No One to Trust (Hidden Identity Book #1): A Novel (26 page)

David knew there were several other marshals en route to the hospital. While Raimondi was dead, the trial was still set to go ahead. He’d be placed back into protective custody should he agree. He thought he might because of Summer. That was one gamble he wasn’t willing to take.

Pushing a wheelchair, Chase followed him into Doc’s room and tucked his phone into his pocket. The lines on his face and tense jaw didn’t bode well. “What is it?”

“They found Mike.”

David’s heart clenched. “Dead?”

“Yeah. Shot in the head, execution style.”

David nodded and swallowed hard. Mike had been gruff and a little rough around the edges, but he’d been a friend and he’d been willing to die for David. Sorrow pierced him. Just one more reason to make sure he made it to the trial. Determination filled him. Mike’s death wouldn’t be in vain. Not if he could help it.

Doc watched them. “Sorry to hear that.”

David shook his head. He’d have to grieve later. And visit Mike’s family. “You ready to get out of here?” he asked Doc.

“I’m past ready. I’m not used to being on this side of the knife and I can tell you right now, I don’t like it.”

“Yeah. Adam didn’t either.”

Together David and Chase got Doc to his feet and into the wheelchair. Sweat dotted the man’s dark face and David could hear him breathing a little heavier. “What’s your cover story?”

“Wife shot me,” Doc said as he pulled the blanket over the scrubs he’d gotten from somewhere. Probably sweet-talked a nurse into them.

Chase laughed and David snorted. “You don’t have a wife.”

“I know, and as soon as the cops get to that fake address I gave them, they’re going to find that out.”

“Too bad you won’t be here for them to get all mad at.”

“I’m going to get that when the colonel finds out I’m down for the count for the next week or so.”

David winced at the thought but knew Doc would handle it. He checked the door and motioned they had the all clear. As soon as Papa Bear and Doc were gone, he and Chase would get back to Summer and stick like glue until it was safe to come out of hiding.

Summer knocked on the door to Adam’s room and waited for his call to enter. She stepped inside expecting to see David. Instead Adam lay in the bed, his shoulder bandaged and the sole occupant of the room. He had a towel slung over the other shoulder and his damp hair curled around his forehead. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve been shot.” He gave her a twisted smile. The blinds of the window were open and she could see the sun beginning its descent. “I’m so sorry.”

“I should have been paying better attention.” His eyes slid from hers, and if she hadn’t known better, she would have thought she saw guilt flash across his face.

Summer frowned and ignored whatever her subconscious was trying to tell her. This man had saved her life. “Did David come up to see you?”

“Briefly. He said he and Chase were going to help Doc slip out of the hospital.”

“Oh.” Shadows filtered through the blinds. “You want me to turn on a light? It’s getting kind of dark.”

“No. I almost prefer the dark right now.” He swallowed hard and shifted, glanced toward the door. He took a deep breath. “I’m resigning from the marshals.”

Summer felt as though a bolt of lightning shot up her spine. “What? Why?”

“I . . .” He shook his head. “I made some stupid mistakes and I—”

A knock on the door drew her attention from his struggle to say whatever it was he was trying to tell her. A tall man slipped in the room, well dressed in a heavy leather coat and a fedora. When he saw Summer, he jerked. Looked like he might leave, then removed his hat and stepped forward. “Hello, I’m Parker Holland.”

Summer shook his hand. Something about him struck her as familiar, but she knew she’d never seen him before. “I’m Summer Abernathy.” She studied his face in the dim light. A lighter forelock gave him a distinguished look, but his bearing was almost haughty.

Adam narrowed his eyes. “Uncle Parker, what are you doing here?”

The tension in the room increased tenfold. Summer backed toward the door as Adam’s uncle moved toward him, shedding his coat and draping it over his arm.

Summer said, “I’ll, um . . . just be outside.” She let her gaze bounce between the two men. “David should be back anytime and . . .”

Parker reached over and flipped on the light. When he did, his shirtsleeve rose, revealing a tattoo on his left bicep. The head of a snake.

Summer froze as awareness hit her. The shock of white hair combined with the tattoo left her with no doubt who’d just entered the room.

A deep fear invaded her as she realized who was in the room with her and Adam.

David didn’t bother to watch his former unit members drive away. He hurried back into the hospital and headed straight for Marlee’s room. He rapped his knuckles on the door and waited.

When no one answered, he pushed the door open to find the room empty.

Puzzled, he walked to the nurse’s station. “Do you know where Marlee Chastain is—and her sister?”

The nurse consulted her computer, looked up, and smiled. “Yes, they’ve taken Ms. Chastain to X-ray. I’m not sure where her sister went. Maybe with her?”

“Probably. Do you know how long they’re going to be?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t have any way of knowing. I could call or you could go down and find out.” She told him how to get to X-ray.

“Thanks. I’ll walk down.”

David headed for the elevator wishing he’d left a cell phone with Summer.

“Summer? Summer?”

Adam’s voice penetrated her stunned revelation. Parker Holland was the man on the computer.

He was the one, along with Raimondi, who’d been trying to kill her and David. And now he stood between her and the door.

She moved to brush past him. “I’ve got to go, Adam. I’ll see you later.”

The man placed a hand on her upper arm. “Don’t be so quick to leave, Mrs. Abernathy. I’m always interested in Adam’s friends.”

Summer froze and pulled away from him.

“Uncle Parker.” Adam’s stern voice cut into her rising fear. “Leave her alone and let her leave. You and I need to talk in private anyway.”

Summer backed away toward the door, never taking her eyes from Parker Holland’s.

He pulled a weapon out of his jacket pocket and aimed it at her.

Adam sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed with a grunt. “Put that away! Are you kidding me?”

The silencer on the end said he wasn’t. He was dead serious. Parker said, “Get back in the bed, Adam. Summer, you go stand beside him.”

Summer curled her hands into fists. Adam hadn’t had a guard on his door, although the policeman who’d escorted her to the room should still be outside.

“What are you going to do?” she asked. It could be thirty minutes before anyone came to check on Adam. His heart monitor flared for a moment when his heart rate escalated, but he was so focused on his uncle, he probably didn’t realize it. He was also used to controlling himself in stressful situations, so his heart rate didn’t do drastic things. Like alert the nurses that something was wrong in room 512.

Parker Holland’s eyes flashed as Adam placed himself in front of Summer.

“Get out,” Adam said.

“You betrayed me.”

Adam gave a bitter laugh. “You’re a criminal. I betrayed myself
and everything I believe in by even agreeing to help you.” He paused. “Not that I really knew what I was agreeing to.”

Summer’s breath left her lungs in a whoosh. “You called Raimondi and told him David and the others were on the way up.”

Adam stiffened. “No. I called my uncle and told him the deal was off and that we were going to get Raimondi.” He paused and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “I was trying to give him a chance to run if he wanted to.”

“But he didn’t.”

“My uncle came to me not too long ago and told me about a trial that was coming up, that he had a key witness who refused to hand over crucial evidence.” Adam drew in a deep breath. “He said he was worried about how admissible it would be. He needed the laptop way before the trial because that would be the only way to ensure the right people were locked up. He asked me to find the location of the laptop. After all, family helped family, right?”

Adam raised his fist at his uncle, then dropped it when the gun didn’t waver. “David described you to me. The man in the pictures on the coveted laptop. I didn’t realize who it was at first. Until he told me about the tattoo.” He glanced at Summer. “I couldn’t believe my uncle would be involved with the Raimondis, so I kept quiet.” He swung an angry look back at Parker. “But when you kept hounding me about the laptop, I knew it had to be you. I was stunned—”

“Shut up, Adam, and let’s go.”

Summer moved so she could bounce her gaze between the two men. But Adam wasn’t finished. “I ingratiated myself with Mike and caught a lucky break when he needed extra help to guard you and David.”

Summer stared at the weapon. She stayed close to Adam, praying his uncle wouldn’t shoot him. Unfortunately, she had a feeling the man would do whatever it took to protect his name. “Raimondi’s dead,” she said.

“And I still need that laptop,” Parker said. “I can’t let the authorities get their hands on it. I’m sure my contact information is in there somewhere. Along with those pictures.”

“How did you know about the pictures?” Summer asked.

“Sam sent them to me. Said he could just as easily leave the face in them. The only reason he’s still breathing is because I held out a faint hope that he might tell me where he hid the laptop. Then I got word that David had it.”

“Bennie told you, didn’t he?” Summer asked Parker.

“Yes. Bennie was very helpful in a lot of ways. Divorce is a costly venture and he went through two of them. He also went through all of his money.”

Summer’s mind raced. She shifted and looked at Adam. “Did you tell them how to find us at the cabin?”

“No. I didn’t know where you were at that point. And I never told anyone where we were.”

“Except when we got to Raimondi’s.”

“Yeah.” He looked at his uncle. “You tried to have me killed.” Bitterness spewed from him.

“You wouldn’t do the job. And you knew too much.” A faint frown pulled his brows together. “I hated to do it.” He glanced at the bandaged wound on Adam’s shoulder. “Apparently my guy didn’t know the difference between a head shot and a body shot.” He shook his head in disgust.

Summer looked at the weapon in the man’s hand. “So you’re going to kill him—us—in the hospital? How do you think you’ll get away with that?”

“I won’t. We’re leaving.” He waved the gun toward the door. “It’s not like I came here planning to do this now, I just wanted to talk to Adam. But you recognized me and it is what it is. So, let’s go.”

“And yet you have a gun.”

“I always carry a gun. Never know when you’re going to need it.” He sneered. “Looks like I made a wise decision. Now move.”

Summer asked, “How far do you think he’ll get with the heart monitor and no shirt.”

Parker Holland wasn’t quite as cool and in control as he would like them to think. He was thinking on his feet, trying to come up with a plan that would allow him to commit murder and get away with it.

“Get a shirt on and let’s go,” the man growled.

“Forget it.”

Holland moved fast and jammed the gun in Summer’s face. She flinched and backed up. “Then I can shoot her right here. No one will hear the shot and she’ll be dead. Then it will be your turn. The story of what happened will be a little harder to come up with, but I’ll think of something. It’s up to you, Adam.”

Adam moved slowly, wincing with every movement.

“He’s lost a lot of blood,” Summer said, noting that his uncle had lowered his weapon. She helped Adam pull his shirt down over his injured arm.

An idea occurred and she wrapped her fingers around the wires on the patches of the heart monitor. “Don’t scream,” she whispered. And yanked.

David, trailed by Chase, hunted down Marlee, who told him Summer had decided to go visit Adam. Now back on the elevator, he tapped his fingers against his thigh and told Chase, “I can’t relax.”

“You’ve been living on adrenaline for so long your body doesn’t remember how to feel without the rush.”

David nodded. “Yeah, but I just keep thinking it’s not quite over yet.”

“The guy on the computer.”

They stepped off the elevator to find chaos. Chase pointed. “That’s Adam’s room.”

David bolted for the door only to come to a screeching halt when staff backed up. Adam walked out first and caught David’s eye. A bad feeling grew in David’s gut. Then Summer appeared in the doorway and he breathed a sigh of relief only to feel his blood start to pound when he saw the weapon held against her temple.

She walked slowly from the room to the hall. At the sight of the gun, the medical staff gaped and ran for cover. David stood in front of Summer and the man behind her. “Who are you? What are you doing?”

“I’m getting out of here. Just back up and let us get to the elevator. As soon as I get in the car, I’m gone.”

Adam’s eyes met David’s. He gave a slight shake of his head. Meaning, if they got out of the hospital Summer was dead.

David had no doubt hospital personnel had already dialed 911. Help was on the way. He also figured the man with the gun knew that too.

Summer kept her eyes locked on his. Fear mingled with fury stared back at him. She said, “He’s the man on the laptop.”

“He’s also my uncle,” Adam said in a low voice. “David Hatchett, meet Judge Parker Holland, my mother’s brother and a traitor to his robe, his family, and everything else you can think of.”

“Shut up, Adam. If you’d done as I told you, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

David processed the words even as his brain tried to figure out how to get the man to release Summer. “You won’t get out of here. You can’t even go home now. Let Summer go and take your chances with the court.”

“I’ll take my chances on running at this point.” His jaw tightened and his eyes darted. “If only you had given up the laptop, none of this would have been necessary.”

“Raimondi was willing to go to great lengths to get that laptop. He didn’t want anyone to know you were in his pocket, did he?”

“Raimondi and I go way back.”

“Well, he’s dead now and you’re on your way to prison.”

The gun pressed tighter against Summer’s temple and she winced.

“The cops are on the way, security is probably on the elevator and in the stairwells as we speak.”

Parker pushed Summer toward the elevator. “Which is why it’s time for me to say goodbye.” To Summer he said, “Press the button to go down.”

“They’ll just shut down the elevators, Uncle Parker, please don’t do this. Or take me.” He stepped forward. “Let Summer go. I’ll go with you.”

“No.” The man pushed Summer toward the stairs. “Tell them if they block the stairwell, I’ll shoot my way out. They shoot back, they’ll hit her, I guarantee it.”

David’s blood rushed through his veins and his heart pounded in his chest. How could he stop this? Summer pushed open the stairwell door and Parker let it close behind him. David followed, Adam close on his heels.

Adam was on his phone with Chase.

Chase headed for the bottom floor via another stairwell. Hospital security would also be waiting.

David could hear Summer and Parker rushing down the steps. The thought of Summer getting caught between a shootout terrified him. He grabbed the gun from his ankle holster.

A loud thud, a rattle, and a startled scream reached his ears. He continued his hurried descent, his small Smith & Wesson in his right hand.

Summer refused to give in without a fight. As the man behind her pushed her faster and faster down the stairs, she knew she had to act. She could hear David behind her.
Give me a
plan, Lord.

As her feet touched the bottom step of the second floor, she let herself go limp. Her move took her captor by surprise. She let herself fall, bracing for the pain she knew was coming.

With a yell, he grabbed for her, lost his balance, and crashed to the landing beside her with a hard thud. Summer’s hip hit hard and pain sliced up her side. She couldn’t help the cry that flew from her lips. Parker’s gun skittered from his fingers, and ignoring the pain, Summer dove for it.

His left hand wrapped around her right ankle and jerked her to a stop. She rolled to her right and her left foot shot out. Her solid kick caught him under the chin. He gave a strangled cry and his grip loosened.

She scrambled toward the weapon that lay on the first step of the next landing.

A hard grip wrapped itself in her hair and yanked. She screamed and fell back.

Away from the weapon.

With her peripheral vision, she saw his hand reach for the weapon, grasp it, and swing it around to point it in her face.

The look in his eye said she was dead. He would shoot her and run. She closed her eyes.

Three shots that sounded almost like one rang out. A cry, a grunt, a slight gurgle, and then all she could hear was the ringing in her ears.