Vengeance (31 page)

"She said she'd meet me here. Why was the meeting cancelled?"

"I don't know. Cara said Robert left town." Lucinda made a disparaging noise.

"Don't act so high and mighty just because someone slept with you." Cara's voice was low and venomous. "You hired him, remember? I don't know how much you're paying him, but I hope it was worth it."

John Fairchild pushed his way past Jeff Delacroix to confront his half-sister. "You have no right to make innuendos like that."

"I'm not innuendoing anything," Cara shot back. "I'm saying it. She paid him and he slept with her. That's a fact."

"Just because he chose to sleep with her and not you is no reason to get bitchy."

"He would have slept with me, but you interrupted us." Cara gave me a cursory, dismissive look. "Not that I really cared. He came on to me and I thought it would be amusing."

"Now just a darn minute." Lucinda pushed at my arm, which was now around her upper body, holding her back. "That's not true and you know it."

"You paid him to sleep with you?" Jeff Delacroix swung his gaze to Lucinda, who had both hands on my arm and was trying to push me away.

Lucinda paused in her assault on my arm to glare at her nephew. "You know I hired Nico to give me financial advice."

Cara assumed a casual pose, but I could see her arms tremble. "He's just trying to butter you up so he can stop Robert from getting control of the company." Cara's dark brown eyes bored into me. "Robert told me all about you and your rivalry."

"Excuse me?" I loosened my grip on Lucinda, who started toward Cara. I grabbed her by the upper arms. "Whoa, boss."

"He told me how he beat you in a business deal years ago. Since then you've been trying to ruin him." Cara shot Lucinda a cool look. "His involvement with you was something more than..." She paused and added insultingly, "...lust."

"So are we having a meeting or not?" Jeff asked, jerking us all back to the present moment. "If not, I'll let you folks squabble about who's sleeping with who and go have lunch."

"Your aunt screwed the deal for us just like she screwed him." Cara tried to inject concern into her voice but all that came through was petulant anger.

"Cara, when did you become such a bitch?" John Fairchild demanded. "This is amazing behavior, even for you."

"Get bitchy?" Lucinda peeked around my body, ducked and was in front of me before I could stop her. She stalked up to Cara, her hands balled into fists. "Cara, you must have been adopted. Aaron was the sweetest person I've ever known. I may not be perfect, but at least I'm not a witch like..."

I tuned out their bickering, focusing on the one fact in this entire conversation that loomed like disaster on the horizon.

The whole family was gathered, all in one place.

Parker told Sheila that it was 'a family thing.'

They were gathered. All except one.

"Out of the building." I grabbed Lucinda by the arm, jerking her toward the door.

"What?" Cara shifted, blocking our exit from the office. "What are you talking about? Who do you think you're ordering around? I'm not done talking to her."

Lucinda looked up at me, startled. "Out? Why?" Then she looked from her nephew, to John Fairchild, to Cara. She took my hand and our link flared to life. Understanding made her gray eyes go dark with fear.

"Out." I didn't pause for explanations but pushed past Cara into the main hallway, pulling Lucinda behind me. I spotted the fire alarm on the wall. I yanked it down.

"Nico, what are you doing?" Lucinda yelled over the deafening klaxon.

"Out of the building!"

The explosion drowned out my shouts.

I heard the blast a second before I felt the concussion. I shielded Lucinda with my body, jumping out of the way as I twisted us both to the floor, squirming under the reception desk. I saw Cara crumple and start to go down, framed in the doorway to Lucinda's office. Then John Fairchild scooped her up and ran for the front of the building where the door and large window had blown out. Flames shot out of the conference room just a few yards away but miraculously the rest of the building seemed intact, albeit covered with dust and debris.

The sharp smell of smoke was starting to waft through the building, borne on the breeze that came from holes in the outside wall. I sniffed warily, praying I wouldn't smell that cloying scent of burning flesh, an unforgettable odor I experienced in several wars. All I smelled was melting plastic, heat and, oddly enough, snow, probably blown in from the outside world.

I jerked Lucinda to her feet. "Are you all right?" I wasn't sure if she could hear me. My ears were ringing, as much from the siren as from the explosion. I looked her over from head to toe in one cursory, sweeping glance. She had several small cuts on her face and hands, but otherwise appeared unharmed.

"Jeff." She pointed behind me.

I followed her gaze and saw a crumpled human, lying on the twisted remains of a door and a wall. "I'll get him. You get out."

"The employees--" She started back down the hall, toward the conference room.

"Get out. The fire department will be here soon. They'll need you to help, to give directions. Go." I pushed her toward the gaping hole that was the front of the building, where others were stumbling in ragged formation. I didn't wait to verify that she followed my instructions. I turned to Jeff. He was twisted awkwardly, his arm flung out at an odd angle. It was probably broken, but I couldn't take the time to examine it. This building had housed a lot of computer equipment and toxic fumes would soon start to choke us. We had to get out.

A man stumbled through the haze toward me. It was Fairchild. He bent to pick up his nephew's feet. I gathered up Jeff's shoulders and between the two of us we manhandled the unconscious man out the ragged opening, into the waiting arms of other employees who were gathered in the parking lot outside.

I found Lucinda outside the building, the receptionist weeping against the shoulder of her torn navy jacket. I met Lucinda's eyes. "Kat?" she mouthed.

I nodded. It had to have been Kathryn Delacroix. She was the only one who wasn't there. Had she collaborated with Meyer? I didn't know and I didn't have time to analyze it.

Lucinda closed her eyes in pain. I understood her distress, but we had no time for it. When Parker's man knew his bomb didn't succeed, he'd try something else. I had to get Lucinda out of there and to safety. It was Good Friday. I had to make sure history didn't repeat itself.

What happened? Let me out! What happened? Is she okay? Are you okay?

I looked across the parking lot. Cerberus's face was pressed anxiously against the steamy rear window of the Cayenne.
We're fine
, I called.
I'll be there in a minute.

Let me out! I can help! I can find people!

I was starting toward the SUV when John Fairchild stopped me. "Can you help Jeff?" he asked, tugging at my arm. "And Cara--she's hurt badly." He limped away, gesturing urgently to me to follow.

I looked at the SUV.
Just a minute
. Lucinda pried the receptionist off her shoulder and we wove our way through crumpled cars and an obstacle course of chunks of glass and mounds of concrete to a grassy verge at the far end of the parking lot. Several people were huddled there, office workers covering them with coats and jackets. The sleet had stopped, but a cold, damp mist was falling, mingling with dust from the explosion to create a murky haze.

Cara lay on the ground, her skin gray and sunken. A white-haired man knelt next to her. His face was bloody, but he didn't seem to notice the cut on his forehead. "She's bleeding," he said, pressing hard on Cara's shoulder.

I pulled off my coat and draped it over Cara's legs then I knelt next to the man, verifying Cara's pulse was weak and erratic. "We'll need blankets," I said as I checked Cara's eyes for a response. She struggled to focus, her dark brown irises made almost black by her huge pupils. Her skin was clammy and even if it hadn't been a chilly day, I'd have recognized her dropping body temperature. She was going into shock.

"Set up a triage area away from the front of the building. The fire trucks will need room to maneuver and people will get in the way. Anyone who can walk should move as far away from the front of the building as possible and help anyone who's injured." I pulled aside Cara's brown jacket far enough to see the jagged wound in her right shoulder, open and bloody. It looked like part of the bone and some of the muscle was shredded. She needed surgery soon or she'd bleed to death. If she survived, she'd probably be crippled. "We need clean water, towels, blankets and shelter. Tell the police we need a minimum of ten ambulances."

I finally looked up. Lucinda stared at me wide-eyed, her eyes fastened on the Colt in the holster at my side. John Fairchild had his mobile phone out, as did several other people, all talking frantically, presumably to 911 operators. No one else had seen the gun yet, or if they did, they weren't reacting. "I can stabilize her, but that's the best I can do. She needs a hospital." I snapped my fingers at Lucinda and sharpened my voice. "I need your jacket."

She yanked it off and pressed it into my hands. "What can I do?"

"Find anyone who's had first aid training and get them started on helping the wounded. Put the critically wounded--" I looked around, getting my bearings. "Bring them over here." One spot was as good as another and at least we were out of the way of any traffic entering the parking lot. "Someone needs to take a head count and make sure everybody got out." I tore Lucinda's jacket as I spoke, separating it into component parts with quick jerks.

She held out her hand. "Give me that and I'll get started."

I mentally blessed her cool head. I slipped the holster off and handed it to her, gun and all, along with the keys to the Cayenne. "Put it under the driver's side," I said in a low voice, pointing to my untouched SUV at the far end of the lot. "And watch out for the dog."

"You brought Cerberus?" Lucinda looked at the Cayenne and the anxious dog peering at her from the back seat. "Is that a different car?" She snatched up one of her jacket sleeves I left lying on the ground and draped it over the gun then started walking. People started to gravitate to her, looking for someone to take charge. I turned back to Cara, satisfied that at least I wouldn't have to explain my choice of weapon to the authorities when they arrived.

 I pulled the jagged edges of the wound together and packed it with Lucinda's jacket, using a belt someone handed me as a tourniquet. The wounded man next to me explained he had Med-Evac training as a Marine in Vietnam, so I pressed him into service.

I'll watch out for Lucinda
.

I looked up. Cerberus was with Lucinda, staying close to her as ambulances came edging into the parking lot.
Good. Thanks. I can't get away
. I was relieved to know he was on guard duty. I had the feeling we weren't free of problems yet.

As soon as I was sure Cara was relatively stable, I moved to Jeff Delacroix, who was lying nearby, the receptionist at his side.

"Broken arm," I said after a brief examination. "He's also got a concussion, which is a blessing since it knocked him out." I glanced at the woman. "How strong is your stomach?"

She gulped. "I'm okay."

"Good. Hold him steady." I quickly set the broken arm then wrapped it in a piece of rag someone handed me. The woman paled but stuck with it, turning aside to retch when we finished. I gave her a congratulatory smile and moved on to the next person needing attention.

At some point Lucinda bent over me where I knelt next to a woman with a nasty slash in her arm. "Do you have identification?" Lucinda murmured into my ear. Cerberus watched us from a few feet away, his pale blue eyes watering with dust and smoke.

I looked up at her, startled. "Don't you know who I am?"

She nodded to the left and I followed her gaze. Several ambulances had arrived and police cars were coming into the area, lights flashing. "They may have questions about your medical background. I know I do."

"My wallet is in my back pocket. I have a medical ID."

She plucked the wallet out of my pocket, her hand caressing my back as she leaned on me. "I have the feeling there's a lot to learn about you." After kissing me on the cheek, she walked across the lot, thumbing through my wallet as she went. People once again moved toward her, calling out questions that she answered with short, quick gestures. I smiled at the sight--Lucinda, small, competent and in charge in her pale blue blouse and torn blue pants, looking like a little general issuing orders with Cerberus by her side, her faithful assistant.

My Lucinda.

I straightened up from my patient a few minutes later and retrieved my jacket, left on the ground. Cara was gone, presumably vanished into one of the waiting ambulances. I went to talk to the paramedics. Lucinda joined me, handing me my wallet with a murmured, "Here you go, Dr. Hayden."

You've got some explaining to do
, Cerberus said from his spot at her side.