Linda Kay Silva - Delta Stevens 3 - Weathering the Storm by Linda Kay Silva Page B

it’s a different ballgame!”
    Nodding quickly, Tony took a right turn.
    “I said west! Turn this thing around and go west!” Delta covered her face with her hands and wanted to switch seats, but she knew it would take more time than they had. Already, they were losing valuable seconds.
    “What’s the matter with you?” Delta shrieked above the blare of the siren. “Didn’t you hear what I said?”
    “Yes, damn it, I heard! I’m a little nervous, that’s all.”
    “That’s all? A woman has her head bashed in and you’re driving like a little old man because you’re nervous? Get over it Carducci and put the pedal to the floor!”
    Suddenly, another unit came on the radio saying they had just picked up the chase heading toward the Crowsy Tunnel.
    Delta picked up the mike. “If he goes through the tunnel, he’ll be heading for downtown. We’ll head him off at Sherwood.” Hanging up the mike, Delta told Tony to head north down Esperanza.
    “We’re out of our beat, aren’t we?”
    Delta nodded, eyeing the speedometer. She wished he could push it a little harder. At this rate, they were out of the race. “Yeah. Why?”
    Tony shrugged. “No reason.” When they approached Esperanza, Tony slowed down once more. Before Delta could stop him, he was flying south down Esperanza.
    “What are you doing?” Delta screamed. “I said north! North is that way!” As Delta reached for the mike, a baritone voice boomed across the airwaves.
    “S1012, this is Sergeant Rich. We just passed underneath you on Sherwood. We’ll assume your position in the pursuit. You can return to your beat.”
    Snatching up the mike, Delta growled, “This is S1012, we copy.” Slamming it back in the holder, Delta felt every fiber in her body burn with anger.
    “Pull over.”
    Tony did as he was told and they switched seats without exchanging a word.
    They rode in silence most of the way back, and when they returned to their beat, Delta made a follow-up check at the woman’s house. The ambulance door was just closing and the neighbors crowded along the street like vultures waiting for its prey to die.
    “Stay here,” she ordered, slamming the door after her. She was soincensed that he’d botched the chase, she could barely stand to look at him.
    Approaching Officer Firth, who was taking down witness statements, Delta inhaled slowly through her nose and tried to relax.
    “You lose him?” Officer Firth asked, lowering his pad.
    Delta shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”
    Firth looked over Delta’s shoulder and grinned. “A rookie with bran for brains?”
    Delta shrugged again. The heat of embarrassment rising to her cheeks. “Something like that. How are things here?”
    Firth shook his head sadly. “If her head had been a baseball, he’d have hit a homerun.”
    “It was a bat?”
    “Apparently so. Took it with him, which is good. If the guys stop him, he’s history. He won’t see daylight for years.”
    “How is she?” Firth glanced over at the ambulance. “She’ll be okay. A few stitches here and there ought to help. She’s a pretty tough lady.”
    “I suppose she’d have to be after being his punching bag for years.”
    “Yeah. It’s a shame they let guys like that off the hook so easily. Shoulda kept the bastard locked up for good.”
    Delta nodded.
    “We’re square here, Stevens, if you want to take off. She’ll be okay.”
    Okay? The word rang through her head like a cracked bell. No abused woman would ever truly be “okay.” Why was that so hard for some men to understand? Just because her head would heal didn’t mean her spirit wouldn’t feel that blow for the rest of her life.
    Okay? How could someone be okay after being beaten by someone who vowed to honor, to protect, and to cherish her?
    Shaking her head sadly, Delta looked up from her thoughts and glared through the window at Tony, who was staring straight ahead. Maybe that’s why she was so hard on him for blowing the chase; crimes against women