Double Barrel

by Mike Ryan

  “And I love you for it. But I’ll be fine. Really. Now go do something. But try not to send anyone here when you do.”

  “Very funny.”

  “All right, I’m gonna go now.”

  “Wait.” Recker took one last look around, still not shaking that feeling.

  “What?”

  “A code word.”

  “What?”

  “A code word. Something you can give me to let me know if you get in trouble.”

  “Really, Mike?”

  “I’m serious.”

  Mia leaned her head back. “Such as?”

  “I don’t know. If you get in trouble, just say something like, Dr. Recker is needed.”

  “Dr. Recker is needed? Seriously? Don’t they already know your name?”

  “Oh, yeah. Good point.”

  “Why don’t I just mention the word Sunday?” Mia said it in a sarcastic tone, not believing she would ever have to use it.

  “Sunday?”

  “Yeah. If I say something with the word Sunday in it, it means I’m in trouble. OK?”

  Recker sighed. “I guess that would work.”

  “Now I really should get in there. I’ll call you when I’m done, OK?” Mia gave him a kiss.

  As Recker went back down to the lobby, Mia clocked herself in and then went to the nurses’ station. As she was sitting on the computer, checking the charts of a few patients that she was already familiar with, another nurse came over and sat down next to her.

  “Hey, what are you doing here? Thought you were off today?”

  Mia looked at her, dumbfounded, wondering why the other nurse was there. She was the nurse that Mia was supposed to be covering for.

  “I was.”

  “They call you in?”

  “Uh, yeah. Wait, they called me in for you.”

  “For me? I’m not going anywhere. I’m here. Why would they call you in for me?”

  Mia scrunched her face together, not understanding what was going on. Mia pulled the phone out of her pocket and showed the nurse the message she got. “Look. Here. They said you weren’t coming in.”

  “Hmm. That’s weird. I never said I wasn’t coming in.”

  Mia then walked around the floor until she found the nurse who was in charge of the scheduling.

  “Hey, what are you doing here?” the nurse asked.

  A red flag immediately shot up in Mia’s head. She immediately pulled out her phone and showed her the message she got. “Didn’t you send me this? It’s your number.”

  The nurse didn’t have any more of an idea as to what was happening than anyone else did. “That’s weird. That’s my number, but I didn’t send you that.” She then took out her own phone and looked at the text messages. She showed Mia. “Look. You’re not there.”

  “Then why does it say from you? And who else would’ve sent it?”

  The nurse shook her head, not having any answers. “I have no idea.”

  Panic started settling into Mia’s head, thinking that she might have been tricked into coming there. She made a dash back to the nurses’ station to grab her things, then quickly headed out the door, hoping she could catch Recker in time before he left. After she got off of the elevator on the first floor, she pulled out her phone as she raced down the hallway. A man opened a door and came out, bumping into Mia and sending her down to the ground, knocking the phone out of her hand.

  “I’m terribly sorry,” the man said.

  “It’s OK.” Mia got back to her feet and looked around, searching for where her phone went.

  The man put his hand on her arm. “Are you sure you’re OK?”

  “Uh, yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” Mia barely even noticed him as she looked for her phone.

  “Looking for this?” the man held up Mia’s phone.

  Mia stopped looking around and focused on the phone that was in the man’s hand. It was hers. She barely even gave a glance to the man’s face. “Thanks.” She started to grab it, but the man pulled it away.

  The man made a clicking noise with his mouth. “Not so fast. I think I’ll just hold on to it for a bit.”

  “What? Give it to me.”

  Mia finally gave a good solid look to the man’s face, recognizing who he was. It was Justin Sadko. She remembered seeing his picture the last time she was at the office when the gang was going over things. It was a face she wouldn’t mistake.

  Realizing she was in a lot of trouble, she took a step back and looked around. She looked like she was either about to run or scream. Either one was a problem for Sadko. He noticed her behavior and knew exactly what she was planning. He had to quickly put a stop to it.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Sadko said, putting his hand in the front pocket of his hoodie, intimating that he had a gun in there. “You scream, you run, and I’ll just cut my losses right here and end you. There’ll still be enough time for me to run out of here and get to my car before the police show up.”

  “Why? Why are you doing this? I don’t even know you.”

  “Yeah, well, you have your boyfriend to thank for that.”

  “Why? What did he ever do to you? He barely even knows you.”

  “Hey, it’s not personal. It’s just business.”

  “What business is that?”

  “With the type of men that are paying me, you don’t ask questions. You just do the job.”

  “And that job is me?”

  A half-smile came over Sadko’s face. “Right now.”

  “I just… I don’t understand.”

  “Luckily, you don’t have to. But right now, you’re coming with me.”

  “No.”

  “Listen, if I have to shoot you right here and now I will. I would rather not. But don’t push me.”

  “If you’re just going to take me somewhere else and kill me, I’m not going to make it easy for you.”

  “I’m not here to kill you. But I am here to take you with me. And you’re coming.”

  “Why? Just so you can lure my boyfriend in so you can take him out too? I won’t do it. I won’t put him in jeopardy for me.”

  Sadko stepped in closer to her, their chests almost touching each other. He grew more agitated with each passing second they were there chatting. “You can and you will.”

  What seemed like a million thoughts ran through Mia’s mind on how best to handle the situation. Her only thoughts at that moment were on how to help herself, while also protecting Recker from walking into an ambush in trying to save her. She wasn’t sure she believed that Sadko would actually shoot her if she tried to run. But she didn’t know the man well enough to know if he was bluffing either. Based on what she knew of him from Recker, it was possible he meant what he said. She didn’t think she could take the chance. Even if she escaped, she wasn’t sure if any stray bullets would hit anyone else roaming through the halls. She didn’t want to put any innocent bystanders in peril either. Once she decided that going with Sadko was the best option, now her thoughts turned to how best she could get out of it.

  “Fine. I’ll go with you.”

  Sadko smiled. “Good. Now let’s go.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Don’t worry. You’re not going to some rat-infested junk-hole. You actually get a stay at a ninth floor room overlooking the city for a couple of days. At least until we make the exchange.”

  “What exchange?”

  “That’s all I’m saying. Let’s go.” The two started walking down the hall before Mia suddenly stopped. “Move. Or I’ll drop you right here.”

  “Wait. I can’t go just yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “I have to let them know I’m leaving.”

  “You’re not even supposed to be here.”

  “How did you know that?”

  Sadko continued with that evil grin of his. It was that smug type of look that a person gives when they know a big secret that no one else does, and they’re proud of it. “Just a guess.”

  “No, it’s se
riously about a patient.”

  “You’re stalling.”

  “I’m not. I just want to give the one doctor a message and then I’ll go.”

  “I’m sure they’ll figure things out.”

  “But if I don’t tell them that the one baby needs a shot in the next ten minutes, the child will die. Please. The baby’s in the NICU. All I want to do is give them the information to help the baby. And then I’ll go.”

  “Fine.”

  “Can we go back up?”

  Sadko shook his head. “No. Call whoever’s up there and deliver the message.”

  “Can I have my phone?”

  “Tell me who you want to call and I’ll dial the number.”

  “Oh. Umm… her name is Sara.”

  Sadko took out Mia’s phone and scrolled through the contacts. He finally found the one marked as Sara. “You say anything that doesn’t sound like it involves a baby and I’ll cut my losses right here and end you. Do you understand? I won’t try again. I won’t ask again. I will just put a bullet in your stomach right now and move on. You got it?”

  Mia nodded. “I got it. No tricks.”

  Sadko dialed the number and gave the phone back to Mia. “I want it back when you’re done.”

  Sara answered the phone. “Hey, Sara, it’s me.”

  “What’s up?”

  “I forgot when I was up there to tell you about the Jones baby.”

  “The Jones baby? What?”

  “You’ve got the east wing today, right?”

  “Mia, you know I’m not working today, right?”

  “OK, good. Now, the Jones baby needs that one shot we talked about within the next ten minutes or there will be some complications.”

  “Mia, are you all right?”

  “Yeah, that’s fine. Just tell Dr. Smith that I don’t think the baby should be released until Sunday, though.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “C’mon, Sara, you know what I’m talking about. The Jones baby. It’s an emergency.”

  “Oh my god. You’re in trouble.”

  “Yes, that’s the one.” Sadko motioned with his finger that he wanted her to wrap it up. Mia nodded and put her hand up, asking for more time. “They just have to find the paperwork,” she whispered to him. She then put the phone back to her ear. “You got it, Sara?”

  “Umm, yeah, I think so.”

  “OK, good. Now remember, I might have the next few days off, so the baby has to go up to the good room for this and he gets nine ml’s of liquid, OK?”

  “Oh my god, are you OK?”

  “Just do what I’m telling you and everything should work out. You got it?”

  “I got it.”

  “OK. Thank you.”

  “Please be careful.”

  Sadko motioned for her to wrap it up again. Mia took the phone away from her ear and handed it to him.

  “Now let’s go,” Sadko said.

  Mia complied and went with the man as they walked out of the hospital, just like they were any other couple.

  “So what is the plan for me?” Mia asked.

  “Beats me. Like I said, it’s just a job. I’m just doing what I’m told.”

  “I assume I’m going to be used as bait.”

  Sadko looked at her and smiled again. “I think that’s a good assumption.”

  19

  By the time Recker got back to the office, Haley had already let Jones know what was happening with Mia. At least as how he understood it. Upon entering, Recker went over to the Keurig machine.

  “I take it you secured Mia’s protection before leaving?” Jones asked.

  “Yeah. Malloy had some of his boys on the way there. Only had two or three guys available, but I guess it’s better than nothing.”

  “I would imagine that she should still be adequately enough protected.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  Recker put his drink down and joined the others at the desk, looking over some information they had on Jerrick. Recker wanted to try to pinpoint where he was as soon as possible. He’d only gotten a few minutes into his research when his phone rang. He looked at the phone curiously since it was an unknown number to him. He thought about not answering it and seeing if whoever it was would leave a message, but after four rings, decided to finally answer it.

  “Hello?”

  “Umm, hi.”

  “Hi. Who’s this?”

  “Oh, uh, my name’s Sara. Are you Mike?”

  “Uh, maybe. That would depend on who you are.”

  “Oh. I’m Sara.”

  “I know. You just said that. But who are you, how’d you get my number, and why are you calling me?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m just nervous. I don’t really know what’s happening here. Mia just told me to call you if she was ever in trouble and gave me the code words and then I got a call from her and she said the words and then I had to find your number and…”

  The woman was talking a little fast, and Recker was having a hard time figuring out what she was talking about. “Wait, wait, wait, just slow down. You’re not making any sense.”

  “I’m sorry. Like I said, I’m just really nervous. And worried.”

  “It’s OK. Just slow down and take a breath. Now what about Mia and how do you know her?”

  “I work with Mia at the hospital.”

  “You’re one of the nurses?”

  “Yes. We’re really close. I’ve worked at the hospital for about six years and she really helped me out so much when I first got hired. After that we became friends.”

  “And she told you she’s in trouble?”

  “Well, kind of, but not exactly.”

  “What?”

  “OK, a long time ago, like, maybe two years ago, she told me that if she ever got into any trouble and she couldn’t say exactly what it was, she would call me and give me a phrase to let me know she needed help. And she said that you were in some kind of secret government work, though she couldn’t tell me exactly what you did.”

  “OK?”

  “Anyway, she told me that if she ever called me with these code words, that I was to call you immediately and tell you about it. And she gave me this number, but she said to never call it under any circumstances unless it was under these conditions.”

  “OK. What was this phrase or words she said?”

  “The words were Dr. Smith and the Jones baby.”

  As soon as Recker heard those names, he knew it really was from Mia and something was up. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Recker snapped his fingers to get both of his partner’s attention.

  “I need you to tell me exactly what she said.”

  “OK, well, she said something about the baby needing a shot. And that it was an emergency.”

  “What else? Did she say anything specifically?” Recker had hoped there was more to the message. When they first got together, Recker had taught her how to give clues in messages without making it sound like she was saying anything at all. Just in the event something like this ever happened, and she was able to get a message to him, he would somehow be able to piece together the clues she left.

  “Umm, she said something about the baby being released on Sunday.”

  “What else?”

  “Uh, oh yeah, the only other thing she said was that the baby had to go up to the good room and that he needed nine ml’s of liquid.”

  “That’s what she said? Her exact words?”

  “Yes.”

  “She said it had to go up to the good room?”

  “Yes.”

  “And it needed nine ml’s of liquid?”

  “Those were her words.”

  “About how long ago was this?”

  “Uh, maybe ten minutes tops. It took me a couple minutes to remember where I stashed the paper with your number on it.”

  “OK. Anything else?”

  “No, that was it. But she sounded different. Not like worried or panicked or anything
, but I could just tell her voice was different. Almost robotic-like.”

  “OK. Thank you for calling.”

  “Are you going to be able to figure out what she was talking about and help her? Because I’m so worried.”

  “I’ll find her. Thanks.”

  Recker kept the phone pressed to his ear for the next few seconds, anger coursing through his veins. His fingers gripped the phone as hard as they could, as if he were trying to snap it like a twig. As his friends looked at him, they could see the rage building in his eyes and in his stance.

  Jones finally broke the silence, getting the feeling that his friend wasn’t going to say anything. “What about Mia?”

  Recker’s eyes finally softened and looked at his partner. “Huh?”

  “In the conversation you just had, you mentioned Mia’s name. It sounded as if there is some sort of trouble.”

  “Friend of hers. Said she got a weird phone call from her with a bunch of code words and stuff that made it seem like she was in trouble.”

  “What do you think?”

  “I believe it.”

  “Why?”

  “When I dropped her off, we agreed on her giving me a signal if she was in trouble. We agreed on the word Sunday. It was part of the message.”

  “Oh, my.”

  “But what about Vincent’s guys?” Haley asked. “They’re supposed to be there.”

  Recker looked at the time. “They’re probably just getting there about now. I can check with Malloy.” He sighed. “I left her too soon.”

  “You can’t blame yourself.”

  “I felt something was wrong. I just left her.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  Recker pulled up Malloy’s number as he looked to Jones. “David, can you get into the hospital security footage?”

  “I’m on it,” Jones answered, immediately typing away. It wouldn’t take long for him since it was a system he’d hacked his way into before and already knew how.

  As Recker stepped away to call Malloy again, Haley moved closer to Jones, their shoulders almost touching.

  “If Mia’s gone…” Haley whispered.

  Jones lifted his left hand off the keyboard to stop his friend from continuing his thought. “Let’s not even go there.”

  Haley turned his head to look at Recker as he paced around the room. He then turned back to Jones. “If something happens to her, I can’t imagine what he’s gonna do.”