KILLER DATE (SCANDALS) (11 page)

The stress of the evening and the implication that her sister might be involved in such a dangerous activity with vicious drug lords was too much for Jenny.  Tears that she had successfully held back started flowing freely.  Ignoring everyone else in the room, I gathered her in my arms and held her.  She buried her face in my chest and sobbed.

“She’s done for tonight, guys,” I told them.  “Can’t we pick this up tomorrow?”

Nick glanced at his watch and yawned.  “I could use a couple hours of sleep.  Why don’t we all meet at 10?  Can we use your office, Christopher?”

“You still don’t have an office?” Christopher scoffed.

“I’m a field guy.  I’d hate being trapped in
an…”

Behind the double doors came a
crash of steel and glass hitting the floor, followed by shouting and screams.  Someone yelled,
He’s got a gun!
followed by a shot.

CHAPTER SIX

“What the fuck?” Nick pulled his gun, jumped to the side and aimed his weapon at the double doors.  “Get her out of here.”  Brady and Jerry, also sprang into action, pulling guns out of holsters I hadn’t even noticed as all three men advanced toward the surgery area.

I assumed he meant Jenny, and I was more than happy to oblige.  Christopher had already pulled Killeen into the hallway.
  The walls were made of plaster-coated concrete block which should stop a bullet, but the big picture window that allowed people to see into the waiting area would probably not provide any protection.

“
Please wait for me in the car,” he told her.  Killeen started to protest, but she must have seen something in his eyes because her mouth snapped shut as he continued, “When you’re safely outside, call for back up.  I think the guys inside have their hands full.”  She gave him a quick kiss and hurried down the corridor.  I had a feeling she would never have left his side if she hadn’t been pregnant and had another person’s life to consider.

I looked at Jenny and wished I could convince her to go outside to safety, but I knew she was determined to stay as close to Miguel as possible, especially now
.  But I was able to pull her around the corner so someone coming out of the room wouldn’t see us.  We hid well away from the window, listening and peeking around the corner while Christopher dared to press against the wall next to the door.  I stood in front of Jenny, shielding her against a danger we didn’t know and couldn’t see.  I could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she pressed against my back.

We both flinched as
gunfire blasted from the other side of the swinging doors.  People dressed in scrubs, gloves and surgical masks ran out of the doors and fled down the hall.

“DEA!
  PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPONS!”  Nick’s command was followed a second later by two more gun shots.  They sounded like they came from two different guns, followed by complete silence.

“What’s happening
?” I asked Christopher. 

He shrugged and shook his head.

“Where’s your gun?” I wondered why Christopher wasn’t in there, too.  He was a pretty gung-ho dude.

“
I never carry a weapon…we leave that to the professionals.  Roger’s rule number one.”

“How many rules are there
?”

“
Dozens?  Hundreds?  No one ever wrote them down.”

The doors
swished open, and I leaned around enough so I could barely see into the room through the large window as Jerry and Nick walked back into the waiting area. 

“I think it’s clear,” I told Jenny, and we eased out of our hiding place and joined Christopher in the doorway.

“What happened?  Where’s Brady?”  Christopher asked.

Nick
holstered his weapon and was totally calm as if he hadn’t just been involved in a shoot-out in a busy hospital.  “Someone managed to get into the operating room.  They were intent on finishing the job on Miguel.  Brady’s doing paperwork.  He’s got a tablet, too, but he knows how to use it.”

“
Is Miguel okay?” Jenny stepped forward.

“
Yeah…sure.  They had just finished his surgery and pushed him to the recovery area.  Now, there is an asshole handcuffed to the operating table, waiting for the surgeons to come back so they can try to save his fucking worthless life.”  He ran his fingers through his short dark hair.  “Kids, this is a fucked-up world, you know.  That guy comes in to kill a drug lord’s son so we shoot him.  Now the docs will try to save him so his family can bail him out, and he’ll disappear back into Mexico or some shithole compound.”

“Maybe he knows where Angela is?” Jenny suggested hopefully.

“
Maybe.  So we’ve got two nearly dead guys who might know where the invisible Angela is,” Nick conceded.

“I’ll
get some protection on both of them,” Jerry said. He took out his cell phone and turned away to make the call.

Nick’s dark eyes squinted as he focused
on Jenny.  “If Miguel knew where you live, I’m pretty sure everyone else does, too.”

“You think they’ll come after Jenny?”

“If she was my sister…or girlfriend…I wouldn’t let her out of my sight.”  Nick gave Jenny another one of those long, appreciative looks that had raised my hackles earlier. 

Instinctively, I stepped forward and blocked his view.  “I’ll take good care of her.”

“She can come stay at the mansion.  We have plenty of empty bedrooms and great security,” Christopher offered.

“I…I’d have to go to my house and get some things…”  Jenny was smart enough to know he was right, but reluctant to accept the invitation.  “But I need to talk to Miguel first…”

“He’s going to be out for hours.  You might as well get some sleep.  He’ll be safe here.” Nick assured her.

Jenny took a deep breath.  “
Okay.  But I’ve got my kids tomorrow…I can’t let them down.”

“Tomorrow?
”  I nodded toward the big clock on the wall.  “Make that, today…in like four hours or so.  Call in, Jenny.  You’re not in any condition to take care of kids.  Plus, it would put them at risk in case someone came for you there.” 

She thought about
that for a moment, horrified at the possibility.  “You’re right. I’ll call on the way and leave a voicemail.”

“I’ll follow the two of you to her place,”
Christopher offered, “just in case someone’s there.”

“
Good idea,” I agreed.  “Then we’ll need to stop by the office, pick up my Beemer and leave her car in the back lot.  At least they won’t be able to track her that way.”

With a last reluctant glance at the closed doors, Jenny let herself be propelled along between me and Christopher.  Nick and Jerry stayed behind to wait for back up and 24-hour guards to be set up. 

Killeen was, as promised, waiting in the car, but as we approached, she got out and ran over to Christopher.  He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.  I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but the tone of his voice was reassuring and loving.  After a long moment, she stepped back, but kept her arm wrapped possessively around his waist.

“What
happened in there?” she asked.

“We’re going to Jenny’s house so she can pack some things.  Nick recommended that she stay out of sight for a while, so we’re taking her to the mansion,” Christopher told her.  “I’ll tell you all about it in the car.”

Jenny and I got into her car and we led the way.  At her house, we got out as if the group of us would intimidate cold-blooded killers.  The front porch was still littered with the medical discards and used gloves that the paramedics had left behind inside the circle of crime scene tape, so we went around to the back.

As we stood at the door while Jenny unlocked it, she started sneezing again. 

“Darn cat,” she muttered.

“You have a cat?” Killeen asked.

“No, but my sister does, and guess who inherited it when she took off?”

“You can’t just leave him here.”  Killeen
was horrified.  “What if he runs off or gets hit by a car?  Your sister will be devastated when she comes back and he’s gone.”

Jenny blinked back a flood of tears.

Killeen’s expressive face showed her instant regret.  “Oh, I’m so sorry to bring that up.”

Instead of being angry, Jenny’s voice shook as she as she asked, “Do you really think she’ll come back?”

“Of course I do,” Killeen rushed to say.  “They have no reason to harm her.  They’re probably just holding her somewhere to use as collateral.”

Jenny sniffled.  “But what if they can’t make a deal?  She could identify them…”

“I doubt they’re concerned about that,” Christopher retorted.  “Their photos are all over the walls at the police station and the DEA.  To the guys who want them behind bars, they’re probably more recognizable than the members of One Direction.”

That seemed to mollify Jenny somewhat.  “Okay, then we’d better find the beast.  There’s a carrier in Angie’s bedroom.”

“We’ll do that while you pack your things,” I offered.  “What’s his name?”

“Elvis,” Jenny told him and headed for her bedroom.

A cat named Elvis…he couldn’t be all bad.  “Elvis,” I called in what I hoped was a soothing cat voice that would coax him out of his hiding place.

“Here, kitty, kitty,” Killeen crooned. 

It must have been a girl thing because the large black cat bounded out from behind the curtains and wound his fluffy body around Killeen’s legs.  She bent down and picked him up.  Christopher returned with the cat carrier and we loaded Elvis inside.

“I’ll get his
things,” Killeen volunteered and went to the kitchen to get the food first.

Christopher and I stood in the small living room, waiting for our ladies.

“Separate bedrooms?” he asked, with a twinkle.

“For now,” I answered.  “She’s had a pretty crazy night.”

“So, the two of you were sitting on the couch when Miguel dropped in?”  He stared pointedly at the well-plumped throw pillows that showed no sign of human disturbance.

“That’s our story…and we’re sticking to it.”  I grinned.  Christopher was the last person to
judge since he and Killeen had hooked up within days of our arrival in Austin.

“I’m ready.”  Jenny walked out of her bedroom, pulling a black suitcase.  “Oh, wait, I’ve got to get my toothbrush.”  She left the suitcase and went into the bathroom, returning quickly with a large zip-up cosmetic bag.  As soon as she saw Elvis, she sneezed.  “I forgot my allergy meds.”  She hurried back to the bathroom
and retrieved a small bottle of pills.

Killeen handed Christopher a bag of cat chow and a bag of litter.  She had dumped the old litter somewhere, hopefully into the garbage can outside and washed out the pan.  She carried it and the cat’s dishes.  I picked up Jenny’s suitcase.

“Ready?” I asked.

“I guess.”  She was clearly not anxious to leave the coziness of h
er home.  It had to be an uncomfortable dilemma.  Stay and risk being kidnapped or killed by a crazy drug dealer or spend the night in a strange house, staying with people she barely knew.

“We’ll go to the hospital after we talk to Nick
this morning, and we’ll get some answers out of someone,” I promised her.  “We’ll get your sister back.”

Her smile was weak, but hopeful.  She stuffed her cosmetics bag into a backpack, grabbed her purse
, made sure the front door was locked, then we all walked out of the house, locking the back door behind us.

“Elvis has left the building,” I joked.

“Still not helping,” Jenny said, but I could see a hint of a smile, the first in hours.

Christopher and Killeen headed straight home while Jenny and I stopped by the shop to switch cars.  Elvis was yowling in the back seat, but finally settled down.  Obviously, he
was a cat with good taste if he preferred my BMW over Jenny’s piece-of-shit Honda.

The roads were practically deserted as we headed toward Lake Travis.  Jenny took advantage of the time to call the pre-school to notify them she wasn’t coming to work today.

Virginia? It’s Jenny.  Listen it’s about…,” she glanced at the clock on the radio, “four, and I haven’t been to bed tonight…yet…I’ll explain tomorrow.”

I shook my head.
  I doubted things would be settled enough for her to go to work the rest of this week. 

Jenny noticed and added to her co-worker’s answering machine, “I might have to take a couple days.  It’s pretty complicated.
  I’m sorry.  Bye.”

“Feel better?”

Jenny stared at the road ahead and the light rain that started to blanket the windshield.  “Maybe I should have told her what’s happening…”

“Hell
, no!  The fewer people who know about this, the better.  You never know who might overhear a casual conversation, and it could put her in danger.”

“You’re right
, Reno.  It’s just that I’ve never missed work.”

“Not once?”

She shook her head.  “No, I’m as reliable as the moon.”

“You mean you never g
ot the flu or took a sanity day?”

“I always get a flu shot…being around all thos
e kids is like being in a Petri dish.”  She yawned.  “I can’t afford to miss work.”

“It’s time you took a couple days off.  After we’ve gotten some sleep, we’ll be able to think more clearly and come up with a plan.”  I glanced over at her and saw her head was bobbing.  I reached over and guided her head to
my shoulder, and within seconds her breathing was deep and steady.  I had to struggle to keep my own eyes open as I focused on the rain-slickened road. 

It was almost five a.m. when we parked in front of the Lake Travis mansion.  I got out and carried Elvis and all Jenny’s things
up the steps to the porch, then went back and roused Jenny.  She was still groggy as I guided her to the front door.