“Oh, God!” she said.
The broadside impact spun them to the right, bringing the car up against a guard rail. The airbags deployed, knocking her back against the seat. She was unconscious.
Lucas shook his head to clear it and looked toward the offending vehicle. Two men with drawn pistols approached their sedan. Lucas reached for his gun but couldn’t get around the airbag.
Now, the perpetrators were on either side of the car, one with his pistol to the glass on Lucas’s side, the other reaching through Audra’s shattered window to press his pistol to her temple. His thumb drew back the hammer with a sickening click.
38
A banshee-like shriek of metal on metal pierced the air as a third vehicle breached the space between the two wrecked cars. Lucas heard a crunch of glass and metal as the new car struck the broadsiding car, pinning Audra’s would-be shooter between vehicles. His weapon spun out of his hand, landing on top of the deployed air bag, while his top-heavy body flopped over onto the hood of the rented sedan with a nauseating thud.
The other shooter jumped back as his accomplice struck the hood, his gun going off. The bullet pierced the windshield, deflated Lucas’s airbag, and whizzed between Lucas and Audra’s heads to lodge itself in the metal over the backseat driver’s side door. With the air bag deflated, Lucas grabbed his own weapon and leveled it at the second shooter.
Suddenly, like ghost-faces out of nowhere, the cars were surrounded by officers who took control of the scene. Ambulances and fire trucks poured down the highway. The emergency techs opened Audra’s door and deflated her airbag, handing over the superfluous weapon. They stabilized her neck with a cervical collar and lifted her gently from the car onto a gurney.
They asked Lucas how he was doing. Pressed up against the guard rail, they were unable to get to him until Audra was removed. His legs shook from the adrenaline rush. They brought him out, sitting him on the tailgate of the ambulance, taking his vitals and checking him for shock.
Lucas saw them loading Audra into the ambulance. He jumped up, his knees nearly buckling beneath him. “I need to go with her,” he said.
An officer who appeared to be in charge of the scene nodded, and they boosted Lucas into the back of the ambulance.
“He has a prior injury,” the tech who had been examining Lucas told Audra’s tech. “He needs to be checked out at the hospital, too.”
The tech nodded, and the door slammed. Sirens began to wail, as they pulled from the side of the road back toward Kingman.
# # #
Lucas was in an ER holding room, waiting for the doctor when the curtain was shoved aside and another ghost walked in. It was Fetsko.
“Son-of-a-bitch!” Lucas cried, attempting to stand, but still too shaky to accomplish it. Fetsko grabbed him around the neck.
Lucas pushed him back so he could look at him. “Michaelson told me he killed you.”
“Michaelson was in too big a hurry. He was running for his van to get your dead-weight self in the vehicle. I shot once at him. He returned fire and caught me in the shoulder. I went down, and he didn’t bother to see what kind of damage he had done. Look! Twins!” he said, waving a sling at Lucas.
“I thought you had left earlier in the evening.”
“I had a feeling something would go down that night, so I waited around. I saw Michaelson pull into the parking lot.”
“Why didn’t anyone know where you were afterwards?”
“I just patched myself up and waited. I’ve been keeping tabs on what’s going on with Blanco’s men.”
“Marlena?” Lucas asked.
“She’s pulling through. She’s still in the hospital, but I want her to stay there until she’s completely healed. I have some plans for that girl.”
Lucas grinned.
The doctor examined Lucas and suggested he remain in the hospital for observation.
“Can you put me in the same room with the woman that came in from the car accident?”
“We don’t put different sexes in the same room. Besides, she’ll be going upstairs, and we’ll probably just keep you here.”
“I’m a deputy marshal, and she’s my charge. It will save the hospital a whole lot of money if you just put us in the same room. That way you don’t have to pay for a guard outside her room.”
“I don’t think we’re worried about the cost, Mr. Roberts, but considering the situation, I’ll see what we can do…although I don’t know that you’re in any position guard her.”
“I’ll just hang out, too,” Fetsko said. “She’s assigned to both of us.”
“Do you have any idea who Miss Donahue’s next of kin are?”
“She has none.”
“None?”
“No husband? No significant other?”
“Why? Is she going to be okay?”
“She is okay, other than a slight concussion, but….”
“But what?”
“You’re sure she has no next of kin?”
“No. All of her family has been killed.”
The doctor’s eyes opened wide.
“She’s a federal witness and has experienced some pretty horrific things.”
“How long has she been under your protection?”
“Nearly three months.”
The doctor rocked back and forth on his heels, looking from Lucas to Fetsko and back again.
“Exclusively under your protection?”
“Well, under mine, specifically,” Lucas said. “Fetsko here was just hired on to replace another officer. He hasn’t even had a chance to meet her yet.”
The doctor’s eyes bored holes into Lucas. Then, he turned to Fetsko. “Officer, would you mind leaving us alone for a few minutes?”
“No. No problem.” Fetsko glanced at Lucas, and then walked back out toward the waiting room.
“I could probably get you in a lot of trouble if I wanted to,” the doctor said. “I’m sure the Marshals Service wouldn’t be impressed.”
Lucas’s alarmed look was nearly enough to tell the doctor what he figured anyway.
“Let’s just say that my examination of Miss Donahue has brought some of your activities to light.”
“My activities?”
“Activities between the two of you. I’ve said all I’m going to say. I’ve said too much already, so I likely won’t report you. But I can’t say it doesn’t upset me considering the position you hold.”
The doctor turned on his heel and walked out.
Fetsko saw the doctor exit and came back in. “What was that about? He was acting strange.”
Lucas shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Will you see if you can get any update on when she’ll leave the ER?”
Fetsko was back in just a few minutes. “It looks like they’re getting ready to take her upstairs now. I got her room number. Are you still waiting for something?”
“I guess not,” Lucas said. He got up, testing his legs. They walked up just as Audra was being transported to her room. She looked up at him.
“Lucas,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I’m glad you’re all right.”
“Yeah,” she said, “just a bump on the head, but since I was unconscious, they want to keep me for observation.”
“Me, too,” he said. “I think they’re going to let me stay with you.”
Audra glanced over at Fetsko.
“It’s Fetsko, Audra. He’s alive.”
“I see that,” she said. “Glad to meet you…”
“Nick,” he said. “Nick Fetsko.”
“Glad to meet you, Nick.”
They were on the elevator and then onto her floor. The men were asked to remain outside while they transferred her to her bed, but once she was settled, they were permitted to enter.
The two men stood near her bed, and she looked up at Fetsko.
“Nick, can I talk to Lucas for a little while by myself?”
“Sure. Sorry. I don’t mean to be in
the way. Seems like I’m always in the way.”
“It’s okay, buddy,” Lucas said. “Just give us a little bit. I’ll let you know when you can come back.”
“You know, I don’t need to be in here. I can probably be more useful stationing myself outside the door.”
“Actually that would be helpful,” Lucas said.
“I’ll check with the chief to make sure I’m cleared to stay; then, I’ll talk to the floor personnel.”
Lucas nodded. As Fetsko exited, Lucas pulled up a chair and sat down beside Audra. He looked at her, and her eyes were brimming again.
“It’s okay, baby,” he said, trying to soothe her. “You’re just shook up. You’re probably still in a little bit of shock.”
She shook her head. He reached over and gently stroked her arm.
“Lucas,” she said, swallowing back her tears, “I wasn’t going to tell you, but….”
“What, baby?”
“It shouldn’t be a big deal, and maybe I shouldn’t even be upset…” her words came tumbling out, “but…but…I…I had a miscarriage. I was four weeks pregnant.”
Oh, God, Lucas thought. That’s what the doctor had been talking about.
He had this strange sense of loss for a moment then wondered how could feel a loss over something he hadn’t even known about. Was it because of losing Ethan for a second time? Then, he realized that if he felt that, even for a moment, that it would really impact her.
He got as close to her as the hospital paraphernalia would allow. He reached up and brushed her hair back from her face. “Audra. Don’t say it shouldn’t be a big deal or that you shouldn’t be upset. Feel what you feel. Feelings aren’t right or wrong.”
She closed her eyes, and a tear ran from each eye.
“Maybe I’ll feel relieved pretty soon. I mean with our circumstances…oh, god, with our circumstances….”
He leaned over and kissed her lips. “I know,” he whispered, “but somehow I understand. You would think that as a guy it wouldn’t….”
“But having been a father, it does.”
He nodded, reached across her, picked up the hand that wasn’t encumbered with an IV, and held it between his.
“Thank you,” she said at last.
“For what?”
“For not making me feel foolish or dismissing my feelings.”
The door opened, and the doctor swept in. Lucas casually relinquished her hand and sat back in his chair. The doctor looked from one to the other. “I take it you two have had a chance to talk…about certain things.”
Audra nodded.
“It looks like you won’t have to have a D&C. We found the tissue.”
Audra looked relieved.
“If you feel all right, we can release you in the morning, but if you need more time, just let your nurse know. She’ll contact me.”
“Thank you, doctor,” they both said, as he left the room.
Audra looked at Lucas. “I guess I missed the deposition, huh? What will happen now?”
“I don’t know, Audra. These guys are so desperate. I’m going petition that they allow us to return to Gordon’s. I can swear you in, and you can give your testimony via video. It’s not done very often, but I think when all the evidence is presented as to why, they will allow it.”
Audra nodded. She lay her head back, and he bent over, resting his forehead on the side of the bed. When he looked up, she was asleep.
39
Lucas awoke a short time later. Wanting to stretch his legs, he walked out into the hallway to find Fetsko sitting outside the room.
“So you got everything arranged, I see.”
“Yeah. Someone had already told them there would be a guard.”
“You know,” Lucas started, “I’m just now beginning to come out of the fog, I guess. Thank the powers that be that you guys intervened, but how in the hell did you know where we were?”
Fetsko just looked at him. “I hate to tell you, Lucas, but it wasn’t that hard. With all the eyes we had on you, we finally traced down the fact that you always emerged somewhere near Edwards Air Force Base. We knew what time the deposition was, so we just manned all possible exits. We tailed you from Barstow.”
It was Lucas’s turn to stare.
“The Service was tempted more than once to just follow you in, but they weren’t sure with the resources you had, that they wouldn’t be greeted with missiles or something.”
Lucas grinned. “Well, I’m glad that the impression we give is that daunting. That’s the whole point, I suppose. But it concerns me a lot that I might be slipping.”
“You need to figure that out.”
“I’m quite sure I’ll find out what the Service has to say about it.”
“Oh, yes. I’m sure they’ll let you know.”
# # #
With Fetsko on guard, Lucas decided to walk a bit. He got on the elevator to the first floor. When he stepped out, he was right in front of a gift shop. He looked around for a little bit, deciding on a red amaryllis plant. He continued to look and came upon a display of rune necklaces.
He spied one that was familiar to him. He recalled seeing it over a door somewhere. When he had asked what it represented, he was told that it was a rune of protection. The rune was carved into a slice of deer antler and hung from a silver chain. He bought it and a little pouch for it, along with the flowers, and went back to Audra’s room.
The next time she woke, she saw him sitting beside her, looking at her. At the same time, she noticed the amaryllis and smiled. He leaned toward her.
“I got you something else, too,” he said, handing her the pouch.
She took it out and looked at it. “It looks kind of sinister,” she said, “and yet it’s beautiful.”
“It’s only sinister for your enemies,” he said. “It’s a rune of protection. It will be there when I can’t be.”
He bent over her and fastened it around her neck. She touched it, looking at it again.
She wanted to say she hoped there would never be a time when he wasn’t there, but she knew it was all too likely. Neither of them had any idea what the future held for them.
“I’ll treasure it,” she said, and he kissed her.
# # #
Lucas’s request for a video deposition was denied. Despite all the hardships Audra had been through, the Grand Jury felt the need to be able to question her during the deposition—which they wouldn’t be able to do via video. He made the request again, suggesting that perhaps they could review the video deposition then send any questions they might have, and they would video her again with her responses.
The response he received was disappointing. They told him that one of the most important parts of Grand Jury testimony was the ability to see the demeanor of a witness during the testimony, especially while being questioned or cross-examined. Even if the questions were read to her, or if she read them and responded to them herself, it would not be the same as facing counsel. Also, they said, there was no way the Grand Jury could know whether she was being coached or otherwise tampered with.
He would have asked that they fly out the prosecution and defense counsel to Edwards AFB, but by the time he received the second response, they were only two days from the deposition.
Two days later, he drove her to Edwards AFB where they would get on a private plane. They would be met at Luke Air Force Base by six marshals who would escort her to the courtroom.
When they arrived at Luke, he was approached by the deputy in charge of the detail. “You can stand down now, Roberts. We’ll take her from here.”
“But….”
The deputy shook his head preempting any protest on Lucas’s part. “You’ve done a remarkable job in intense circumstances to get her this far, but our orders are that you’re to stand down now. There’s nothing to prevent you from being at the courthouse, but you’re no longer there in an official capacity.”
There was nothing else to be said. When Audra realized he wasn’t coming
along, she turned and looked at him with an imploring look. He wanted so very much to kiss her, to whisper reassuring words. Damn this situation!
# # #
All Lucas could do was pace and wait. Why was it taking so long? An eye witness testimony should be simple and straightforward.
“Miss Donahue,” the prosecutor addressed her, “by your own admission, there was only one light on in the house, and you were not in the room where the light was. How then, since it was after dark, and you saw my client walking through the hallway, did you manage to see his features clearly enough to describe him to the artist?”
Audra was terrified. Up to now all the questions had been simple and straightforward, about time, place, her whereabouts, how she happened to be there. But now the question was one where, if she didn’t say just the right thing, they could let him walk.
“I--I would like to speak with counsel,” she said, almost in a whisper.
“Speak up, Miss Donahue so that the jury can hear you.”
“I would like to speak with my counsel,” she repeated.
“Oh, so, you need to be coached. You need to be reminded of just how it was you knew how to describe the man they call El Toro Blanco.”
Even the mention of his name made her sweat.
“I would like to speak with my counsel,” she repeated, clearly and confidently.
The prosecutor made a gesture of disgust, but he knew it was her right. A ten minute recess was called.
Lucas saw her as she was rushed out of the room and around the corner where her lawyers waited. He tried to follow, but was waylaid. “It’s only a 10 minute recess. There is no access to the witness,” he was told.
Lucas sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets.
“What is it, Miss Donahue?” her chief counsel asked.
“They want to know how, considering the low light, I was able to clearly identify Blanco.”
“Well, how were you?”
“The light was from a desk lamp. The shade was turned back, so the bulb was pointing out into the hallway. I remember that from looking in the window.”
“Whew. Don’t know if anybody’s going to believe that you remembered that detail, seeing as how you were shot and unconscious right after that.”
BILLIONAIRE BIKERS: 3 MC Romance Books Page 63
