WHITEOUT: Above And Beyond (Beauty 0f Life Book 10)

by Laura Acton

  He prided himself on his strategies. His ability to develop foolproof plans ensured they eluded the brainless police. Noah would never be as dimwitted as Franco Brown. Franco’s scheme went to hell when one of the hostages, a blond, blue-eyed Rambo, managed to kill Franco’s cousin Ralph.

  The idiots who believed them to be hostages never suspected they were involved. He and Jonas slipped away with ease when the constable tasked with monitoring the safe zone was more interested in watching the havoc occurring in the bank after the blast.

  And for over two years, they built a reputation which put the fear of God in people who saw them. Choosing to make their faces known, and to exterminate everyone inside each bank they robbed had been the right decision because it also prevented wanna-be heroes from foiling their efforts.

  Soon they would have enough in their off-shore accounts to live the life of leisure, and they would disappear abroad into a country which didn’t have an extradition treaty with Canada. Until then, they would stay one step … hell, ten steps ahead of the keystone cops.

  Noah leaned back and stretched his legs out in front of him. The only good cop is a dead cop. He snickered. “I suppose B. Ramsey is now a good cop … should be since he’s stone cold. Got what he deserved for shooting Jonas.”

  Realizing he spoke his thoughts out loud, Noah glanced around to ensure he remained alone. He opened the last candy bar and took a huge bite, chewing while considering his options. Unsure how long an appendectomy took, nor how much time would be required for Jonas’ surgery, and for him to recover enough to travel, Noah decided having the lay of the land would be wise.

  As he finished his coffee and candy, Noah began a mental tally of those in the hospital and gauge the potential threats. Two patients in the ER, Scott and Dan, the doctor called them. Both sound incapacitated, so nothing to worry about with them. Other patients are unlikely to be problems since they’re either ill or injured. No danger with the little boy or his parents. If they try anything, I’ll threaten their child to gain their compliance … or shoot them.

  No worries with the old couple or most of the staff, all females except for the orderly. Jeremy is an unknown, but the women won’t pose any problem. Doctors and nurses are timid and more inclined to do what they’re told if I threaten the lives of others. They care too much for strangers.

  The only possible threats are the man named Loki, who helped the doctor’s wife inside, Ron, and perhaps Jeremy. Three is manageable with the cop’s gun, but I wish I had my Sig Sauer and HK MP7. Then I could simply lay waste to them all and be done with it.

  Noah stood and dropped the empty wrapper on the floor. Time to find this Jeremy, and check out the rest of the place to determine my best strategy. We will need to be gone before the storm breaks because the Mounties will be combing the area for B. Ramsey soon.

  Hospital – West Wing – 6:35 p.m.

  Giving Dan some time alone with Scott, Loki wandered through the hospital, learning the layout. His mind’s eye kept returning to the grotesque appearance of Dan’s shin. The wound deteriorated significantly since dragging Dan inside after he crawled out of the cabin about six hours ago.

  He believed Scott to be the best one to calm and reassure Dan because, to be honest, Loki wanted to freak out too. He had never seen a cut become so horribly infected in such a short time, and the possibility of Dan losing the lower half of his limb appeared to be quite real and exceedingly likely.

  After exiting the six-bed ER, Loki went to the lockers and breakroom in search of the Mountie but discovered the areas empty and untidy. He cleaned up the discarded wet towels, chip bags, candy wrappers, and empty coffee cup. His uncharitable thought was the cop was slovenly. Bartonella’s missing name tag, ill-fitting uniform, and long hair bespoke of a lack of regard for grooming standards and adding the mess the officer left in the staff lounge, in his mind that equaled slob.

  Leaving the breakroom, Loki determined besides the rooms he had been in so far, the ground level included a single operating room with a recovery room, lab, pharmacy, kitchen, tiny café, and laundry room. Still needing to rid himself of his nervousness, and give the cousins more time to talk, he trudged upstairs to check the floor plan of the second level.

  He found the elevator and stairwell to be the demarcation between two wings. Each wing contained a nurses’ station flanked by two rooms with three more semi-private rooms on the opposite side of the hall—an efficient layout which provided accommodations for up to twenty patients. With five patients in the east wing and three in the other, they were at present almost half full, with rooms still available for Scott, Dan, Jonas, and the little boy.

  After exploring the west side and on his way to the stairs, Loki spotted a nurse coming out of the stairwell with a tray loaded with food. He rushed forward to offer assistance. “Hey, can I help you with that, Vera?”

  Surprised the unknown, yet tremendously handsome man knew her name, Vera halted as she balanced her heavy load. “Who are you?”

  Reaching for the tray, Loki said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m Loki. My two friends are down in the ER. I’m just stretching my legs. I met Nurse Yasmin and Jeremy in the other wing, so by process of elimination, you must be Nurse Vera.”

  Relief crossed Vera’s face. “Ah. Yes. Minna told me about our two new patients. The ones who appear to be twins but aren’t. I’m glad you got them to our little hospital.”

  As Loki took the food tray from Vera, he grinned at the cute nurse. “Yeah, me too.”

  Vera smiled back. “Thank you. I haven’t had to climb so many stairs in such a long time, and that tray is quite heavy.”

  “Where do you need me to put this?”

  “Could you follow me to the rooms so I can deliver the dinners?”

  “My pleasure. Lead the way.” Loki followed Vera back into the west wing and delivered the meals to the three patients in those rooms before going to the nurses’ station.

  Vera slumped into one of the chairs. “I’m exhausted. I’m used to long hours but nothing like this.”

  Loki leaned on the counter, and the two of them engaged in conversation about the area and what it was like living in a small town. Vera shared with him how Landry Craig founded the hospital almost forty years ago and how she became a nurse. She was currently telling him all about the summer festival.

  Enjoying the interaction, Loki found Vera to be open, compassionate, and the type of woman his ma would approve of … and most importantly … single with no boyfriend. As he listened to details of the festival, told in a bright and cheery manner, the hairs on the back of his neck tingled. Loki glanced around, and he caught sight of Officer Bartonella in the east wing.

  The officer had changed into scrubs but still wore his holster, which seemed odd given there was no need for him to be carrying his weapon at this time. He noted Bartonella checking out the rooms, much as he did earlier, but something about the man didn’t sit right with Loki. “Excuse me, Vera, I need to speak with Officer Bartonella.”

  Vera shivered involuntarily.

  “You okay?”

  She rubbed her arms and took a quick peek down the hallway before whispering, “Officer Bartonella,” she shivered again. “Did you know Bartonella is the genus name of a group of bacteria which includes at least twenty-two species and is mainly transmitted by carriers, including fleas, lice, or sandflies?”

  Loki’s face scrunched at the non sequitur. “Huh?”

  “Sorry, that was quite a right turn in my thinking. He insisted I call him Noah, and he gives me the creeps like lice for some reason. Bartonella said he is new to the area, which he must be since Minna’s never met him, and she knows every Mountie assigned to this area.”

  “How?”

  “How what?”

  “Minna knows all the police officers.”

  “Captain Leif Lundgren, who runs the local detachment, is Minna’s father. Her uncle Torsten works for the RCMP too.” Another shiver rippled through Vera as she noted
Bartonella moving their way. “Noah is intrusive, and he asked lots of questions about my patients. When I demanded a reason, he indicated he was only assessing potential security threats.

  “Not sure why he would think any of our patients would be classified as dangerous. Then he leered at me … gave me the willies, creeped me out, and soured my stomach. The only other time someone left me with that particular sensation was when my boyfriend tried to force himself on me. He became my ex-boyfriend after that incident.” Vera exhaled unevenly with the memory of almost being raped.

  Loki’s protectiveness surged forth. “Don’t worry. I’ll escort him downstairs. I’m a cop, too, and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “You are? You won’t?”

  “Yes, and yes.” Loki grinned.

  “Where do you work?”

  “I’m a member of Toronto’s Tactical Response Force, and so is my buddy Dan. I’ll keep an eye on things, but let’s keep that between us for now.”

  “Sure.” A relieved whoosh of air escaped Vera.

  Loki’s mind began to whirl as things piled up. His odd vibe when he first spied Bartonella and Vera’s uneasiness, or more correctly outright fear of the man, made him certain something was not right. He struggled to put the puzzle together, seemingly shy several key pieces, which left the picture unclear. Loki hoped talking with Bartonella might uncover the missing elements.

  He flashed Vera a confident grin as he raked back his errant lock from his forehead. “I’ll check back later. If you need me for any reason, I’ll likely be in the ER with my friends. If Bartonella bothers you, come to me, and I’ll deal with him. Capisce?”

  Vera’s brown eyes sparkled. “Thanks. I’m feeling safer already.”

  As he pivoted, Loki decided after speaking to Bartonella, he needed to visit the storage room where Ron put their gear. Might not be a bad idea to be armed. Due to his phobia of the woods, he brought along his off-duty weapon, and as he packed up Dan’s and Scott’s stuff, he found their handguns too.

  Stopping at the stairwell, as Bartonella exited the east side of the building, Loki kept his tone light and friendly despite his wariness. “Appears you took Minna up on her offer.”

  Noah met Loki’s gaze and forced a smile. “Yes, I did. What are you doing up here?”

  Up close and studying Bartonella’s features, Loki deemed them familiar in some way he couldn’t pinpoint. Suspicion continued to grow, but the reason remained beyond his grasp. Smiling broadly, covering his disquiet, Loki quipped, “Gonna be here a few days, and my friends are in no shape to talk. I was bored, so I thought I’d check out the nurses.”

  Noah peered down the hall at the raven-haired nurse. “Vera is a cute one. Too bad she’s married.”

  Internally, Loki stiffened. Vera told me she is single and still searching for Mister Right. She must be extremely uncomfortable around him to lie.

  The man’s leering expression raised Loki’s hackles, and he wouldn’t reveal her subterfuge. “Yeah, guess she found Mr. Right. Hey, I’m heading to the kitchen to rustle up some grub. Wanna come and keep me company? Vera and Yasmin are too busy with patients to chat.”

  Needing to assess if this guy posed a threat, Noah nodded and pushed the door to the stairwell open. “Sure, wouldn’t mind some company myself.”

  Half-Truths and Fake Smiles

  35

  November 24

  Hospital – Laundry Room – 6:40 p.m.

  Ready for a catnap, but realizing he wouldn’t be able to take one for several more hours with three new patients and so much to do, Jeremy picked up the blue bag, which Minna indicated would contain Officer Bartonella’s uniform, from the locker room and took it to the laundry. He lifted the lid to the washing machine to load the clothing now, but to conserve power, he would wait to run a full load after Ethan’s surgery so he could include the scrubs used by Doc Landry and Vanessa.

  He tugged out the dirty shirt, pretreated the bloodstains, and checked the breast pockets before tossing it into the machine. Jeremy grabbed the pants next and sprayed the stains on them too. Pushing his hand into one of the pockets, he pulled out a piece of metal covered in dried blood. Using a damp rag to wipe it off, he froze when he read B. Ramsey.

  Removing the shirt from the washer, his jaw dropped when he spotted Ramsey written on the inside label. “This is Bruno’s uniform. Why is Bartonella wearing them?” Jeremy’s stomach turned. “Oh, sweet mother of Jesus!” Rushing to the sink, he leaned over as he fought nausea. Images of his friend swam in his head as he shoved Bruno’s tag in his pocket.

  Returning to the machines once his desire to hurl passed, he put the clothes in the bag. Jeremy read lots of crime novels and knew he shouldn’t wash away blood evidence. Thinking about finding justice for Ramsey, he regretted having used the pretreatment and hoped the spray didn’t degrade it.

  His body shaking, Jeremy hid the potential evidence at the bottom of the linen cart. Overwhelmed by the significance of his find, he took a few breaths to calm down and weigh his next step. He decided to talk to Ron because he would know what to do.

  Hospital – ER Treatment Area – 6:45 p.m.

  Scott held Dan until he calmed, and Minna brought them damp washrags to wipe their faces to remove all traces of tears, but both their eyes remained a little bloodshot and red-rimmed. After ensuring Dan was okay, Scott, with Minna’s and the cane’s help, hobbled across to his bed.

  Once settled in place, Scott told Dan about Loki’s find, a satellite phone, and after a short discussion, they agreed to wait until after Doc Landry examined Dan’s leg before placing a call. If the doctor determined Dan required specialized attention to save his life and limb, Dan would call his father. William Broderick would move mountains to help his son, and had the resources to arrange an evac, even in this storm, should it be necessary.

  After taking Jonas’ vitals and rechecking his IV, Minna went to the little desk to log the information. A tad on the exhausted side, she forgot to pull the privacy curtain back into place, leaving all six beds visible to one another.

  Dan peered over at Scott and sighed. “I’m tired of shit always happening to me. Sometimes I think my life is at the whim of some perverted god or goddess, and they just like whumping the hell out of me for entertainment. Enough is enough, already.”

  “Yeah, you’ve certainly been through the wringer,” Scott responded drily. What else could he say? Dan was right about the amount of crap he endured, more than any person should suffer.

  A thought popped into Dan’s mind, and he pseudo whispered across to Scott, “Hey, did I say anything … um, I shouldn’t have in front of Loki … about … her?”

  Scott shook his head and decided to tell only half of what he knew because when Lexa came up, Loki was not in the room, and he didn’t want to bring up bad memories of Dan’s torture and missions gone wrong. “No. You thought you were climbing a tree when you fell. Thought I was Jim. And in the snowcat, you caught butterflies for Sara. Innocuous things. So no, you didn’t reveal anything you shouldn’t.”

  Dan blew out a relieved breath, leaned his head back, and grinned, recalling a spring afternoon chasing butterflies with Sara. He rolled to his left, noticing the other patient for the first time. “What happened to him?”

  Minna approached to recheck Dan’s vitals. “Jonas had a rough few days also. A car thief shot him and left him for dead. Officer Bartonella found him before the storm worsened, and Ron discovered them crashed in a ditch when he went to pick up Doc Landry and Maisie.”

  Studying the man’s face, Dan struggled to pinpoint where he had seen him before. The scruffy beard made him think possibly someone from JTF2, but that didn’t seem quite right. “He sorta looks familiar.”

  “Really?” Scott turned to view Jonas.

  “Yeah. I’m not sure where we might’ve met, but he’s familiar. Someplace with guns, I think. Maybe from the shooting range.” Exhausted, Dan closed his eyes, unable to place the man and the mental effort too much for
him now. When Minna wiped his sweaty brow, he enjoyed the pleasant coolness on his fevered skin. “Thanks. You’re an angel.”

  Minna giggled. “No angel, just ask my dad. I got into my fair share of mischief as a teen. Though volunteering here straightened me out. Open up … time to take your temp and see if your fever is reducing.”

  “Don’t you have one of those forehead or ear thingys?” Dan lifted his lashes and peered at Minna, not wanting to hold the thermometer in his mouth.

  “Nope. We’re old-school in some things.” She slipped it in and bathed his face again, noting the soft sigh as she moved the cloth over his ruddy cheeks and down his flushed neck.

  When the thermometer beeped, Minna withdrew it and smiled. “Down a bit more. The meds are starting to do their job.”

  Dan’s stomach roared.

  Minna’s expression became more compassionate as she said, “Sorry, you can’t eat anything yet. Doc Landry should be back in a while.”

  “I understand. Besides, I’m too tired to lift a fork.”

  “Rest is best. Do you want me to dim the lights over your bed?”

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  The room slipped into silence. Minna sat at the desk, doing paperwork. Tired, yet not ready to sleep, Scott picked up a book Minna provided him earlier and started to read an intriguing story about a Marine forced to be separated from his wife and daughter by an unknown person. Although the lives of Dan and Lexa no way mirrored Drew and Roxy, the two sets of lovers encountered obstacles which prevented them from being together.

  He hoped both couples, the real one and the fictional one, eventually, found happiness like he shared with Lily. His eyes shifted from the pages to the satellite phone on the table beside him. I should call Lily. She is probably worried.

  A thought popped into Dan’s mind. “Hey, Scott.”

  “Hey, what?” Scott replied, lowering the novel.

  “About waiting to call.”

  “Yeah, what about it?”

  “Call your wife. You’re overdue to contact her. I’m sure Lily is worried about you.” Dan cracked open his eyes.