Jay stood in front of me, panting, the knife clutched in his hand.

“You’re bleeding.” His shirt was torn where Alfonso had cut him; blood had already soaked through the material.

He ignored me. “Here.” He knelt in front of me and grabbed my wrists. He was so close. I wanted him to look at me, but he wouldn’t. He sliced through the zip tie with the knife.

I rubbed my wrists. “Thank you.”

His eyes finally met mine. There was so much to be said, so much that I wanted to know. He’d lied for me, and now he was saving me from Ting. No ‘thank you’ could be enough.

“We need to go,” he said. “Before Simon gets here.”

He helped me stand. My legs were shaky and I grabbed onto his forearms. He smelled of blood, sweat, and vanilla soap. “Jay—” I didn’t know what I wanted to say.

He turned away. “Later. Let’s go.”

My eyes snagged on the phone. “We should call the cops.” I hurried toward it but Jay grabbed my arm, stopping me.

“Are you nuts? Simon is a cop.” Jay hissed. He pressed his hand against the cut in his side.

“He had me kidnapped! You know he’s not going to stop looking for me. Or my brother.”

Jay froze. His eyes went unfocused. “Hopkins.”

“What?”

“Hopkins. He’s Internal Affairs. He’s been watching Simon. Your testimony… But Simon was never here. I don’t know if it’s enough.”

“Give me his number. I’ll call him while you bandage yourself up.”

Jay quickly pulled out his wallet then handed me a card. I dialed. A woman answered. “Las Vegas Metropolitan—”

“I need to talk to Hopkins.”

“I’m sorry, but Lieutenant Hopkins isn’t in right now.”

“Does he have another number? A cell? I need to talk to him right away!”

“Ma’am, could you calm down please?” I hated being called ma’am.

Jay looked up from pressing a towel against his side. “Tell them it’s Jay Thornton and it’s urgent.”

“It’s Jay Thornton. I mean, I’m not Jay Thornton but he’s standing right next to me. Hopkins wants to talk to him.”

“Can you put this Jay—”

“We were kidnapped! I was kidnapped! There’s a man with a knife. He’s knocked out but Ting is coming—”

A movement caught my eye.

I screamed. Jay tackled me to the ground, just as a knife whizzed over our heads. I dropped the phone.

Alfonso was on his feet.

“Stay down,” Jay hissed. He jumped up, pivoting as he did, and slammed into Alfonso.

Grunts and the sounds of fists hitting flesh filled my ears, but somewhere, in the background, a woman’s voice called out. I opened my eyes and searched for the phone. It was across the tile floor. I scrambled on my hands and knees toward it.

“Hello?” I said. Another smash echoed behind me. Jay and Alfonso were wrestling, hurtling away from a broken wine cart. Liquor pooled on the floor, surrounded by broken glass.

“Are you there?” the woman said. “Tell me where you are. What’s happening? Is anyone hurt?”

I backed up. “I don’t know where we are. Somewhere outside Vegas. A mansion, Spanish-style, with a gate. Probably belongs to Simon Ting.”

“Stay on the line, we’ll find you.”

“You need to get Hopkins.”

There was a loud grunt, and I turned, keeping the phone clutched to my ear.

“I’ve alerted Hopkins and I’ve dispatched a unit. They’ll be there as soon as possible,” the woman said, “but don’t hang up.”

That unit better not include Officer Ting or I would scream.

Alfonso crashed to the floor. Jay loomed over him, one hand still clenched on Alfonso’s shirt, his fist raised. Alfonso moaned but didn’t move.

“Can you tell me what’s happening?” the woman asked.

Jay let Alfonso go and looked at me. I got shakily to my feet.

“Put the phone down.”

We both turned to the voice.

Ting was here. He had his uniform on and his gun out, the barrel pointed at me. The phone slipped from my fingers.

Ting smiled. Slowly, he swung the barrel away from me, toward Jay.

A shot rang out.