by L. R. Wright
Alexa craned her head to look back. “Can they be any less obvious?”
“You have a present in the back.”
She climbed into the back seat, while he kept his eyes on the road. In the rear view mirror, he saw her remove the double barrel shotgun from his leather case and load it.
He pressed down on the gas again. “They’re not making any sort of move yet, but they will soon.”
“Well, I won’t move until they do,” she said.
He turned and caught her climbing to the third-row seat. Kendrick rolled down the deserted stretch of highway. The car switched lanes and he swerved into the lane in front of them. He gripped the handle of his gun. “Alexa, you’re up.”
The truck tried to pass on the other side and Kendrick blocked it. He tapped a button on the dashboard. The bottom of the rear window lifted slowly.
***
Alexa knew the exact moment the occupants of the truck realized that her shotgun was trained on them. The passenger immediately opened fire on them. Kendrick swerved back and forth. Since the truck was outfitted with bullet proof material, her only concern was a stray bullet hitting her through the open window.
Lifting herself up on her knees, she pulled the trigger and blew out the front left tire. The truck swerved. She guessed the driver was trying to keep it on the road. From the front seat, she heard Kendrick curse.
“Alexa,” he yelled. “We have more company.”
She promptly blasted the front right tire, causing the truck behind them to flip over and roll off the road into a corn field.
She closed the rear window and hopped into the middle row of seats. Noticing a black car coming their way from the opposite direction, she reached up and pushed the sunroof button. Bullets pinged against the exterior of their truck and she heard Kendrick’s gun fire in retaliation. The other car bumped the side of their truck, knocking her back onto the seat.
She regained her footing, stood up through the open sunroof window, and fired on the car. Ducking down, she reloaded the gun then she jumped up and fired again, hitting the back tire. A backseat passenger shot at her. She fired, striking the man. From the passenger seat of the sedan, another guy opened fire on her.
“Shit,” she screamed, falling down onto the seat. “Damn-it, I’m hit.”
“Alexa,” Kendrick shouted from the front seat.
“Fuck!” A sharp pain radiated through her left arm. Bullets continued to hit the truck and she faintly heard Kendrick firing back. She couldn’t move her left arm. Extracting her pistol from its holster, she stood up and fired again at the car. The front passenger slumped over. She unloaded the clip at the car, finally hitting the driver. The car flipped over and burst into flames.
Plopping down heavily onto the seat, she shouted, “Let’s get out of here.”
***
Kendrick eyed Alexa through the rearview mirror. She tugged her leather jacket off. He tried to focus on the road, but he was concerned. “The first aid kit is in the third row,” he shouted.
He saw her reach back and pull the white box from its place. Turning back to the road, he jerked the steering wheel sharply to the left. She moaned from the back seat and he glanced through rear view mirror. She had fallen onto her side.
“Kendrick, keep your eyes on the road,” she growled.
When they arrived in the garage at Martinez, Kendrick stopped the car and hopped out. He rushed to the back door and opened it.
Alexa’s skin was pale and clammy. She was hit worse than either of them thought. Bright red blood seeped through her shirt and he figured she was hit in the chest. “Alexa, we need to go to the hospital.” He placed a hand on her forehead.
She smacked his hand away. “We don’t. I’m fine. I’m just hot—and cold.” She tried to climb out of the truck, but when her feet hit the ground, she collapsed.
Kendrick caught her before she hit the ground. “Alexa, you’re hit worse than you think. You’re losing a lot of blood. We need to go to the hospital.”
She struggled against him, but his grip was firm. “We can’t go to the hospital, Kendrick. It’s too dangerous. Just take me in.”
A wave of panic descended on him when her legs buckled again. Scooping her up in his arms, he dashed to the private elevator.
***
Dro’s heart dropped into his stomach as Kendrick burst into the door holding an extremely pale Alexa. “We need help here,” he shouted, laying her down on the sofa. “Call a doctor.”
Dro raced across the office to Alexa. Dropping to his knees, he picked up her wrist to feel for a pulse.
“What happened to her?” Pop asked.
“Kendrick, where was she hit?” Lei asked.
Dro couldn’t form a question if he wanted to. His focus was on Alexa. When he glanced up at Kendrick waiting for the answer, he noticed the other man’s eyes were glued to her too. Dro placed his hand under her head. “Alexa? Baby?”
She opened her eyes slightly and coughed. “I’m fine, Dro.” Her voice was weak. “I’m just a little lightheaded. Call the doctor so he can patch me up.”
“You’re not just lightheaded.” He wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. She was burning up. “We need to get you to the hospital.”
“I can’t go to the hospital, Dro,” she groaned. “It’s not safe. The police have to be alerted for every gunshot wound and we can’t afford that right now.”
“Do you think I care? I don’t care about what’s safe.” Deciding he wasn’t going to argue with her, he picked her up, cradling her in his arms. “Call Dr. Lambert,” he ordered Lei. “Tell him to meet us at the hospital.”
Lei dialed the doctor, while they rushed to the private elevator. Luckily Chase had designed a second, private garage with an elevator that only went to the floor that housed their private offices. No one was allowed to use that garage or elevator.
***
Dr. Lambert was on staff with the hospital and a colleague of Ari’s. He had worked with them on many occasions and was willing the bend the rules to help.
Once they arrived at the hospital, there were immediately escorted to a private room by an orderly. Dr. Lambert met them there and went to work on Alexa. Although they were in the hospital, the doctor fudged the medical records. Alexa was admitted with severe pain in the abdomen, suspected internal bleeding. The staff was handpicked by Dr. Lambert to assist in her care, so that the true nature of her injury would remain hidden.
Dro was worried that she might need surgery. On the way to the hospital, they all had listened as Kendrick explained to them what happened on their return from the airport. Even though Kendrick was relaying the details, Dro barely heard him. His mind was with his wife and how tiny and frail she seemed in his arms—how precious she’d always been to him. He’d always considered her a strong woman, but even the strongest woman could succumb to a bullet.
Lei contacted Chase and told him to stay alert. They weren’t worried about the men figuring out where Chase was going because Kendrick had already changed the flight plans. They just wanted him to be aware of the situation.
Pop called one of his contacts to check on the family. He still hadn’t disclosed their whereabouts. He also checked for an update on Owens. According to his contact, Owens was questioned by the police after they discovered his pendant in Melissa’s hand. They hadn’t made an arrest yet.
Kendrick hacked into the police department’s computer and found out a warrant was in the works for Owens’ mansion. When the warrant was executed, the police would find a few conveniently placed items that belonged to Melissa, including the fur coat she was wearing when she went missing.
Dro paced back and forth in the hallway outside of Alexa’s room. It had been hours since they arrived. He couldn’t get the image of her limp body out of his mind. He hadn’t wanted to say it then, but he saw the life draining from her eyes. It scared him. She wasn’t lightheaded, she was dying.
CHAPTER 31
November 8, 2011, the hospital:
“Baby, come on now,” he murmured. “Wake up for me. Let me see your beautiful eyes.” He willed her eyes to open. There was no movement. He ran an index finger over her hand then gripped it in his and brushed his lips over her palm. “I need you, baby. The kids need you. I told you my life doesn’t make sense without you.”
Silence.
As a tear dropped from his eye onto her hand, he watched it drizzle onto the white skin of her arm. He ran his thumb over the wet streak and placed a tender kiss to the same spot.
He was startled by a hand on his shoulder, but he didn’t acknowledge the person who walked into the room.
“Son?” Pop whispered.
Dro rested his head against her belly again.
“Alejandro?” Pop called again.
The fact that Pop addressed him by his full name would normally make him pay attention, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at him. Nothing mattered to him now—nobody except his wife. Instead of answering Pop, he spoke to Alexa in Spanish. “Wake up, my love, and I will take you away from here. I will make your dreams a reality. I will do whatever it takes to make you happy.”
***
In all the years Pop had known Dro, he’d never seen him so desperate or heartbroken. He couldn’t help but feel for him. Sure, he had his own issues to deal with. Alexa was his daughter, his beautiful baby girl. The pain they both felt was real, palpable. He squeezed Dro’s shoulder. “Son, everything will be okay. You just have to believe.”
“I love you, baby. I promise to take care of you. Please open your eyes,” Dro continued in Spanish.
The raw emotion seeping out of Dro got to Pop. “I will wait outside.” Finally giving up on getting through to Dro, he backed away.
Dro talked to Alexa in hushed tones as if Pop wasn’t in the room. “Live and die, sweetheart. We promised to live and die together. Our children are waiting for us. Wake up.”
Pop shuffled to the door and turned back to Dro, who was still whispering to his daughter in a language she loved and understood almost as well as he did.
***
Dro heard the door open again and stopped talking. He studied Alexa’s still form. He listened as the footsteps got closer to him.
“Dro, you need to take a break.” Lei’s voice echoed in the tiny, cold room.
Ignoring Lei, he kept his eyes on his wife. He didn’t want to leave her. What if she wakes up? He wanted to be the first thing she saw when she regained consciousness.
“We need to talk, Dro,” Lei persisted. “And the doctor needs to examine her again.”
The door opened again and the light flickered on. “Alejandro, I need to look at her again,” Dr. Lambert announced as he stepped in the room.
“Why? Why do you need to look at her again?” Dro could feel his temper rising. Why can’t they just leave him alone? He wanted to throttle the doctor for interrupting him. He wanted to kill Lei for insisting they talk about business when his wife was lying in a hospital bed. He glared at the doctor. “Can’t you see her? She’s not moving. She’s barely breathing. Why do you need to look at her again?”
Dr. Lambert stepped back. “I need to...” He swallowed visibly. “I need to check her vitals.”
“Dro, let the man do his job,” Lei said. “We need to talk anyway.”
Dro gave Lei a dirty look. “I’m not leaving her. What the hell is wrong with you, Lei?” Glaring at Dr. Lambert, he ordered, “Check her and then leave.”
Dro stood by the door while the doctor hurried through the short exam, jotting notes on a piece of paper. When he was done, the doctor quietly left the room.
Lei sighed, running his hand over his bald head. “Dro, you’re not doing Alexa any good by sitting here like this, snapping at her doctors.”
Dro ignored Lei and returned to his seat. He clutched her hand and laid his head back down against her stomach.
“Owens has been arrested,” Lei updated. “There’s a bail hearing set for five o’clock. The prosecutor is going for no bail, but it looks as though the Judge will grant it.”
“Handle it, Lei,” Dro growled. “Do you need me to hold your hand or something? You know what to do.”
“We really should talk about this,” Lei insisted.
Dro whirled around to face Lei. “I said handle it.”
“I understand you’re upset. But you’re not the only one who’s loves Alexa. She’s my sister, in case you forgot.” Lei shook his head and left the room.
***
Outside the room, Kendrick, Pop, and Lei were huddled in a corner.
“We’re going to have to handle this ourselves,” Lei said. “Dro is not going to do anything as long as she’s here.”
Kendrick bowed his head. “Well, we need to deal with this sooner than later.”
Lei raised his arms. “Don’t you think I know that?” he hissed. “But Dro isn’t budging. He told me to handle it.”
“Well, then we will handle it,” Pop said simply. “We go forth.”
Before they could disperse, Dro opened the door. “Lei, you’re right. We need to talk. So, let’s talk.”
***
Owens was denied bail after Pop placed a call to one of his contacts. The senator was ordered to be transferred to a protected cell in the county jail.
Pop entered the long hallway leading to Owens’ cell, after paying off one of the guards.
“What are you doing here?” Clive asked when Pop stopped in front of his cell.
Pop surveyed Owens, choosing not to answer his question. The years hadn’t been kind to the Senator. Owens’ salt and pepper hair was wiry and unkempt and he looked tired.
Owens pointed away from the cell. “Leiland, you need to leave.”
“I was just taking a moment to enjoy watching you behind bars.”
Owens smirked. “I won’t be here long. Don’t worry. What you need to be worried about is who really killed Melissa and framed me for it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Pop said innocently. “The only thing I know is you abused my sister for years and she finally died from that abuse.”
Owens gripped the cell bars. “Now, we both know your sister is not dead,” he sneered.
Pop pushed his glasses up. “Do we? As far as I know, my sister’s lifeless body was discovered in a park. And I know who made that happen.”
Owens snickered and pushed away from the bars. He paced around the cell like a caged animal. “Give it up, Leiland. I know what you did, old friend.”
Pop crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not your friend, Clive.”
Owens strolled back to the bars. “Oh, I know. The way I see it, you’re going to wish I was your friend. You are going down, Leiland. I can’t wait to see it. As for your sister, I’ll save that for when I see her again.”
“The only way that will happen is if you die. Trust me, nothing would make me happier.”
“You’ve always been a little too cocky—you and Enrique. But you see where he is, right? I believe you’ll never truly hurt until you lose something important to you, like your daughter.”
“Well, Clive, I know you tried to kill my daughter. But understand this; you will never hurt a hair on her head...” Pop knew he couldn’t speak as freely as he wanted at the jail, but that didn’t stop him from coming to see Clive. After all these years, he wanted Clive to see his face. He wanted his face to be the last face the senator saw, but that was all in due time. He snickered and stepped back from the cell. “I’ll see you in hell first.”
“Get out,” Owens growled. “You’ll regret the day you ever decided to mess with me, Leiland.”
“I don’t regret anything, Clive.” Pop started down the long hallway. “Make sure
you sleep with one eye open. You never know what could happen to you in prison.”
“Guard,” Owens shouted.
Pop smiled, turned, and tipped his head at the livid prisoner. Owens could yell for a guard all he wanted, but no one was coming. He’d paid the guard handsomely to disappear for a couple of hours. He whistled as he inched away from Owens.
***
Over the next few hours, Alexa remained unconscious. Lei had finally convinced Dro to leave her bedside to eat, but he didn’t go too far, only as far as it took to get something to eat from the cafeteria. When he was done, he continued his vigil.
Seeing Alexa, lying so still in her bed, Dro couldn’t wait until this was all over—until he could put all of this mess behind them.
The shrill sound of one of the monitors filled the room. Before he could call Kendrick, the hospital room was flooded with medical personnel. Lei and Pop stormed in behind Kendrick. They watched helplessly as the doctors shouted orders and prodded Alexa with medical equipment.
“You all need to wait outside,” Dr. Lambert instructed.
“I’m not leaving,” Dro said.
“Alejandro, you need to wait outside,” the doctor pressed.
“Dro, come on. The doctors have to work on her.” Lei grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door.
Outside of the room, Dro paced back and forth. He was going crazy. The doctors had been in there for thirty minutes and he was worried sick. The hospital door creaked open and Dr. Lambert stepped out of the room. They all surrounded him.
“What’s going on?” Lei asked. “Is she okay?”
