Page 73 of Sucker Punch (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter 27)

“If they think he’ll kill them, yeah,” I said.

“He’s unconscious,” Newman said.

“Even if they look at him here, they won’t transport him.”

“They might,” he said, and again I felt so much older than he was, not in years, but in experience. That will age you faster than any number of birthdays.

“She’s right, Newman,” Livingston said.

Newman glanced back at him, a hand protectively on Bobby’s shoulder. “We could take him to the hospital ourselves.”

“You’d have to take him all the way to the county hospital. It’s the closest one with a trauma unit that could hold him,” Duke said.

“Fine. We’ll do that,” Newman said. “Help me move him, Blake.”

I thought about being in Newman’s car when Bobby came to and how close the fight had been in the cell. I realized I didn’t want to be in the car with him if he started to shift. “On one condition.”

; Newman gave me outraged eyes. “Conditions? You nearly beat him to death, and you want to give conditions for saving his life?”

“Maybe condition was the wrong word, but I want you to understand one thing before we start for the hospital. If he starts to shift in the car like he did in the cell, I’m going to shoot him in the head, probably multiple times.”

“He’d never survive that.”

“That would be the idea.”

“You think he’s a murdering monster now?”

“No, but I think he would have killed me if I hadn’t stopped him. I’m glad I didn’t kill him by accident, defending myself. I hope we prove that he’s innocent and find out who really killed Ray Marchand, and if Bobby just wakes up in the car like normal, then we’ll take him to the hospital. But I will have a weapon drawn and aimed at him in the car. If he goes apeshit again, I won’t risk fighting hand to hand with him.”

“You can’t blame Blake for that, Newman,” Livingston said. He was still holding the shotgun at the ready.

“Yeah, I can.”

“Newman,” I said.

He looked up at me with angry eyes.

“If it had been you in the cell with Bobby when he started to shapeshift, what would you have done?” I asked.

The anger started to fade in Newman’s eyes as he said, “I’d have gone for my gun.”

“You’d have shot him to save your life,” I said.

He sighed and nodded. “I guess I would have.”

“Then don’t blame me for not wanting to push my luck and try to survive a second slugfest with a shapeshifter.”

Newman looked down at Bobby, still touching him protectively. “Who am I fooling? I’d never have gotten my gun out in time. It’s why you didn’t draw yours. There wasn’t time. I don’t have your fight training, Blake, or your speed. If I’d been the one standing next to Bobby when he went animalistic, you’d have been taking me to the hospital or the morgue.”

“And we’d have had to shoot Bobby to save you,” I said.

He nodded. “I know.”

“Do you think he’ll go crazy when he wakes up like he did before?” Kaitlin asked from near the door to the offices. She hadn’t come too far into the cell area this time. I think she’d decided that she didn’t want a repeat performance with Bobby. Me either.

“There’s no way to tell until he wakes up,” I said.