Unshakeable Pursuit (Christian Romantic Suspense)

Chapter 1c

She gave a one-shoulder shrug. "I took a few self-defense classes. I had already been planning what I could do when I saw you attack the big guy."

"Can you stand?" He helped her to her feet, and the two of them went to the few nurses who had also been shoved aside as the men made their escape.

A policeman ran into the clinic in less than a minute. "What happened?" He was deeply tanned, with brown hair, and the tag on his uniform said "Malcolm."

"Didn't you see the two men running out of the clinic?" Geoffrey said.

"What two men?"

"They must have run right past you," Maylin said.

"Ma'am, I didn't see anyone." Officer Malcolm spoke in a slightly condescending tone, as if speaking to a crazy person.

"Weren't you parked at the curb?" Geoffrey said. He wouldn't have seen the front door, exactly, but he'd have seen anyone running out to the parking lot.

"No one ran past me," the officer said.

Geoffrey studied him, incredulous. Had he really not seen the two Asian men? How was that possible?

He was about to say something else when he felt Maylin's fingers press into his arm. She gave him a steady look, and he shut his mouth.

They gave their statements to the officer, explaining about how the men spoke with thick Chinese accents, and how one had attacked Geoffrey when he refused to go with them. 

"Disgruntled patient?" Officer Malcolm asked in a bored voice.

"We only treat children here," Geoffrey said.

The officer shrugged. "Parent, then."

The policeman had an air about him as if he didn't quite believe their stories, which made Geoffrey's shoulders grow tighter and tighter. It was one of the reasons he didn't tell them about the girl's warning for himself and Maylin.

Geoffrey tried to control his temper and be logical about this. The men had posed as FBI agents, but they hadn't done anything else besides rough him up and shove a few nurses. Everything looked like some men just trying to make trouble. No conspiracy theory or imminent danger to anyone ... except for that mysterious girl.

"Are you two okay?" Officer Malcolm asked. "We can call a paramedic ..."

"We're surrounded by nurses," Maylin said dryly. "We'll be fine."

The officer left to speak to some of the other nurses who had seen the two men, and Maylin said in a low voice, "In your office."

He followed her there, stepping over the books strewn across the floor. "They weren't FBI, I guess," he said.

Maylin partially closed the office door. "They were speaking in Cantonese."

He paused in the act of picking up a book. "You could understand them?" He supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Besides her name, she had an exotic swoop to the edges of her dark eyes, hinting at a part-Asian background. It was similar to the shape of his sister's eyes.

"My mom's side of the family is from Hong Kong," Maylin said. "After the big guy attacked you, they were trying to figure out how to get us out of the clinic without being noticed."

"Did they say anything about why they were trying to kidnap us?"

She shook her head.

"We should tell this to the police—"

Maylin glanced at the half-closed door. "Earlier, I saw those fake FBI agents talking to the policeman in the squad car that was parked outside. They seemed pretty friendly with each other."