Las Vegas Savior
Chapter 21

Just as John was pulling on the t-shirt, the radio clicked, alerting him to listen in on what was happening. He heard the chatter between the different units that were surrounding the two criminals. They were getting close to making an arrest and he wondered if the men would choose to go out in a blaze of gunfire or if they would give themselves up.

Emily opened her door to replace his door already open and John was standing by the window with the radio in his hand, listening to what was happening. He turned to look at her. She no longer looked like she had stolen a homeless person’s clothes. The things she had bought fit her perfectly and the smile she gave him had his heart skipping beats.

“Have they caught them yet?” She asked.

“They are closing in on them now. I wonder if they will give up, once they realize they are surrounded.” John said. Suddenly they heard someone on the radio say “move in” and then the sound of gunshots, some close by the radio and some farther away. Then they heard some commotion and someone said “Put the cuffs on them anyway.”

“Officer 74923, Agent John Travers here. Do you have them?” John said into the radio.

“John, this is Arron Standish. We got ‘em! They went out in a blaze of guns but they were outnumbered. Guess they decided against jail time. I’m just waiting for the confirmation of who they are but I think it’s okay to tell Miss Brewer that its’ finally over.”

“That’s great! Thanks Commander! I’ll be in in the morning to file my report.” John said and turned to Emily. “Well, it looks like they got ’em. It’s finally over.”

“Really? Is it really over? Is he dead?” Emily asked. She didn’t know if she felt excited and elated that she no longer had to run or depressed because it could mean she would never see John again.

“Yes. He’s dead. He can’t ever bother you again.” John said as he sat the radio down on the table and walked over to her.

“You are finally free, Emily.”

“Saying thank you doesn’t seem like enough John. I can never repay you for helping me. But thank you!” Emily said as she went up on her tip toes and kissed his cheek. She wanted more but was afraid to show that she cared for him. That she was more than just thankful that he had helped to free her. She wanted him so much but she didn’t know how he felt.

Would he pull away and say “your welcome” and then go on to tell her what would happen next? She prayed that he would give her some indication that she meant more to him than just an assignment, that he was not just with her because it was his job.

John couldn’t have stopped himself if he tried when he slipped his arms around her. He had to know! He would never forgive himself if he let what Sharon did to him make him afraid to love again. Emily was nothing like Sharon. Sharon had been pretty but she couldn’t hold a candle to Emily.

He and Sharon had dated for a long time before he had finally told her how he felt about her. He would never forget her reaction that day, like she had been stunned that he had said he loved her when they had been best friends for so long. He had thought he knew her so well.

He didn’t know Emily nearly as well but she had captured his heart in the short amount of time they had been together. He wanted her not only in his bed, which he desperately wanted, but in his life. He wanted to wake up next to her every morning, to come home to her every afternoon and to go to bed with her every night for the rest of his life.

“Emily, I……um” John started to say but the radio clicked again and John let go of her and hit the button to allow him to listen.

“John, it’s Aaron Standish. We got Ivan but the other man was not Louis Grier. Watch your back, John. Grier is still on the loose.”

“10/4, Commander. What happened? How did Grier get away?”

“They were out of sight for just a few minutes and Grier must have got out of the car and this other man got in. He’s a bartender at the Hilton, John. Be careful. We’ve got an all-points bulletin out for Grier. He can’t get far and assure Miss Brewer that he won’t get out of Vegas. We’ve locked down every possible way for him to get out of town. We’ll be posting extra guards at your hotel and they will be in the hall outside your rooms.”

“10/4 Commander. Travers out.” John said into the radio, then turned to look at Emily.

She was sitting on the end of the bed staring at the floor.

“Emily? Are you okay?” He said. He had never seen her sit so still. She started to nod and then shook her head. She dropped her head even lower as she silently cried.

“It’s never going to end. He’ll get away and I’ll have to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder. What did I do to deserve this?” Emily said in a dejected tone.

“That’s not true, Emily. We will catch him. There’s no way he’ll be able to stay hidden for long. You haven’t done anything wrong. You will be free of this soon.” John tried to reassure her. He was about to get down on his knees and draw her into his arms when just then someone knocked on the door and John went to see who it was. He used the peep hole and saw two men standing outside, holding up their badges. John opened the door and invited them in. “Come on in guys.”

Agent Harris stepped in and introduced the other man as Agent Edgar Andrews. “He will be posted on this floor between you and the elevator. There are also two more agents stationed down stairs. One in the lobby and another in the garage. They have seen pictures of Grier so they will recognize him on sight. “We’ve requested that the hotel use all other floors and avoid this one entirely as long as possible but the hotel is almost full now. This is a heavy tourist time of year. I would suggest you stay indoors as much as possible for now.”

“Caged again.” Emily said.

“Not for long, I assure you. The man who took his place was only wounded tonight. He’s singing like a lark and I’m sure we will catch Grier soon.” Agent Harris told her.

“One day. That’s all I’ll agree to stay. One more day.” Emily said but she wasn’t looking at Agent Harris and John knew she was directing her statement at him.

“I’m going to be staked outside, across the street and there are other agents staked out all the way around the hotel. He won’t get to you, I can promise you that.” Agent Harris said. “He’s killed too many people already but unfortunately, no one has ever been witness to or been willing to testify against him. We are going to make sure that you can testify against him so that this time we can put him away for good.”

Agent Harris and John stepped outside and Agent Harris asked “Do you think she will leave if we don’t catch him right away?”

“Yes. We have no right to force her to stay. I will be going with her if she decides to run again.” John told him.

“Can’t say I blame you, man. She’s a very beautiful woman.” Agent Harris said.

“Inside as well as out.” John said.

“Well, let us know if you need to leave for any reason. Even to go downstairs. This is a big hotel and the casino is full tonight.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t see us going anywhere tonight.”

“Well, I’d better get back downstairs. You two have a good night and we’ll see you later.”

“Andrews, do you have a chair to sit on?” John asked the agent that would be posted outside their door tonight.

“Call me Ed and yes, sir. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“I’ll let you know before I turn in if you want to use the bathroom or anything.”

“Thanks. That will be much appreciated.” Ed said. He got the distinct impression that John was trying to delay going back into the room and he wondered why? He had already pretty much admitted that he and Emily were involved but it was none of his business so he didn’t ask.

John went back in the room and he was slightly surprised that Emily wasn’t there waiting for him but the adjoining room door was open. He looked inside and she was standing next to the bed doing something with her backpack. He knocked and she glanced over her shoulder.

“Come on in.” She said as she continued doing whatever it was she was doing.

“What ya doin’?” John asked as he inched his way into the room.

“Just repacking my backpack. I’ve dug in here so many times that things have gotten kind of turned upside down and I can’t replace anything. Do you have yours ready?” She asked.

“Not really. But I don’t think we’ll need to use them. I hope they will catch them tonight or tomorrow.” John said as he stood next to her. He so wanted to hold her, to reassure her that she was safe and would not need to run anymore but he was unsure if she would welcome his embrace or not. She seemed different somehow. She was physically there but she was distant, like she was mentally preparing herself for something.

“I hope they do too but I, for one, am going to be prepared to move, just in case they don’t.” Emily said. She finally decided to just take everything out and repack her whole bag.

“Emily, stop! You can’t keep running forever. You’ve got to give me a chance to put an end to this. To catch him and put him away so that you don’t have to run anymore.” John said.

“Oh, John. You have no idea how wonderful that sounds but I’m a realist and know that so long as he is out there, running free, I have to keep moving or he will replace me. Until he’s caught, I’ll never be truly safe and free. But, if I can keep one step ahead of him, at least I’ll stay alive.”

“Don’t you trust me, Emily?” John asked.

“It’s not a matter of me trusting you. I know you will do everything in your power to keep me safe, John, because that’s your job and you need a witness to testify against him and I will, I promise, but your way means I have to be caged and that just makes me feel trapped, not safe. It also means that by protecting me, you put yourself in danger and I’m not okay with that.” She silently added “you’ve become too important to me and I would die if anything happened to you.”

There was so much she wanted to say to John. She wanted to tell him how she was feeling about him but she was almost afraid that he was going to reject her. That he might say that to him she was just a witness he had to protect. She knew that to hear him say that would be like ripping out her heart and that Derrick might as well just shoot her as she sat down on the bed and looked at the floor.

John sat down next to her, because his knees suddenly felt weak. “Emily, I won’t deny that it’s my job to keep you safe but that’s not the only reason I’m doing this. You are more than just a witness……………to me.”

“I can’t do this. Not now!” Emily thought to herself but she couldn’t stop her heart from hoping even as she began to shake her head and looked over at him out of the side of her eye.

“John……..I don’t want anyone else hurt because of me.” Then silently added “Especially you.” It was not what she had wanted to say but she had to see this through to the end before they could go any farther. She had no clue as to how he felt. Oh, she heavily suspected that he desired her but was that all it was?

She had to know how he felt before she could give herself to him. She prayed it was not just lust. She would not become a one night stand with him. No matter how she felt. She couldn’t lose her self-respect, it was the only thing she had left because he now owned her heart. Tears filled her eyes as she waited for him to say something but he seemed to just sit and look at her. She didn’t want him to see her cry and wiped away her tears with her finger tips. “I’m tired, John. I think I’m going to turn in early.”

John took a deep breath, his mind racing as he fought with his inner voice. “Tell her!”

“But what if I give her my heart and she doesn’t feel the same?” John thought.

“She already has it, she just doesn’t know it yet. Take a chance. She’s not Sharon.” His little voice argued and John knew it was true. All he had to do was tell her.