“Impossible. You shouldn’t be moved, let alone stand.”
“Yeah, well, that can’t be helped.”
“And here I was thinking you were intelligent. You have no proof your real identity has been shared with the bad guys. That woman, Ms. Montoya, didn’t seem like the kind who would purposely out you. After all, you’re no good to her and her baby if you’re on the root side of the lawn.”
“I do not intend to marry her, or anybody else. I should have realized that my job is too dangerous to take the chance of jeopardizing a wife, let alone kids.”
Kaitlin was about to agree with him when Letty burst through the door. Her eyes were wild, her face flushed.
She pushed Kaitlin aside and lunged at the bed, grasping Daniel’s arm and shaking him. “We have to go. Now. They’re here! I saw them.”
THREE
It took Kaitlin several seconds longer than Daniel to react, but once she’d made up her mind he saw decisiveness fill her expression.
Grabbing Letty’s arm she wrenched it away, insinuating herself between the patient and his ex. “Leave him alone. He shouldn’t be moved.”
Letty reached out. “He’d better be.”
Daniel understood his ex’s sense of dread because he shared it. Until they knew who had shot Levi and killed him, anyone could turn out to be the enemy. Kaitlin, however, seemed fearless. That was not a plus. Not in this case.
He managed to slide off the bed and stand on his own. “I can handle myself. Get me my clothes.”
“You won’t want what you came in wearing,” Kaitlin said. “It’s a mess. It’s also probably been bagged as evidence. You were shot, you know.”
“I know the importance of that better than you do,” he told her. “These guys mean business. Letty’s right. I need to get out of here before they find me and other people get hurt, too.”
“And go where?” Kaitlin stood firm, hands fisted on her hips, feet apart in a no-nonsense pose. If Daniel hadn’t been filled with dread he might have laughed.
“Scrubs, then. Get me some of those.”
When neither woman moved, he shouted, “Scrubs!”
Instead of heading for the door to do his bidding, Kaitlin pointed at Letty. “Go down the hall, third door on the left. That’s a linen closet. You know his size better than I do.”
Surprised, Daniel scowled. He’d expected the EMT to fetch him something to wear. The fact that Letty obeyed, although reluctantly, was a surprise.
As soon as the door closed behind the other woman, Kaitlin threw her purse onto a chair, dashed to the closet and pulled down a clean, folded, hospital-green outfit. She thrust it at him and turned her back. “Hurry up. It won’t take her long to figure out I sent her on a wild-goose chase.”
“What? Why?”
“Because of the way she warned you.” Kaitlin rolled her eyes. “Think, Daniel. How did she know she was seeing the hit men? How would she know who they are?”
Kaitlin was right. She was a civilian, yet she’d just bested his professional logic. Even if Letty wasn’t responsible for the danger he was in, she was clearly not revealing everything she knew. And he had blithely accepted her advice as if she were totally innocent.
Dressing rapidly would have been harder if his adrenaline had not kicked in. He felt like an idiot. How long had he been fooled? And by how many of his former cohorts? There was no telling how much inside information his enemies were receiving.
His guttural “Ready” brought Kaitlin to his side. He looped one arm over her shoulders, figuring she’d help him walk all the way out.
Instead, she guided him to a wheelchair and pointed. “Sit.”
“I can make it on my feet.”
“Maybe. But if we have to run, I’d rather have wheels under you. Sit, or I’m leaving.”
“Okay, okay. You don’t have to get testy.”
She shot him an incredulous look as she locked the brakes on the chair. “Apparently, I do.”
“I’ll draw more attention like this than I would if I walked.” Nevertheless, he lowered himself and held his leg up while she carefully propped it atop a raised footrest before placing green booties on both his feet.
“Not after I get through with you, you won’t,” she declared. A blanket tucked around him came first, then a towel that draped over his head and covered his hair as well as masking the sides of his face. “Put your head down and pretend you’re sleeping.”
Daniel did as she asked, marveling at her quick thinking and wondering what other tricks she had up her sleeve. If he had been alone when Letty had arrived with the warning, he might have let himself be led to the slaughter.
He huffed. Might have? He would have. That, or the killers would have located his room and taken care of business right there. It didn’t matter how it happened, he’d have been finished.
Pulling the blanket close to hide his arms and hands, Daniel kept hold of the leading edge of the towel and braced himself with his good leg, his foot pressing the footrest.
The door swung open with a push from Kaitlin, barely missing his raised leg. He gritted his teeth.
She swung the chair to the right, into a branching hallway. “Where are we going?” he asked.
“What difference does it make?”
“None. Just get me out of here.” She knew this hospital, he didn’t. Where he’d have wandered, perhaps gotten lost, she was right on track. He hoped.
They passed room after room, most occupied. He had to escape before anybody started shooting. Stray bullets would find plenty of innocent targets in a place like this.
The chair briefly rose on one wheel as Kaitlin spun him around another corner. Daniel gasped.
She slowed and leaned over him from the back. “Sorry. Did I hurt your leg?”
“I’m too worried about your driving to know,” he snapped. “Try not to dump me in a heap, okay?”
“You are one ungrateful patient,” she replied wryly. “Here I am, rescuing you, and all you can do is complain.”
“Are you ever serious?” he bit out, bracing for the next jolt.
“Sure, when I don’t feel in control. Trust me. I’ve got this.”
He felt her falter for an instant, then pick up the fast pace. Although he couldn’t see her he sensed tension. “What just happened?”
“I got a glimpse of your girlfriend at the far end of that hallway. She wasn’t alone.”
“Terrific. How many?”
“Two.”
“Did they see us?”
“I don’t think so. Hang on.”
As if he wasn’t already. Letting go of the towel, he gripped the armrests of the wheelchair with both hands. Kaitlin was pushing him straight at a bank of closed glass doors! Why didn’t they move?
Just as he was about to shout, the doors slid open. Tight passage dislodged the blanket. He made a grab for it.
“Let it go. We’re almost in the clear!” she ordered, sounding like a kid on the downward slope of a roller coaster, enjoying every minute of the thrills.
“This is serious,” Daniel insisted, speaking over his shoulder.
“I know. Do you want me to weep and wail like your girlfriend did or get you out of this mess?”
“Point made.” His grumbled reply turned into a series of groans as she bumped his chair off a low curb and started to push him across the paved hospital parking lot. “Are you looking for potholes to hit?”
“Yup. How’m I doin’?”
There was no understanding her, he concluded. The meek, frightened girl he had once rescued had matured into a mix of Nurse Ratched, Wonder Woman and Hot Lips Hoolihan in that old TV series set in the Korean War. If one of her personalities didn’t get him hurt or killed, the others might.
He bit his tongue when they bounced through another series of shallow pits in the asphalt surfa
ce. Before he could comment again, Kaitlin pushed him behind a pickup truck and stopped so suddenly he almost slipped off the seat.
“Ack!” Daniel righted himself. His forehead was dotted with perspiration despite the cool, autumn weather. Not only was his companion out of breath, so was he.
She rounded the chair and bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for breath and grinning. “We made it.”
“Right. Now what? I can’t stay here long or they’ll figure out where we went.”
“I...know. Just...chill.”
Daniel wasn’t worried enough to keep from feeling contrite. “I’m sorry. I know that had to be hard on you. Are you okay?”
“I will be.” Grasping the edge of the truck bed she straightened enough to peek over it. “So far, so good. Nobody followed us.”
“What now?”
“We steal a getaway car.”
“What?” His gaping jaw snapped shut when he heard her chuckle.
“Relax.” Kaitlin grinned. “This is my truck. All I need is the keys and we can take off.”
“Where are they?”
“In my purse. In your room.”
All the air seemed to go out of him. His shoulders slumped. “My room?”
“Yes, but I know other ways in. Don’t try anything funny while I’m gone. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
Daniel grabbed her wrist to stop her. “No. It’s too dangerous. That room is the first place they’ll search and Letty knows what you look like.”
“But the other guys don’t.”
As she was speaking she was reaching behind her neck. When Daniel saw her long, wavy, blond hair fall loose over her shoulders, his heart, which was already racing, made a little extra jump.
“What about your uniform? She’ll surely spot that.”
“No worries.” Kaitlin stripped off the light blue tailored shirt that bore her first name and the ambulance company insignia and handed it to him. Underneath she wore a plain, sleeveless tank top that matched the navy of her plain slacks. Spreading her arms she twirled for him, obviously pleased with herself. “See?”
“Be careful.”
“I will. Wait right there.” She sobered and eyed him, head tilted. “Promise?”
“I promise. Just hurry.”
He watched her for as long as he could, then hunkered down in the chair. Kaitlin had to make it. She had to come back to him in one piece.
Sighing, he closed his eyes, tried to quiet his mind and prayed for exactly that.
* * *
The hospital corridors were fairly crowded since visiting hours had begun. Kaitlin checked her watch. Shift change was coming, too, and the new nurse on duty would surely notice that Daniel was missing and sound an alarm. She didn’t have much time left.
What she wanted to do was press her back to the wall and inch down the hall sideways. She didn’t, of course. That would definitely draw attention. Instead, she straightened her shoulders, pasted a passable smile on her face and stepped forward boldly. The rubber soles of her work boots on the polished floor kept her passage silent.
One more turn. Five more doors. Her pulse was thudding so loudly she was nearly deaf to sounds around her. She raised her hand and placed her palm on the door to the room Daniel had just vacated. Something stopped her. Voices? Yes! A woman was speaking. In seconds, Kaitlin deduced that Letty was on the phone.
“He’s gone, I tell you. I’m in his room and the bed’s empty.” The other woman sounded panicky. “No, I didn’t see where he went. He can’t have gotten far.”
In the hallway, Kaitlin held her breath. Tell me where they are right now and where they’re headed, she thought, adding, Please, God, as an unspoken prayer.
“All right. I’ll wait for you here,” Letty said, “but hurry.”
No! Kaitlin wanted to scream. If she hoped to rescue Daniel from these thugs she had to get to her purse and truck keys. And Letty was in the way. Now what? If she waited until the men arrived there was no way she’d be able to retrieve her purse. Suppose Letty discovered it? Stole it? Kept it? Then what? They’d have no resources that couldn’t be traced and little money for traveling.
There was only one thing to do—stage a blitz attack.
Life on the streets as a wild teen had been hazardous and difficult, but it had taught Kaitlin a few tricks. One, an unexpected assault usually worked better than a face-off. The main trouble with a physical confrontation was the conflict with her Christian faith.
“I’ll forgive Letty later,” Kaitlin vowed. “And ask her to forgive me.”
Right here, right now, her task was clear. She had a duty to perform and the tools with which to do it lay inside that hospital room.
Preparing to burst through the door, Kaitlin heard the clicking of Letty’s heels on the hard floor. She strained to listen. The sound was receding, then stopped. Could Daniel’s ex have spotted her purse? There was no time to waste.
Kaitlin pushed open the door. If it had squeaked Letty would have noticed but it moved on silent hinges. Letty was standing at the window, her back to Kaitlin, concentrating on her cell phone.
Unmoving, Kaitlin waited for just the right second to spring. She didn’t want to hurt anybody, not even this deceitful woman, yet she must act boldly and with force or fail Daniel. What good would all her prior efforts do if that happened?
Still facing the window, Letty spoke into her phone. “You won’t believe this. I see him! He’s...”
Kaitlin rushed her. Knocked the cell phone out of her hand and threw her onto the empty bed.
Letty fought back, kicking and scratching. Her false fingernails raked Kaitlin’s bare arms like a hawk’s talons as they rolled back and forth, grappling.
The pain actually helped. So did the fact that Kaitlin had been exercising to keep fit for her job. She was stronger, but the spitfire she was trying to subdue was quick.
They rolled to the edge of the bed. Kaitlin grabbed a pillow to try to buffer the blows. That threw Letty farther backward and they slipped off the bed in a tangle. Letty landed first, with a stunning whack to her head.
Kaitlin grabbed the smaller woman’s hands and bound them together with tubing from Daniel’s IV. That would do as long as Letty was groggy. There was no time or reason to do more.
Gasping, staggering, Kaitlin lunged for the chair where her purse had been. It was gone! She fell to her knees in despair—and spotted the leather handbag on the floor.
Letty’s discarded cell phone lay nearby. Kaitlin could hear a male voice shouting through it. “Stay there. We’re on the way.”
Rational thought insisted on immediate action despite the fatigue and pain from the fight. Pushing off the seat of the chair with her hands, Kaitlin straightened and grabbed the purse. She ran to the door. Two nurses in the hallway had stopped and were staring at her. That couldn’t be helped.
Swiveling, she looked both ways and noted movement to her left. Whoever was headed her way was not wearing white or hospital green. That was enough for her.
Kaitlin went right, clutching her purse to her chest and breaking into a run. She heard a ruckus behind her. Knew the thugs must have discovered Letty.
The final turn was right there. As she whipped around it she chanced a look back. One surly-looking man was at the far end of the corridor, zeroed in on her as if he were a hungry lion and she a helpless gazelle.
Well, she was not about to become anyone’s victim. And she certainly wasn’t going to let the man who had saved her from the streets be harmed. Not while she had one spark of life left.
Kaitlin plunged her hand into the gaping open top of the purse as she exited the hospital at a run. “Keys! Keys. C’mon, where are the keys?”
Her fingers probed the recesses. She’d switched to a key ring with a furry fob for this very purpose, to be able to locate her elusive keys no matter what. So
where were they?
For an instant she wondered if they might have fallen out onto the floor when she and Letty grappled. That notion stuck in her throat like a dry cotton ball until she finally touched something soft and fuzzy. That was it!
Almost to the parked pickup truck she spotted Daniel. Raising her hand with the keys and waving it as if she were leading a cheer at a bowl game, she shouted, “Get in!”
FOUR
Daniel was more than ready. He’d already thought through the moves that would put him in the passenger seat with the least effort or pain and proceeded to execute them. He pulled himself to his feet against the door, looped an arm over the side mirror and balanced on one leg while he reached for the door handle. Gave it a jerk. It didn’t budge.
She’d locked the door! An instant swell of anger took him by surprise and he tamped it down. Of course Kaitlin had locked her vehicle. A shift had to be at least eight hours and anybody who knew what she drove would have had that long to steal her truck. If they wanted to.
He almost smiled. Who in the world would take this beater truck when there were so many others to choose from? Nobody, that’s who. To say that their erstwhile getaway vehicle was less than perfect was to compare a Ferrari to a rusty bicycle. Still, any port in a storm, as they said.
Momentum took Kaitlin into the tailgate. She bounced off as if that was the way she always approached. “I thought I told you to get in!”
“Door’s locked,” Daniel yelled back.
“It just sticks. Give it a yank,” she told him as she made her way, gasping for breath, along the edge of the truck bed, then pulled open her own door and threw herself behind the wheel.
Following her directions almost landed Daniel on his back pockets in the lot. Hopping on his good leg he managed to round the gaping door and turn his back to the interior, intending to sit, then push himself up.
Marked for Revenge Page 3
