Vengeance (Oak Grove Suspense Book 1)

by Reese A. Stephens

  “How’s Dylan?” Trevor asks.

  “He’s good. He might be milking his injury a bit. His girlfriend has been at the house most of the day.”

  Trevor laughs and again it doesn’t look or sound creepy, it makes me suspicious, but I shrug it off. I’ll take him like this any day over the creepy lurker he’s been since I started working here.

  “If you have a pretty girl around, things are always better. Let me know if he needs anything. I’ll do whatever I can.”

  He’s so genuine it makes me smile. “Thank you, Trevor. That’s really … nice of you. I’ll let you know.”

  “You do that.” He winks.

  The surgery doesn’t take long and Trevor isn’t as demanding or flat out mean to the staff as he usually is. He actually thanks one of the nurses for anticipating his need. Maybe he has a girlfriend. Poor girl. I don’t know what it is, but I’m thankful for it today. After we are finished, I head to my locker to change into clean scrubs. As I get closer to my locker, I notice a small piece of paper sticking out from the locker’s vent. I grin, knowing Ryan must have stopped by while I was in surgery. I feel badly for having acted so immature about the whole guard thing; I'll apologize when I see him. I know he only wants to keep me safe. As I open the note, a small origami figure falls to the ground.

  To show you my affection, I've given you a gift. It's so magical, just like you and me.

  I gasp, staring at the figure lying unassumingly on the ground. I look around quickly but see no one. I quickly grab my things, the letter and the origami figure, and run from the hospital to my car. I don't even bother going back to my office to lock up. I have to get home. I don't see Jonathan as I exit. I'm about to pull out my cellphone to call Ryan, when I see a man standing at the back of my car. I turn to run, but he calls my name making me stop.

  “Where are you going?” I breathe a sigh of relief.

  “Babe?” Ryan says, his footsteps coming closer. “Hey, what's wrong?” he asks, turning me to face him. Wiping my eyes, he asks, “What happened? Are you hurt?”

  I shake my head, and hold out the note and the now squished origami. I can see the panic on his face when he looks back at me.

  “I thought it was from you. I thought all of them were from you.”

  “All of what? You've gotten other origami figures?”

  Shaking my head I answer, “No, love notes. The others are in my office.”

  He grabs my hand and pulls me back into the hospital. When we reach my office, he makes me stand outside the door as he checks it over to make sure no one is in there and then comes back to get me. He grabs my hand and leads me inside with a hard expression on his face.

  “Where are they?” he asks.

  “In my right hand bottom drawer. There's a box.”

  He yanks the drawer open and pulls out the little decorative box I'd stowed the notes in. He opens it, snatching the notes out. He quickly reads through them. His face grows angry the more he reads.

  “Why didn't you say anything?” he asks, barely containing his temper.

  “I thought they were from you. Then with everything happening, I forgot. I was only thinking about Dylan and his safety, not about a note I thought was from you.”

  His face softens, but I can tell he's still upset. “Let's get back to my house. I need to show this to the guys and try to pull up the hospital CCTV cameras.”

  “They have them in the locker room?” I'm horrified at the thought.

  “No, but in the hallways. We'll find who did this, Shay.” He squeezes my hand.

  “I know you will. Did you go to your mom's tonight?”

  “No, everyone came to my house instead. I wanted to be able to keep an eye on everything. I saved you a plate.”

  “Thanks.”

  Our drive to the house is silent. I feel like I should say so much, but I don't know what to say at the same time. All of this is just so confusing.

  “Sit tight. I'll get your door,” Ryan says as he parks the car in his driveway. I appease him.

  He opens the door and leans in to kiss me. “Everything will be okay.”

  I just nod. I'm tired, stunned, and just confused. I'd like to go home and take a hot bath, but I don't think that will be happening anytime soon. He leads me inside his house and into what he considers command central. It looks like they've acquired even more equipment since I was in here a few hours ago. He walks over to the dining room table where Marsh sits and throws the note and origami creature at him.

  “Is this him?”

  Marsh looks a little taken aback. He picks up the note, scans it quickly and then turns the origami around in his fingers. “This isn't a fox.”

  “I know, but its close enough.”

  Marsh sets it down and picks up an expensive camera. It looks like the kind a medical examiner would use at a crime scene. He takes a photo of the note, origami, and then opens the origami to examine the inside of it.

  “If it's not a fox, what is it?” I ask because it looks like a fox to me.

  “It’s a jackal.”

  Marsh types on his computer and pulls up a photo of a jackal and a fox side by side. The jackal is sleeker with larger ears, and a little taller than the fox. It has more of a wild dog quality. The fox has a shorter face and ears, and its coat is much fluffier with a different color than the jackal. However, when made of folded paper they do look very similar. Marsh brings out the fox that Ryan received to compare it to. The differences are very clear.

  “So it's not The Fox?” I ask.

  Marsh shakes his head. “I'm not totally convinced it's not, but I'm also not going to rule out that it’s just a coincidence. That perhaps your admirer thought you'd like this.”

  “How are you going to sit there and say this isn't Mathis? I don't care if it's a fox or a jackal. He's toying with us. He wants to throw us off!” Ryan yells.

  “I'm not saying you're wrong, Ry. I'm just saying we can't rule anything out. We have to look at this as any other case. What would you do?” He turns it back to Ryan, making him think objectively.

  “Fine. If this were any other case, then I wouldn't rule out the possibility that she has an admirer that has nothing to do with this and just thought she might like it, but these notes … Marsh, these notes are so pointed. If you really read them, look for a meaning. Someone is out to get her and it’s not by winning her heart.”

  One of the guys, whose name I think is Riley Peters, asks, “Where are the other notes?”

  Ryan starts to hand them over. Marsh snatches them before Riley can get them. He proceeds to photograph them and then puts each one in a clear plastic evidence bag. He then hands them to Riley who reads them and passes them to the next person.

  “We’ll send them out in the morning. See if there are any print remnants on them,” Marsh says to everyone.

  “I agree with Ryan on this,” Jonathan inserts. “This really seems linked to the case. I think, if it's not Mathis, it's someone close to him. He knew sending this jackal would get to you, Ryan, and if he didn't know already, he certainly knows now that it has an effect on Shayla too.”

  “Did you notice anyone watching me or anything suspicious?” I ask.

  “No, but we'll be going over all the feeds tonight. We'll find him if there's something to find.”

  “Anything?” Ryan asks Marsh who has been unfolding the jackal.

  “I don't see anything but I'll send it off as well,” he responds. “I'd also like to run Shayla's DNA against the hair we found in Mathis' cell.”

  Ryan pales. “You think it could be Shayla's? I didn't think of that. We should run Dylan's too. Just in case. It'll be good to have them on file regardless.” Marsh nods in agreement, but I'm completely lost.

  “Why do you need to run my DNA?” I ask.

  Ryan runs a hand through his hair. “Remember me telling you that The Fox left an origami in his cell when he was released?” I nod. “Well, what I didn't say, because I didn't see the significance then, is that
he left a hair inside.”

  “But how would it have been mine? I wasn't with you then and you didn't know about Dylan.”

  “That doesn't mean Mathis didn't,” Paul comments.

  I look at him in disbelief. “It's impossible, only my parents knew that Dylan was Ryan's until a few months ago. Ryan had no clue either. There's no way this Fox guy could have known.”

  Paul shakes his head then hands me a journal. “According to this,” he points to the book, “Mathis knew more about Ryan than he ever let on. Once he knew Jacobs was FBI, he sent his men to work. They sent him all kinds of info. Mathis left the origami for us to find in his cell. He knew we'd give it to Ryan. It heightens his game. He wants Ryan to know he's after him and will stop at nothing to get him. Correct me if I'm wrong, Ry, but even if you didn't connect with Shayla and you didn't know about Dylan, you'd still do whatever it took to save them.”

  “Of course I would!” Ryan says without hesitation.

  Paul looks back at me. “Mathis knew that. He counted on that. This isn't some fly by the seat of his pants plan. This is calculated. He’s going after you.”

  “You don't know that,” I insist.

  Ryan stands in front of me with his hands on my shoulders. “Baby, listen to me please. This guy isn't a joke. I've showed you his cases. You've seen what he does to women who look just like you. Please, listen to me.”

  “I am listening, Ryan. But I can't just stop my life and hide. I have to work. If I lose my job, I have no way of taking care of my son.”

  “I will take care of both of you and if they don't understand a family emergency, then you shouldn't be working there in the first place. You aren't going back until this is resolved and that's final.” His voice is loud, almost yelling, it makes me flinch, but it also makes me angry.

  “You're not going to tell me what I can and can't do. This is my life too, I won't hide. I'm safe at work.”

  Ryan scoffs. “Oh, yeah, you’re so safe there, aren’t you? How many notes have you gotten? It's only a matter of time before this guy comes for you. He'll come there. I know he will.”

  I shake my head. “You don't know that. You don't even know if this guy is actually the same person. You have no proof that it's not someone who just has a crush.”

  “They tried to get Dylan. Why are you being so stubborn? I'm only trying to protect you.” Ryan growls grabbing his hair. He looks like he's about to hit something.

  “I'm not being stubborn. I can't lose my job.”

  “But your life is okay?”

  I roll my eyes. “I didn't say that.”

  He grabs me by the shoulders again, giving me a little shake. Not to hurt me, but I assume to get me to pay attention. I am paying attention, but I won’t let him boss me around. I’ve had enough of that to last me a lifetime.

  “I won't lose you. Do you understand that?” His face looks so panicked and defeated. I give in just a little.

  “I'm not going anywhere. Send Jonathan with me. I'll let him drive me around, but I'm going to work.” I turn to leave.

  “If you die, I'll never forgive you.”

  I pause at Ryan's words, but I don't turn around and I don't stop. I throw the door open and run to my house, locking myself in my bathroom. I slide down the door into a heap and cry. I cannot believe he'd say something like that to me. I'm so angry with him. Why can't he understand? I can't lose my job. People count on me … our son counts on me. I can't hide in fear over something that may or may not happen. Eventually, after I’ve cried all that I can, I get up and shower. When I'm done, I dress in one of Ryan's t-shirts and climb into my bed.

  ~*~

  I'm almost ready for my day when a soft knock sounds on my bedroom door. I open it to see a sullen looking Ryan standing with his hands in his pockets and head down. He looks up when I say nothing.

  “Morning. So, you're going to work then?”

  “Yes.”

  He bobs his head then pulling his hands from his pockets he pushes my door open and steps forward forcing me to take a step back. He closes the door.

  “I don't want you going to work. I know I can't stop you, but I'd really like it if you'd trust my judgement on this.”

  “I'm going to work,” I say firmly.

  He grunts and shakes his head. “I knew you'd say that. You're so stubborn.” He doesn't say anything for a long moment, then reaches up and cups my face. “I'm so angry with you. You're making my job fifty times harder than it needs to be.” He kisses me then. It's not like our other kisses. This kiss feels like goodbye. It reminds me of the time he kissed me before he left me. I hold back a sob. “Jonathan will take you to work. I'd like you to carry this.” He reaches into his pocket and hands me a can of mace.

  I stare at it for a few seconds and then take it from him. “Thank you.”

  “Watch your back. Try not to go places alone. I know you have to be in your office, but lock the door.” I nod. “Jon will wait for you at the door to the parking garage. He'll bring you to and from work. If you feel scared or off about anything, you call him.” He takes my phone from my nightstand and programs Jonathan's number. “Dylan isn't going to school. I talked to his teachers and the principal. They think it's part of his recovery. I don't want to cause unneeded gossip. Don't fight me on this. He's my son too.”

  “I know. I'm not.” I mean that. I don't want Dylan anywhere but with Ryan or one of the guys.

  “Thanks. I'll see you when you get home.”

  He turns and leaves. I feel so many emotions right now, none are very good. I totally deserve his cold shoulder. He'll probably dump me and that'll be what I deserve too. Hopefully, after he catches this guy, he'll forgive me. The ride to work is a silent one. Jonathan says nothing the whole way and neither do I. He pulls up outside of the main entrance and stops the car. I open the door and climb out, as I turn to get my bag he speaks.

  “Shayla, please call me if you even feel the slightest bit of uncomfortableness or if anything seems strange. I'll do a few drive arounds and come in for lunch. Text me if you want me to grab you something. Ryan said he might come up for lunch.”

  “Okay. I don't always get a lunch, but I'll let you know.” He gives me a curt nod then pulls away as I enter the hospital. I head straight to my office.

  “Hey,” Amelia says with a little too much pep for this early in the morning.

  I smile despite my urge to turn and run back to the SUV. “Morning. Have you been waiting long?” I ask as she stands from sitting on the floor outside of my office.

  “Nope. Just about five minutes. Dr. Kill Joy told me I had to wait by your office. You guys don't get many students, do you?”

  “I don't think so. I haven't worked here long, but at my old hospital I worked with a lot of interns and students of all levels.”

  “Oh, maybe that’s why he is so insistent on me following you.”

  “Could be. Come on in. I need to get some files sorted. I start seeing patients at eight.”

  I'm actually a little relieved that she's here. The guys have me really paranoid about being at work. Hopefully, having a tag-a-long will help me relax. I work on getting a few of my patient's files together, then we set off for my rounds. I only have two post-surgery patients to see and those go smoothly. Then, I head to the clinic to speak with about ten pre-surgery patients. As I told Jonathan, I work through lunch and by four o'clock, I'm ready to check on my one post op patient, who wasn't released yet.

  “Mr. Carver, how are you feeling?”

  “Ready to get out of here.” He sighs heavily. He should have been released two days ago, but he developed a fever and an infection.

  “Well, let’s see what we can do.” I have Amelia take his vitals and give me her opinion on what his course of treatment should be.

  “I think he should be able to go home after the intravenous medication is delivered. He hasn't had a fever in almost twenty-four hours and his incision looks well.”

  “His counts?” I ask.

&
nbsp; She checks the chart. “Everything looks good. Nothing is elevated.” I nod, checking with her.

  “Mr. Carver, I think we can safely release you to go home in about five hours. I'll leave my instructions and you’ll need to see your primary care physician in two days.”

  “Thanks, Doc.” I smile and squeeze his hand.

  “Dr. Thorn.” I turn to see Trevor walking towards me. I wonder which Trevor I'll face today. I haven't seen him most of the day. He grabs my elbow and pulls me away from Amelia.

  “Do you mind?” I ask, pulling my arm back.

  He smiles at me. “I don't mind at all, but that's not what I came to talk to you about. I need you to stay for about an hour over tonight.”

  I look at the clock seeing it's already after seven. “I've already stayed an hour over.”

  “I know, but I'm covering for the E.R. until eight. I need you to see a few of my patients.” He hands me a stack of files.

  I quirk my eyebrow at him. “A few?”

  “There's only five. It won't take you long. You owe me, remember?” I roll my eyes. Of course he'd cash in on a favor.

  “Fine, but I'm not staying a minute past eight. I don't care where you are. The on call doctor can handle anything else.”

  “Thanks. I won't make you regret helping me.” He winks then he's gone. He's so mercurial.

  I break the news to Amelia and we set to work. She does really well. I think she'll make a fine doctor. I've actually enjoyed my time with her today. By the time eight o' clock comes, we've covered all of Trevor's patients and are both completely exhausted.

  I text Jonathan that I'm on my way out and he responds he'll be waiting. I do as Ryan asked and pay attention to my surroundings, but when I step out of the elevator on the bottom of the parking garage I don't see Jonathan. I grab my cell and call him. I hear ringing to my right, so I head in that direction. As I turn the corner, I see Jonathan lying on the ground with a pool of blood around him.