Lauren (25 page)
Authors: Laura Marie Henion
Lauren quickly crawled, then ran, toward the side, as Silver pointed the gun right at her.
The shot rang out, echoing through the basement.
Three other shots followed, all hitting the target. Silver fell to the mattress, with two gunshot wounds to the head and one to the neck.
Eddie ran to Lauren, while Tom and Jack made sure Silver was dead. Eddie pulled her to him, and noticed her arm was bleeding.
"Lauren, are you okay?” he said, out of breath. He looked at the blood oozing out of her arm.
"Here, take this. Apply pressure to the wound,” Tom yelled, handing Eddie a cloth.
He did as instructed, as he held Lauren in his arms. Jack called for an ambulance, then kneeled down next to Lauren.
"You okay, gorgeous?"
"I'm fine. Is he dead?” Her eyes fluttered open and closed.
She was going into shock. She was sure of it.
"He sure is, honey. You done good,” Tom told her, as the other patrol officers entered the basement.
Lauren closed her eyes.
The cars continued to pull up along the streets of downtown Ridgeburgh, and Hennessey's Irish pub. Everyone was celebrating the conclusion of the case, glad that Lauren had survived, and Lizzy had pulled through.
They'd found more evidence in Silver's basement, linking him to two other unsolved murder cases from four years ago. There was enough evidence to charge Silver with the murder of Sarah Tennellie.
Silver had displayed pictures of Eddie's wife, Sarah, as his first kill. The detective's figured Silver went after Eddie's wife knowing Eddie was a top detective, and that by killing his wife and getting away with it, Silver grew to feel he had power, and was unstoppable.
Eddie was relieved his wife's killer was found and brought to justice. He, and the rest of the family, had finally found closure.
He owed it all to Lauren.
There wasn't a spot to stand in. People gathered on the sidewalk and parking lot area, where Patrick had set up a tent and music, outside Hennessey's pub.
The band played numerous songs, and both family and friends joined in the celebration.
Lauren had her arm and shoulder in a sling. She sat by the bar, alongside Tom, Jack, and Kelly.
Eddie was behind the bar with Patrick, just watching Lauren from a distance.
"She's a beauty, me boy. Ya done good,” Patrick said, as he gave Eddie's shoulders a squeeze.
"Thanks, Pat.” He acknowledged the compliment, before taking a sip of his mug of beer.
"Tough as nails, too. Just what ya needed,” Patrick added, then went back to serving some more drinks.
Eddie made his way through the people, just as he caught sight of Lauren with her parents, along with her brother, Dave. They were hugging her close, as Eddie approached through the crowd of uniformed officers and plain clothes. Everyone was making a point of stopping by the pub today.
By now, word was out about Lauren and Eddie's relationship, and both families seemed happy for them.
"You gave us a hell of a scare. The more I hear about the way this case went down, the more I worry about you,” her dad told her.
Eddie smiled. “I told her the same thing, but she doesn't want to listen to me. Stubborn as hell."
"Stubborn doesn't describe her enough,” Tom said.
"You should have seen the way she handled herself, tackling Silver to the ground, taking that bullet,” Jack said, holding his wife, Kelly, close to him.
"You know what they say. Never underestimate the power of a woman,” Lauren's mom joined in, just as Eddie pulled Lauren close to him.
He held her around the waist, staring into her eyes, not caring that everyone watched them. “I've never met a woman like you before. This is going to take some getting used to,” he teased.
"What do you mean a woman like me?” She sounded defensive.
"Hard headed, stubborn, a super cop..."
Everyone around them laughed and listened. Lauren placed her good hand on Eddie's shoulder, patting it, then spoke with a thick Bronx accent. “Hey, Lieutenant, I'm just a cop's daughter. You can take it or leave it."
Eddie smiled, then kissed her. “I'll take it."
The hoots and hollers filled the bar, and Eddie and Lauren laughed, then hugged one another. They were surrounded by family and friends, and were grateful to be alive, relieved that another evildoer was brought to justice.
Laura Marie Henion is an imaginative, dynamic author of suspense and romance fiction. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and EPIC Authors, and has obtained many of her ideas and accurate information from family members, friends, and law enforcement personnel. She has always had an interest in the law enforcement field and enjoys creative writing.
As a young adult, she created short stories and poetry to share with her family and friends. Laura integrated her creative writing skills in her professional career as both a sales centre manager and a social worker. Laura is also the office manager for her husband's business and a mom of three. She loves working with people and believes this stems from both her Bachelor's Degree in Social Work as well as her strong law enforcement family background.
These factors add to the authenticity of her stories and the true to life qualities of her characters. She continues to work on multiple manuscripts including the new series
Cop's Daughter
. Laura Marie presently resides in Historic Hudson Valley, New York with her husband and three small children.