so many times, had
all the speed and strength of a black belt.
He stepped to the side, twisting James’s arm
into a lock and slammed his hand into the back of his elbow. There
was a meaty crunch and a squeal of pain as James dropped the knife.
On automatic Drew kicked it away, using James’s damaged arm to
drive him face first into the bed.
He looked up, seeing Jo’s wide eyes on his
face. Fear, relief, concern… for him all clearly visible. “Honey, I
need you to go out and get the security guys for me. And get
someone to call the police, ok?” He said, his voice gentle but
firm, bringing all her attention onto him rather than the
whimpering excuse for a man he held in an arm lock.
She nodded and hurried away. Drew leaned
down, his mouth on a level with James’s ear. “Let me give you one
word of advice my friend. Never piss about with a doctor. I know
more than enough about the way the human body is put together to
take you apart piece by piece if you ever come near my
fiancée again. Do I make myself clear?”
*
Jo was waiting for him when the police were
done with him, sat behind the desk at the nurses’ station. Her dark
eyes fixed on the door of the room they were interviewing him in.
They’d already spoken to her, endless questions about her
relationship with James, when she’d last seen him and about the
break in at her house. Now Drew was going through the same, maybe
worse since he’d not just restrained James, he’d injured him.
The door opened and Jo was on her feet
without thinking, crossing the hall in the blink of an eye to throw
herself in his arms.
“Thank you Doctor Carson, we’ll be in touch.”
The police officer behind him said, nodding to Jo. “Might I suggest
you take your fiancée home now? Sounds like she’s had a full
day.”
Drew smiled, his arm snaking around Jo’s
waist. “Thank you constable, I fully intend to.”
Fiancée ? Jo frowned, her questioning
gaze on Drew’s face as the police left. “Did he just say-”
“Fiancée. Yes, he said fiancée,” Drew
replied, turning to pull her into his arms. Absently she noted the
small crowd gathering around them. The other nurses, the security
staff… in fact the whole department. But the only thing Jo had eyes
for was the man who held
James’s eyes flicked from Jo, still gasping
for breath on the bed, back to Drew. “Oh, isn’t it cute Jo, your
fancy man’s come to your rescue. A real knight in shining armour,”
he sneered, reaching into the pocket of his bomber jacket. Metal
glinted as he withdrew it, a flick of his wrist opening the knife.
“Guess I’ll have to teach him a lesson about messing with what’s
mine. Say goodbye Jo.”
Drew went still, all his attention focused on
the madman with a knife in front of him. Jo screamed but he
couldn’t afford to look at her. If this guy got him, Drew held no
illusions about Jo’s fate. No way was he letting psycho here get to
her.
“Come on then Rambo. Let’s see what you’ve
got.” His voice was calm, as though being threatened with a knife
was an everyday occurrence. Which it wasn’t. Just every week or so,
making it common enough for an A&E doctor like Drew to have
been trained how to disarm someone.
James grinned, slashing out in front of him
with the knife. Cocky, that was the only way to describe him. Drew
watched his every movement, waiting for the right time to
strike.
“When I’m done with you, there won’t be
enough left to stitch together again.” James raised his arm, knife
slicing down towards Drew in a vicious arc. The overhead light
caught the vicious edge of the blade, an ominous shimmer along its
length as it descended towards Drew’s unprotected abdomen.
Drew wasn’t there, sidestepping and catching
James’s wrist. He wasn’t a martial artist, not by a long stretch
but he’d had this move drilled into him so many times he could do
it in his sleep. And that one move, practised so many times, had
all the speed and strength of a black belt.
He stepped to the side, twisting James’s arm
into a lock and slammed his hand into the back of his elbow. There
was a meaty crunch and a squeal of pain as James dropped the knife.
On automatic Drew kicked it away, using James’s damaged arm to
drive him face first into the bed.
He looked up, seeing Jo’s wide eyes on his
face. Fear, relief, concern… for him all clearly visible. “Honey, I
need you to go out and get the security guys for me. And get
someone to call the police, ok?” He said, his voice gentle but
firm, bringing all her attention onto him rather than the
whimpering excuse for a man he held in an arm lock.
She nodded and hurried away. Drew leaned
down, his mouth on a level with James’s ear. “Let me give you one
word of advice my friend. Never piss about with a doctor. I know
more than enough about the way the human body is put together to
take you apart piece by piece if you ever come near my
fiancée again. Do I make myself clear?”
*
Jo was waiting for him when the police were
done with him, sat behind the desk at the nurses’ station. Her dark
eyes fixed on the door of the room they were interviewing him in.
They’d already spoken to her, endless questions about her
relationship with James, when she’d last seen him and about the
break in at her house. Now Drew was going through the same, maybe
worse since he’d not just restrained James, he’d injured him.
The door opened and Jo was on her feet
without thinking, crossing the hall in the blink of an eye to throw
herself in his arms.
“Thank you Doctor Carson, we’ll be in touch.”
The police officer behind him said, nodding to Jo. “Might I suggest
you take your fiancée home now? Sounds like she’s had a full
day.”
Drew smiled, his arm snaking around Jo’s
waist. “Thank you constable, I fully intend to.”
Fiancée ? Jo frowned, her questioning
gaze on Drew’s face as the police left. “Did he just say-”
“Fiancée. Yes, he said fiancée,” Drew
replied, turning to pull her into his arms. Absently she noted the
small crowd gathering around them. The other nurses, the security
staff… in fact the whole department. But the only thing Jo had eyes
for was the man who held
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