by G. K. Parks
Nick made a few calls to make sure none of the townhouses were vacant or empty the night of the shooting. A few were for sale, but the owners hadn’t moved out yet. We showed them Steele’s mugshot and the mock-ups the police department made, but they never saw him.
“I know it doesn’t feel like it, but we’re making progress.” O’Connell parked in a reserved space in front of the hospital. “We know who’s responsible. The prison is being searched. We’re paying extra attention to places inside the prison where Steele and Vega had access, like the cafeteria, the library, the yard, and the laundry room where Steele worked. Moretti assigned a bunch of officers to go over all of Steele’s communications, phone calls, everything again. The Feds are questioning Vega, and once they finish with him, I’ll take a crack at him. He must know where Steele is or what else he has planned.”
“You mean how many federal agents he plans to kill?” I couldn’t contain the bitterness. “What about the Stop N’ Shop?”
“Jacobs didn’t come up with anything new. Nothing on the security footage, and no one admitted to seeing Steele.”
“Dammit.” I got out of the car and leaned against the door. “What about patrol? They were scouting locations. Has anyone spotted Steele? He was in prison. Shouldn’t he be holed up inside a titty bar right about now? Or blowing his load with some whore he found on the corner?”
“You would think, but no one’s spotted him yet.” He came around the car and put an arm around my shoulders. “Come on, let me walk you in.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“My wife would beg to differ. Plus, I want to see how Jablonsky’s doing.”
“He’s breathing unassisted now.”
“That’s great.”
“Yeah.”
Nick gave me a sideways look. “You’re supposed to be happy about that.”
“I am. It’s just…we won’t know how bad it is until he wakes up.”
“The doctors can only speculate right now. But from what Jen said, his scans are clean. Brain damage usually shows.”
“Jen told you?”
O’Connell nodded. “Don’t worry. I haven’t said anything to anyone.” He gave my shoulder a squeeze. “You know how I know he’ll be okay?”
“How?”
“Because he has you.”
“That doesn’t mean shit. Ask Cooper. Ask Carver. Hell, ask Heathcliff. He could probably give you a list of times I’ve let him down.”
O’Connell pulled me tighter into a sideways hug as we entered the hospital. “None of this is your fault. And none of that was your fault. Now you know what’s going on. You’re in the game, and no one in their right mind would ever bet against what you’re capable of. I want you in my corner for every fight, and Jablonsky feels the same way. He’ll be okay. Now stop this whole woe is me crap.”
“I don’t care about me, Nick. I care about him. About all of you. Steele called me. I have to stop this.”
“Well, you have help. Plenty of it.”
“I know. Lucca said he’d meet me here. He promised to keep me in the loop.” I checked my watch. “I’ll let you know if there have been any developments on Kendall’s end.”
“You don’t trust the director to share with the department?”
“I’m not sure what he’s doing, but he’s gone out of his way to make it his mission not to share with me. And frankly, none of us have time for this bullshit.”
“I didn’t realize your break from the OIO went that badly.”
“Neither did I.” I pressed the button to call the elevator.
“Go on ahead. I’ll meet you outside the ICU in about ten minutes. Maybe the protection detail will speak more freely if I’m not around. I should track down Jenny. I’ll be in the doghouse otherwise.”
I watched O’Connell head toward the ER while I waited for the elevator. Once it arrived, I stood to the side, giving the man in a wheelchair a wide berth. He smiled at me, and I returned it. At least someone had gotten good news today.
When I stepped out of the elevator, I didn’t spot the protection detail. Mark’s room was empty. Fear gripped my insides. I checked my phone. No calls from Martin. I gave the area another glance. No Cross Security team either. Where did everyone go? Every worst case scenario played out in my mind as I practically ran to the nurse’s station.
“What happened? Where’s Mark Jablonsky?” I asked the woman seated behind the counter.
“Hang on one second.” She held up her finger, and I thought my head would explode.
“Mark Jablonsky,” I repeated. “FBI agents were outside his room. Where did everyone go?”
She continued typing with two fingers. “As you can see, I’m in the middle of something. You have to wait.”
I braced myself against the counter, pressing so hard against it, I wouldn’t have been surprised if it toppled over on top of her. “Where is he?” The walls were closing in. “Just tell me.”
She hadn’t even bothered to look at me. “You should speak to someone at the information center. I’m sure they can assist you. This is the ICU. We don’t give out patient information here. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not your personal secretary.”
I saw red, and the room spun. “I’d fire you if you were.” If I’d been able to breathe and think rationally, I would have exercised more diplomacy, but I was already on edge. “Supervisory Special Agent Mark Jablonsky, I have to know if he’s okay. Just tell me. Where is he? It’s a matter of life and death.”
“Like I haven’t heard that one before,” she retorted, her eyes still on the screen.
Another nurse came by to drop off a chart. Her smile was met by my most lethal glare. “Alexis, right?” she asked. She reached over the counter and grabbed a manila envelope. “Mr. Jablonsky was moved to our Step Down Unit.” She smiled again. “The doctors are thrilled by his progress. Let me get you his room number.” She went around the desk and typed the information into the computer and spouted out a number. “Oh, and a man left this for you. He turned it in to the lost and found, but someone down there recognized your name and had him bring it up here. I guess he just missed you.”
“What man?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. He was tall, kind of rugged.”
That described a lot of men I knew. Taking the envelope, I frowned at the odd shape. Maybe Lucca left me something, but why would he leave it at the lost and found? Opening the flap, I peered inside and pulled out a throwaway cell phone. Almost on cue, it rang.
I stared at it; a cold chill cut through me. Spinning, I checked the area, but no one was watching me. I checked the display, but the number was blocked. No data.
“Ah, perfect timing,” she said.
“Who did you say left this?”
“Isn’t it yours?” she asked. “The man said you left your cell phone at the coffee cart. He wanted to make sure you got it back.”
“Describe him.”
“I don’t know. Around six feet, maybe a little taller. Fit. Shaved head. Dark beard. Aren’t you going to answer that?” she asked.
“Did you get a name?” The ringing stopped.
“No.” She turned to the other nurse. “Did he say anything to you, Mildred?”
The unhelpful nurse didn’t even look up from the screen. Before she could respond, the phone beeped a text message alert. Answer the phone, chica.
Immediately, the phone rang again. “Notify hospital security and the police personnel stationed in the lobby. We need this hospital locked down. Do it quietly,” I said.
The nurses stared at me like I was insane, but I didn’t have time to explain. Stabbing the green answer button, I stepped away from the desk and searched the hallway for any sign of Francisco Steele.
“Hello?” Every part of me hoped I was wrong.
“Looks like you’ve had a busy day,” Steele said. “At least you finally remembered me. I’m flattered.”
“What do you want me to say, Francisco?” I reached into my pocket and
sent a text to O’Connell. Steele was close. We needed additional security to Jablonsky’s floor, and we needed to lockdown the hospital and search floor by floor until we found the sick son of a bitch. “Do you want me to tell you I never stopped thinking about you? Is that what you want to hear?”
“Don’t play games with me, Alex. You can’t manipulate me. Not this time. This time, I call the shots.”
“Is that what you told Vega?” I wanted to call the authorities or Cross Security and have them run a trace, but I didn’t know the burner’s number. Without that, they couldn’t do anything, and I couldn’t pull the number off the phone while speaking to Steele.
“Admit it. That was pure genius. The perfect prison break. No one even knew I was gone.”
“I did.”
“Only because I told you. If I didn’t tell you, you still wouldn’t know.” The intercom sounded in the background. Steele was still inside the hospital. “But I wanted you to know.”
“Now I do. So what’s next?”
He laughed. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”
“Do you hear yourself?” I asked. “Damn, it sounds like you’ve been hung up on me this entire time.”
“So what?” His voice went from hot anger to cold, calculating revenge. “You’re my obsession. You have been since the moment I laid eyes on you, back when you were nothing but a desperate junkie willing to do anything for a fix.”
“So why don’t you scratch that itch? You know where I am. Why don’t you come see me?”
He barked out another ugly sounding laugh. “I intend to.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I read O’Connell’s reply. Patrol was standing guard at the exits. The FBI agents stationed in the Step Down Unit had been notified and were on high alert, and O’Connell and hospital security were going to start a floor by floor sweep until backup arrived. I finished my check of the ICU and entered the stairwell. Unsure if I wanted to go up or down, but down made more sense. The nurse said the man tried to leave my phone downstairs, so I’d work floor by floor in the opposite direction.
“What the hell are you waiting for?”
“Don’t tempt me, chica,” Steele warned.
“Why not? Afraid you won’t be able to perform?”
He growled. “You know that’s not true. You’ve seen what I can do. And I’m just getting started, but I can’t decide who should be next. Any suggestions?”
My limited experience with hostage negotiation kicked in. Moretti was right. I knew Steele, which meant I should know how to get through to him and delay the inevitable. “Francisco, please.”
“That’s what I like to hear.”
“Please,” I repeated, letting the desperation eke out, “this is between us. You’re pissed at me. Take it out on me. I fucked you over. I sold you out. Tell me what you want.”
“This is my game. My rules. You don’t tell me what to do.”
“Fine. Tell me what to do.”
“For starters, keep that phone on you at all times. When I call, you better answer. If you don’t, I’ll kill another one of your colleagues.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“You give that phone to the cops or Feds and I’ll kill someone. This is between us. And only us. I don’t want them in my business. Got it?”
“Yes, just please don’t hurt anyone else.”
“I never agreed to that.” He snorted. “I heard Jablonsky might actually pull through. Don’t get your hopes up. I already promised you I’d finish him off, and you should know, I keep my promises, unlike you.”
I raced down the steps to the SDU and burst through the doors, expecting to find Steele somewhere on the floor. “I get it. You want to hurt me. So hurt me. Tell me where you want to meet. I’ll be there.”
“Not yet, but soon. First, I have someone else waiting who needs my attention.”
Eighteen
“Wait,” I screamed into the phone, but Steele had already hung up. I tucked the burner into my pocket, unsure what I planned to do with it. First things first, I had to make sure Mark was alive and Martin was safe.
I looked around the unfamiliar SDU, immediately spotting Cross’s security team. As I headed toward them, I checked the room numbers. 804. 805. According to the nurse upstairs, Mark was in 811.
“We have a situation,” I said. “Francisco Steele’s inside the hospital.” I gave them a description and a brief breakdown of Steele’s resume. “Keep your eyes peeled. The FBI assigned a detail to protect Jablonsky, but I want you to make sure they are who they claim to be and they’re taking their jobs seriously. Also,” I lowered my voice, “if anyone unfamiliar comes near James Martin, and I mean anyone, make sure you put yourselves between him and the stranger. Is that understood?”
“No problem,” Vinnie, the head of Cross’s team, said. “Lucien wants Martin protected at all costs.”
“For once, the boss and I are in total agreement.” I nodded to the men. “But for the sake of keeping the peace, let’s not mention this to Mr. Martin.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I cringed. “Call me Alex or Parker. Never ma’am.”
“Yes, ma…Alex.”
I looked down at my phone but found no messages from O’Connell. Before storming through the rest of the hospital in search of Steele, I approached room 811. Agent Samuels and a fresh-faced probationary agent stood on either side of the door.
“Samuels.” I nodded to him.
“Parker.” He introduced me to Benny Kwan. “I heard you have reason to believe the shooter’s in the hospital. Anything we should know?”
I repeated the description the nurse gave me. “Detective O’Connell and hospital security are conducting a floor by floor search. Reinforcements are on the way. But I need you to stay vigilant. This guy is unstable and extremely dangerous.”
“Is he armed?” Kwan asked.
“Best to assume so.”
“Shaved head and dark beard,” Samuels repeated. “What’s he wearing?”
“I don’t know. Honestly, I wouldn’t invest too much in the shaved head and beard either. You’ve seen Steele’s mugshots and the mock-ups, right? Those are just our best guesses, but he could look like anyone.”
“All right,” Samuels said. “We’ll keep an eye out. O’Connell knows we’re here if he needs help.”
“Absolutely, but if you have to step away, make sure someone is guarding Jablonsky at all times.”
“I’m aware of protocol, Parker,” Samuels said. “Nothing else is going to happen to him.”
“Good.”
I pushed open the door, and Martin nearly jumped out of the chair, caught red-handed. He’d been reading the medical chart and making notes on his phone. He put the chart down. “He woke up. This morning, after you left. He wasn’t awake long. Maybe five minutes.”
“Really?” My heart crashed against my ribcage, threatening to shatter. “Is he...” I licked my lips, my voice a squeak. “Do we know if…”
Martin cradled my head in his hands and brushed his thumb against my cheek. “It’s too soon to say. He wasn’t entirely coherent, but that could be from the sedatives they’re giving him. He kept saying the same thing. Steele. Tell Alex it’s Steele.”
“It’s a little too late for that.”
“Despite his condition, Jabber’s worried about you.”
I smiled, biting my lip to hold everything in. “I know. And vice versa.” I looked down at Mark, resting peacefully in the bed. “Why isn’t he awake now?”
“They are keeping him heavily sedated.” Martin rubbed the back of my neck, feeling the tension in my muscles.
“Why didn’t you call me? When I got upstairs, I thought…” I swallowed. “You know what I thought.”
“I’m sorry. God, I’m sorry.” He stole a kiss, hoping that would smooth things over. “I didn’t want to call because I knew seeing my name on the display would freak you out. I left a message with Mildred to tell you where we went.”
“Mi
ldred’s a bitch.” I shook that thought away. “Did you see anyone else? A strange man lingering near Mark’s room? Or the ICU? Maybe down near the coffee cart?”
“I’m not sure.”
I sucked in a breath. “Steele’s here. He called me a few minutes ago. He’s getting ready to move on his next target.”
“You think it’s Mark?”
“Maybe, but I think he’s going after someone else. If his target’s inside the hospital, it could be you or one of the cops or agents keeping an eye out. I don’t even know if Steele knows who you are. Everything that happened that night happened so quickly. You never testified. You had no reason to, so you shouldn’t be on his radar, unless he’s seen us together. It’s not safe here, handsome. Honestly, it’s not safe anywhere.”
“I’m not leaving,” Martin insisted before I could even suggest such a thing. “I won’t let Steele hurt Mark. If that asshole comes through the door, I’ll fucking kill him. Had I known what would happen, I would have done it that night in your apartment when that animal attacked you. I could have prevented all of this from happening.”
Martin wasn’t a violent man, but I believed him. And he spent enough time training with a tactical team to possess the skills necessary to carry out such a threat.
“My hands have enough blood on them for both of us,” I said. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. In the meantime, I need to find out what’s going on. I have to find Steele. I have to stop him from killing someone else. If anything happens, and I mean anything, call me.”
He grabbed my arm before I could disappear out the door, pulled me into his chest, and kissed me hard. “Be careful. Jabber’s afraid for your safety. And so am I.”
“I always come back to you. Remember that.” I stood on my tiptoes, kissed Martin quickly, and left him dazed in my wake. “Samuels, hold down the fort. Should anything happen to anyone inside that room, there will be hell to pay.”
