Anubis flashed his badge at the door where a bodyguard for Faas stood. The man nodded and turned his head down the hall, dismissing Anubis without a second thought.
He entered Faas's room, pulled up the one and only chair in the area, so he could examine Faas as he lay there, asleep or unconscious. The man's skin held an ashen pallor. His lungs labored, the deep rattle foretold the failure of his respiratory system. Nothing could forestall the inevitable. Anubis pulled a vial of adrenaline from his pocket and pulled a few CCs into a syringe. He'd made a compromise based on Asp's concerns. He waited and watched Faas's compound. He saw them take Faas to the hospital. The bodyguards followed in a separate ambulance, and the medical personnel wore masks, but no suits that would protect them if they suspected radiation poisoning. The likelihood that the guards would be able to infect anyone was very slim. Exposed to secondhand smoke from a Polonium 210 inhalation wasn't necessarily deadly. The damage done to them would be slower, less traumatic, but if Faas had smoked the entire pack in their presence? Their deaths would be a sure thing.
He sat watching Faas for several minutes. All the hate and rage that filled him fueled his urge to fill the syringe and shoot Faas straight to hell with an exploded heart.
Anubis glanced at the closed door as he pushed the few CC's of adrenaline into Faas's IV. It took about thirty-five seconds before Faas's eyelids fluttered open, his heart monitor chirped a faster tempo.
The man's eyes searched the room, landing on Anubis. "Who are you?" His native Dutch language slurred as Faas reached for his chest. "I don't feel well."
Anubis crossed his arms. "You're dying."
"No, they said malaria, maybe typhoid." The fact that Anubis spoke English with an American accent must have registered. Faas licked his lips, and his eyes searched the room wildly. "Guard!" His voice didn't carry far enough for the guard to hear.
"Don't you recognize me?" Anubis asked. "You stepped on my hand."
"The cigarettes? You came here because I took your cigarettes?"
Anubis let a sinister smile spread across his lips. "No, you dared come after my woman and my child."
"Ah… you are him. The one I've been waiting for. The one who killed my uncle."
"From what I hear, I beat you to the punch. I made it easier for you to take over."
"He was old. He wouldn't have lasted."
"Then why did you come after me?"
Faas coughed and spit up blood into the tray beside his head. "You are Rh-null."
Anubis blinked back his surprise. "And?"
"Your blood is more valuable than the gold in these hills."
"You thought you could sell my blood on the black market?" Anubis had never imagined that scenario.
"Selling human organs is extremely profitable. It has made me very rich. The homeless street people usually have acceptable organs. But, why not the rarest of all blood? I'll use you until your daughter is old enough." A lecherous sneer passed over Faas's face. "She is a pretty girl. I'll find her. She can't hide."
"You're dead. I killed you." Anubis took a quiet pleasure as the finality of his statement registered with Faas.
The man shook his head as if by doing so he could negate the truth. "Why are you here?" Faas coughed again and spit into the dish next to him. His little trough was filling up with blood-laced mucus.
"Closure."
Asp's voice came from behind him. Anubis turned slowly. He nodded once at his co-worker. "Closure." Anubis turned back toward Faas. "Justice was served, my family is safe. This conversation is my closure."
"What is your name?"
Anubis looked at the withered shell of a man on the hospital bed. "We have many names." He glanced at Asp. "We are the Shadow Guardians."
Faas closed his eyes. The monitor bleeped in an irregular rhythm, his heart no longer fueled by the small amount of adrenaline that Anubis had used to wake the man from his drug-induced haze.
"If he ever regains consciousness, he might not remember this." Asp opened the door, and they exited the room.
Anubis paused and looked back at the man he'd killed. For the second time in his life, he'd killed without direct orders, but with purpose and intent that morally defied the laws of man. Faas might not remember. "But I will."
He followed Asp down the stairs and out into the light of the day. Suriname was experiencing one of the few days of sunshine it had in October. The brilliant blue sky, unfettered by rain clouds, allowed the sun to shine down on the men as they walked away from the facility.
"Are you satisfied now?" Asp asked as they strolled down the street.
"I am."
"You didn't do anything stupid. Actually, that shocked me, you were pretty messed up."
Anubis nodded. "You spoke the truth. As angry as I was, I couldn't fault your logic. Crossing the line, taking unnecessary risks, did nothing to further my purpose." He glanced over at Asp. "Why are you still here?"
"If I left and something happened to you…" Asp didn't finish the statement, but Anubis got it. The man was all about doing the right thing. He motioned toward a small restaurant. They made their way into the establishment and sat down. Asp ordered the daily special and Anubis declined. "Have you checked in lately?" Asp asked around a mouthful of bread and butter.
Anubis shook his head. A sudden thought struck him. "Why? Kadey… Sky?"
"They're both fine. Bengal contacted me looking for you."
"What did he want?"
"The dossier on Faas was approved, and he's worried about your situation."
"Did he say that?"
"Fuck no. But I could tell." Those words came from around half a roll that Asp had slathered in butter and shoved into his mouth.
Anubis shrugged. It didn't matter that the hit was sanctioned. He'd done what he needed to do. He'd protected his family, and he'd gained the closure that he needed. Although the rationale for Faas going after him, and ultimately Kadey, was mind-boggling.
"So, your blood is that rare?" Asp asked as if he could read Anubis's mind.
"Less than one percent of the population has it, and we are a universal donor for all RH negative blood types. Scientists always want a supply of Rh-null blood to study, but…no, I had no idea selling my blood would be a profit-making venture. The bastard actually tracked me down for it, not for killing his uncle. I'm going to have to hope bringing Kadey into it was just his sick way to torment me from his deathbed." Unfortunately, he knew in his gut the bastard wasn't tormenting him. Sick fucker. Dead fucker.
Asp leaned back as the waiter placed a huge plate of chicken, rice and green beans in front of the big guy. Asp waited until the waiter left and spoke low. "Not so sure about that. While I was waiting for you to fuck up, I read his dossier. I think initially you were what he wanted, but he would have taken Kadey and used her, too. Guardian did well in getting the community to code the guy." Asp grabbed a chicken leg and tore into it, taking a huge bite that pulled almost all the meat off in one motion. He chewed twice and spoke around his food, "What are you going to do now?"
Anubis shrugged. Wasn't that the question of the day. He didn't have to 'do' anything. He had enough money to take care of Sky and Kadey, but he did need to present some front of normalcy. "I don't know. Maybe I'll sell insurance?"
Asp pulled in a sharp breath of air and started coughing before he went silent. He clutched his throat, and his face turned a dark red. Anubis was up in an instant. He placed his fist on Asp's diaphragm and pulled sharply three times before the chicken lodged in Asp's throat flew from his mouth. The giant of a man grabbed the edge of the table and took several shuddering breaths. Anubis fended off the waiter and the manager, assuring them that Asp was fine.
"Holy fuck, Ani."
"What? I take it you don't like the insurance idea?"
Asp wiped his chin with his napkin and leaned back in his chair. "You, behind a des
k? Never going to happen."
Anubis shrugged and motioned toward Asp's plate. "Are you going to eat that?"
Asp's eyes popped as he switched his gaze from his plate to Anubis. "Don't tell me you suddenly want some?"
Anubis slowly moved his head from one side to the other. "No, what I suddenly want is to go to South Dakota. Thought you might like to join me. I'd like to introduce you to two ladies that are pretty special to me."
Asp blinked at him, the surprise on the man's face was as obvious as the fact that he'd been choking not two minutes ago. "You'd introduce me to your family?"
"I would," Anubis confirmed.
"Why? You do know what I do for a living, right?"
"I do. My family would have no better protector in the world, should I happen into misfortune." He could never one hundred percent guarantee that someone or something from his past wouldn't reach out and tap him on the shoulder one day. He'd take every precaution, but life in the Shadows wasn't escaped easily. He knew the righteousness of the man across from him. His honor and his sense of duty would forever link him to Sky and Kadey.
"If you get over yourself, you should be fine."
The jab was half-hearted, but a reminder of all that Anubis had been willing to put on the line and lose to face off with Faas. Anubis was damned glad he'd listened to Asp and waited. The closure was just as sweet and slipping into the hospital versus going into a heavily armed compound was the smart play. Anubis shook his head. Yeah, he'd been stupid. Emotion clouded the mind, and he was full of emotion. The foreign type of emotion that had him thinking of a future and of a family. It fucked with him in ways he couldn't explain. He needed to get back to Sky and Kadey because the world didn't make sense without them next to him. His family.His life.
"I'll have you around to knock some sense into me if I slip up." Anubis pointed at the plate of food cooling in front of Asp. "Are you eating that?"
Asp stood and reached for his wallet. "Nope, I think I can get some food at the airport."
Chapter Nineteen
"She is in great condition. The test results and scans show the repair to the ASD is solid. The valve that suffered from the Ebstein's Anomaly is also repaired and no longer an issue. She shows no signs of injury to the brachial plexus-"
"Wait, what is that?" Sky jumped in before the Air Force cardiologist could say more.
"It is a rare and minor concern, but we check for it. The brachial plexus is the main nerve that provides sensation and muscle function to the arms and hands. We knew before we discharged her that her arm and hand functions weren't impaired, but we did check today to make sure she had sensation in her fingers, specifically the third, fourth and fifth fingers. When we did the surgery, we moved the nerve to open her chest cavity, and that is always a risk. As I said, it is a minor concern and one that we don't need to worry about with Kadey. She's doing great."
"Oh… okay." Sky filed the information away, grateful she didn't know to worry about that item, too. She was exhausted from watching for all the other things they'd told her to watch for… infection at the incision, fever, trouble breathing. Even with Doctor Cassidy watching over her, Sky was a nervous wreck.
The doctor continued, "She'll probably always have a small heart murmur, and you should follow up with annual check-ups, but overall, Kadey is almost ready to go play with the rest of the kids her age. She'll become winded quicker because she's not had any strenuous exercise for such a long time. Don't stress that, she'll get stronger. She can have a bath now that the incisions are healed. I do need to remind you to make sure she doesn't try to pick up anything heavy for at least another month."
"I'm doing that. Nothing more than her Barbie dolls or her stuffed animals."
"Perfect. We need to let the sternum heal, and it will take time, just like a broken bone takes time to mend, but other than that, she's doing fine."
"So this is pretty much… over?" Sky looked up at the doctor.
He smiled as his kind eyes met hers. "Yes, mom. Your baby is going to be fine. I've been told I'm on call to fly to wherever you are should there be any concern, but in my professional opinion, you won't see me again."
"I hate to say this, but that really makes me happy." Sky leaned in and hugged the man before she stepped back, embarrassed by the impulsive action.
"It makes me happy, too. Now I believe there is another patient they want me to see before I have to go."
Sky took that as her dismissal, said thank you and goodbye again, and headed back to the ranch house where Keelee was keeping Kadey and Lizzy occupied so Sky could talk with the doctor. Keelee and her step-mother Amanda had been a source of continual support. If she'd been here for any other reason, Sky would have enjoyed the stay. She stopped about halfway to the house and drew a deep breath of the crisp autumn air. A cold front had rolled through, leaving the skies under a blanket of grey clouds. Sky swept the vista and hugged her arms around her. Kadey had cleared the final hurdle. Sky lifted her eyes towards the heavens and said a prayer of thanks.
What did she do now? Kaeden had once again fallen off the face of the earth. Zane hadn't been able to reach him. Everyone told her not to worry… and in reality, she wasn't worried. This was her life as far as Kaeden was concerned. He showed up, and he left. There was no permanence. She knew from the beginning he wasn't sticking around. The hard part was going to be explaining to Kadey that her dad was once again out of the picture. But Kadey didn't ask about him much anymore, her attention diverted with the multitude of new things to play with and explore with Lizzy.
The problem now was she had no money and no idea where to go even if she had the means. The house in California held a few possessions she'd have to return to retrieve. Putting the house on the market would provide a nest egg. The prices of property in Sacramento had skyrocketed since she'd bought. She'd take the lifeline Kaeden had offered her, just not in the form he set up. She needed to stand on her own two feet, and for the most part, she had until Kadey's health issues sat her on her ass. No, first she'd figure out a way to start again, and when the house sold, she'd have a foundation to build on. She'd reinvent herself and make a good life for herself and Kadey. One without Kaeden. She couldn't be at his beck and call any longer. The pain was too much. She loved Kaeden, but a one-sided love wasn't enough to carry a relationship. She had little doubt he'd call her again, but Sky couldn't… not again. Her heart wouldn't survive being left… again.
She ran the problem through several times before she made it to the house. She had one option. She'd ask Keelee and Doctor Cassidy to front her some money. Just enough to get her and Kadey to her father's house. Sky's mother and father separated when she was twelve. Her dad was… well, he wasn't a pleasant man, but Sky hoped he'd allow them to stay with him until she found employment. She couldn't work as an office manager any longer, not after what happened in Sacramento at the DA's office… but she could wait tables until she found something else.
"Say what, now?" Doctor Cassidy lowered his fork and looked across the dining room table at Sky. They were once again eating dinner at the Cassidys. Sky had waited until the girls had asked to be excused before she brought up the topic of a loan.
"We wouldn't need much. I swear I'll pay you back every cent, with interest." Sky lowered her own utensils and glanced from Keelee to Doctor Cassidy. "You don't know me very well, but I swear I'll pay you back and somehow I'll pay Guardian back for the medical bills."
"It's not the money. Hell, I'll give you whatever you need. Why are you leaving before Kaeden gets back?" Doctor Cassidy asked.
Keelee placed her hand on her husband's arm but looked over at Sky. Keelee understood. Sky could see it in her eyes and that gave her strength to speak the words. Sky straightened her shoulders and told them the truth. "Kaeden isn't going to come back. He has always been straightforward with me. He said he'd only stay until Kadey was thr
ough her surgery and recovering. He didn't ask for this, for us."
"Sky…" Keelee started and then stopped. She glanced at her husband and they communicated silently with just a look. He nodded. "We'll give you one of our vehicles, and I'll get you money tomorrow when the bank opens. How much do you think you'll need?"
Sky let out a breath and deflated. They weren't going to ask for specifics. Thank God. "I have a three-day drive, so enough for a hotel, gas, and food?"
Keelee nodded and placed her fork on her plate. "When do you want to leave?"
Sky gave her a sad smile. "Tomorrow. If I can follow you to the bank, we'll leave from there."
Doctor Cassidy leaned back in his chair. "I think you're making a mistake."
Sky bit her bottom lip and looked at the Doctor. "How many times have you told Keelee that you love her?"
He blinked at her question. "Too many times to count." He looked at his wife. The love between them was a tangible thing, something that Sky didn't have and never would have with Kaeden.
"I love Kaeden; I always have. I know he cares for me and for Kadey, but he's never said he loves us. Kaeden helped Kadey, and I'm eternally grateful, but I can't live a life where Kaeden is a question mark. I believe he cares for us, but he can't physically be here for us, and it isn't fair to either Kadey or me to pretend that he'll change. Kadey deserves a full-time father. I deserve a man who will be there when I need him. I'll forgo my needs, but not Kadey's. She deserves better."
Doctor Cassidy stared at her for a moment. "I know what I saw. I believe he cares for you."
Anubis Page 17
