Jackson

by Lagomarsino, Giulia

  Outside, Chris pulled her from my arms and wrapped her in a big hug, rubbing her back and keeping her faced away from the window of the room. She didn’t need to see if he died. It took me a minute to hear the second set of alarms sounding and I closed my eyes slowly. This couldn’t be happening. Lola and Knight stood outside Hunter’s hospital room with Lucy. Derek rushed over from down the hall where Sinner was limping behind him. The fear and desperation on Derek’s face almost killed me. Hunter was practically his brother.

  I shook my head in disbelief. What were the odds that all three of them would go into cardiac arrest at the same time? My head snapped up and I stormed over to Lola, dragging her away from the window.

  “What happened before he went into cardiac arrest?”

  Lola stood stoically in front of me, trying desperately not to let her emotions show. “Nothing. A doctor came in to check on him and about ten minutes later, he just…”

  “Who was the doctor?”

  “Dr. Sanchez. I checked out his credentials. He’s on duty tonight on this floor.”

  “Let me see his profile.” She handed over her phone that had Dr. Sanchez’s photo and all pertinent information. “Send this to my phone.”

  I stormed down the hall to Chris, who was still holding Lindsey back. “Was a doctor in here before he went into cardiac arrest?”

  “Yeah, maybe ten-fifteen minutes before. Why?

  “Was it Dr. Sanchez?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  I ignored him and went to the nurse’s station. “Excuse me.” I held out my phone to the nurse and showed her the picture of Dr. Sanchez. “Is this Dr. Sanchez?”

  “No,” she shook her head. “I’ve never seen that man before.”

  “Have you seen Dr. Sanchez tonight?”

  “Um, no, but that’s not unusual. I have a lot of patients to check in on. I usually see him when he’s finished with his rounds, or if a patient’s medications need to be updated.”

  “Wouldn’t he be here when three patients are in cardiac arrest?” I said irritatedly.

  She glanced at the ICU rooms and paled, just realizing that something was wrong with this picture.

  “Get security now. The hospital needs to be placed on lockdown. Tell them Dr. Sanchez is missing. This man,” I showed her the picture on my phone again, “was posing as him and visited at least two of the men before they went into cardiac arrest.”

  She picked up the phone and immediately started talking with the head of security. I swore silently to myself and looked to all three rooms. I didn’t know what to do. Everything was falling apart and I couldn’t move forward without my men, but we couldn’t stay here and risk more lives either.

  I pulled out my phone and dialed a number that I never thought I would have to use. I couldn’t stand around and hope for the best. It was time to get to work.

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  I stood outside Ice’s room and watched as the doctors tried to revive him. They had gotten a rhythm back, but a half hour went by and he was flatlining again. Whoever these assholes were, they had snuck into the hospital and posed as doctors, walking right the fuck past us. They had hit us hard, most likely injecting Ice, Hunter, and Gabe with something that had sent them into cardiac arrest. They had done all three hits at the same time.

  The echocardiogram had been fluttering slowly to a flatline over the past five minutes and the doctors weren’t having any luck reviving him, not that it would matter at this point. The doctor had already told me that a heart attack would most likely kill him at this point. Even if they got a rhythm back, he most likely wouldn’t wake up.

  I had let them down. I had let them all down. Every one of my guys depended on me to be their leader and I had fucked up. When shit got tough and everything went sideways, could they really depend on me? We had three men on the verge of death and three missing. This was so far beyond a clusterfuck that I was surprised any of them were still hanging on with me. Why hadn’t they all gone their own way at this point?

  Those were questions that plagued me as I stood there and watched the doctors do everything they could for Ice, but there were no answers that would make a difference now. I couldn’t, no, wouldn’t lose any more men over this. I would get everyone out and we would fight back and get these assholes that were trying to kill us. They would pay in the worst possible way. Death would be the easy way out when I was done with them.

  The doctors shut down the monitors and walked out of the room, pulling off their gloves as the nurse started shutting down machines attached to Ice. He was gone. The doctor gave Lindsey a sympathetic look, but she had seen everything. She didn’t need the doctor to tell her Ice was gone. As I watched Lindsey in Chris’s arms, she turned to me and the look in her eyes said that I needed to move the fuck on. She didn’t want me anywhere near her. I walked away and headed for Hunter’s room. It was already empty of doctors and the monitors were off. Lucy was sobbing next to Hunter, begging him to come back to her. Derek was trying to pull her off him and Lola stood by, trying not to break down herself.

  Jules walked up to me with Rocco, the look on his face grim. “Gabe’s gone.” Jules’ face was set in a hard line and there was a slight mist to his eyes. “Isa didn’t get to say goodbye,” he said quietly.

  Rocco cleared his throat. “They didn’t get Burg. He had already ripped out his line and was trying to get the hell out of there. He’s with Florrie right now.”

  “Nobody goes anywhere alone from now on. We’re getting the fuck out of this hospital and getting somewhere safe.”

  “What about the bodies? We’re not just going to leave Ice, Gabe, and Hunter here, are we?” Rocco asked.

  “No, we’ll take them with. We’re probably breaking a helluva lot of laws, but Lucy, Lindsey, and Isa won’t leave without them.”

  “What the hell are we going to tell their kids? We failed them,” Jules said quietly.

  “We can’t think about that right now,” I said coldly. I had to stay detached so I could get us all out of here and make sure everyone stayed alive. “Has anyone gotten ahold of Jackson yet?”

  “No answer,” Jules said. “His phone is out of service.”

  “Contact Becky and ask for his last location.”

  While Jules was on the phone, I walked down to Gabe’s room and stared inside at his body. He didn’t look dead. He just looked like Gabe, but he wasn’t moving. Now I had Jackson on the run and no idea where he was or if he was still alive. I didn’t have the manpower to go search for him when everyone was in danger. I didn’t want to leave him behind, but losing three men just because they had been in the hospital was already a huge blow.

  “Becky said that the signal went out about fifteen miles outside of town. She said that police are reporting a fire. A truck went off the road up in the hills and there was an explosion. No word yet if there are any survivors.”

  So what did I do? Did I take everyone back to the panic room and take…who was still up and moving? Cazzo, Knight, Jules, Lola, Derek, and Chris. That was all I had. Six people weren’t injured. Did I risk the last of my men to go look for Jackson or did I pray that he got out and was following our plan? As I looked at Lucy and Lindsey crying down the hall, I knew the answer. I couldn’t stand to see any more women crying and I didn’t want to tell any more kids that their dad wasn’t coming back.

  “He’s on his own then. He knew what the plan was. If he’s still alive, he’ll either find a way to contact us or get out to us. Get everyone together. I want everyone back at the panic room and ready to move out within the hour.”

  I pulled Knight away from the window outside Hunter’s room. “Go get Kate. We’ve lost three men, but we’re not leaving them behind. I want Kate over here to make sure they’re transported with us properly. I have a friend here that can make sure we can get the bodies out of here without any issues.”

  “Do you want me to tell Isa?”

  “Not yet. She’ll want to come along. Right now, we just need to get mov
ing.”

  Knight disappeared through the doors of the ER, not taking anyone with him. He always did like to work alone, so I didn’t expect him to take anyone along.

  Lucy and Lindsey walked over to me, tears in their eyes and pain etched eternally in their features. Lindsey stepped forward, staring at me, her nostrils flaring in anger. Her hand shot out and slapped me hard across the face so fast that I didn’t even try to react. She was hurting. “You were supposed to protect them. That’s why you had men outside their rooms. You let this happen!”

  “Lindsey, I know you’re angry right now-”

  “Right now? What, do you think in a few hours when I’ve had time to let it sink in that I’ll be okay with this? What about my kids? Do they matter? Do you care at all that they won’t ever see their father again?”

  Maggie wrapped an arm around Lindsey’s waist, pulling her in to support her. I didn’t know what to say as Lindsey sobbed. What could I say right now? There was nothing I could do and the longer we stayed here, the more danger we were in. Lucy was just standing there in shock. It was like she didn’t believe it was true.

  “I know that you want to be angry and lash out right now, but we have to get out of here before someone else gets killed. We’ve already lost three and Jackson is missing. Cash should be arriving soon and he’s going to protect everyone while we get to a new location. You and your kids will be safe, but we have to get moving. The longer we stay, the more danger everyone is in.”

  “Yeah,” Lindsey scoffed. “Wouldn’t want any more blood on your hands, right?”

  She turned away with Maggie and Lucy, heading for the door with Cazzo, Sinner, and Derek. I rubbed a hand over my tired face and turned to those that remained.

  “Okay, we leave in two groups. Burg, you go with Lola, Rocco, and Chris. Jules, Florrie, Alec, and I will head back in another vehicle. If you suspect anything, you let me know immediately. We aren’t taking any chances. We get back, we load up, and we get the fuck out of here so we can regroup.”

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  Watching Lindsey and Lucy break down while their husbands died was awful and telling Isa was downright brutal. Cazzo agreed to come with me to tell his sister about Gabe, but she didn’t need Cazzo there to soften the blow. She could see it in my eyes that Gabe was gone. She asked Maggie to watch the kids and she followed me on shaky legs into a private room.

  “Just say it,” she said sharply as she spun around and glared at me. “Don’t try and make me feel better or whatever the hell it is you tell the wife.”

  “Isa,” Cazzo stepped forward, wrapping his arm around her.

  “No,” she cried. “Don’t give me those bullshit hugs. Don’t tell me everything is going to be okay. What am I supposed to tell Enzo and Vittoria? We’re a family. We’re happy and now you’re telling me one of the best things that’s ever happened to me is gone?”

  Cazzo rubbed her back as she broke down in his arms. I hated this. I didn’t want any of this to have to touch them. They didn’t deserve it.

  “You didn’t tell me to come to the hospital, so what happened? Did he just suddenly get worse?” My gaze flicked to Cazzo’s, but Isa shoved me back. “Don’t you dare lie to me or try to make this easier. Just tell me what the hell happened!”

  “He just had a concussion, but some men snuck in the hospital and gave Ice, Hunter, and Gabe something through their IVs. It basically stopped their hearts. We don’t know what it was or who did it, but we don’t have time to figure that out right now. We have to get out of here and pull ourselves together.”

  She swiped at her eyes, laughing humorlessly. “You know, Gabe and Cazzo promised me that we would always be safe here. They said that this was a big family and everyone protected each other. From what I’ve seen, all you do is get everyone killed while you sit on your throne and toss your men aside like their lives are expendable.”

  Hearing that killed me. I wanted to believe that she was only speaking in anger, but maybe it was true. Maybe I was no longer the leader I had once been. And if that was the case, what the hell was I going to do now? We were injured and broken. I couldn’t leave my men now just because I wasn’t leading the way I needed to.

  “When this is over, I’m leaving and no one from my family will ever be associated with you or your company again.” She turned to Cazzo with an angry glare. “Are you going to continue to risk your life for him?”

  Cazzo didn’t say anything, obviously uncomfortable with where this was going.

  “If you stay and work for him, I don’t want to see you ever again. I don’t want anything else coming back on me and my kids. This place is toxic.”

  “Isa-” But Isa held up a hand and cut her brother off.

  “Just, don’t tell the kids yet. It’ll be too hard for them to make the trip knowing that he’s gone.”

  “If that’s what you want,” I said quietly.

  She swiped at her face and walked away. Cazzo’s face was grim and I wished that I could ask him what he was thinking, but now wasn’t the time for a conversation like that. Besides, he needed time to think. It was the only thing I could give him at the moment.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Jackson

  “Move faster, Raegan. We’ve gotta get out of here.” I was pushing her hard as we ran through the trees. We didn’t have the option to move slowly.

  “I am moving fast.”

  “Not fast enough.”

  “If you would just give me a break, maybe I could actually catch my breath.”

  I stopped suddenly and pulled her in close, holding her by the arms. “You don’t get it. It won’t be long until they find out that there aren’t any bodies in the truck. They’ll know we escaped and they’ll be looking for us, and the way you’re stomping through the trees, you’re leaving every fucking marker possible to lead them right to us.”

  “Sorry, they didn’t cover running stealthily through trees the day I went to super spy school. Besides, you’re running just as fast. You can’t tell me I’m the only one that’s leaving a trail.”

  “You’re like a fucking bulldozer going through here. I told you to step where I step!”

  “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a good head shorter than you. So, unless you have some rocket boots on you, there’s not a chance that I can step where you step. Besides, why can’t we just wait here and then you can take them out when they come through?”

  “Because we have a head start on them. As long as we keep moving, we should be able to get away from them.”

  “Derek took out eleven men,” she muttered under her breath.

  I snapped my jaw together hard. One thing I really hated was when women compared all of us, without understanding the circumstances, and just assumed that every scenario was always the same. But I didn’t have the time to go through all of that with her right now.

  “Look, down this hill is a creek. We’re going to get to that and then we should be able to lose them. Then it’s just about fifteen miles back to Reed Security.”

  “Just fifteen miles?” she said in shock. Then she started laughing at me.

  “What?”

  “I just think it’s hilarious that you think I can make it fifteen miles on foot, in the middle of the night, when I’m hungry and tired.”

  “Would you prefer to be dead?”

  She didn’t say anything and actually seemed to be considering this. “Can I think about it?”

  “No,” I said in exasperation. I started pulling her behind me, hearing her grumble the whole way. “Watch where you step now. It’s getting-”

  Suddenly, we were tumbling down the hill, hitting every tree root and rock along the way. I tried to grab onto Raegan and pull her in close to me so I could protect her, but her arms kept flailing, smacking me in the face as we flipped in all different directions before finally splashing into the water at the bottom of the hill.

  She groaned next to me and I was immediately on my knees, bent over her to see if she was okay. �
�Does it hurt anywhere?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where?” I asked urgently.

  “My arms and my legs. My stomach hurts a little too. I think I might have whiplash, and I also might have peed a little.”

  “Raegan,” I said irritatedly, “are you injured or just sore?”

  “Is there a difference?”

  “Well, one means you get up and move on and the other means I leave your ass behind.”

  She sat up with a groan and glared at me. “Chivalry really is dead. I should have listened to my mom.”

  “Hey, I fake killed you. Don’t tell me that wasn’t chivalrous.”

  “You’re right. What ever was I thinking?” she said in a mocking tone.

  I hauled her up to her feet and threw her over my shoulder. She squealed and smacked me on the back.

  “What are you doing?” she screeched.

  “Would you shut that fat trap of yours? I’d like to get out of here alive.”

  “Just for the record, calling a woman fat in any way, even if it’s about her mouth, is just not cool.”

  I started stomping downstream, hoping that I could get far enough that they would lose our trail.

  “You know, this really isn’t the most comfortable way to travel.”

  “File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.”

  “Why are you so mean to me? You know, when I first met you, you were actually nice to me.”

  “You hadn’t opened your mouth yet,” I muttered.

  “Are you implying I’m annoying?”

  “No, I was flat out saying in a nice way that when your mouth is shut, you don’t annoy me nearly as much.”

  “I don’t understand you. You always seemed like the good guy. The guy that wanted to…well, it doesn’t matter. You’re just not what I thought you were. And why the hell would you kiss me when we were in the panic room if you didn’t like me?”