A Second Past Midnight (The Sentinels)

by Melinda Hunter

  "No." Pausing for a moment she stared at him. "Don't you trust me? The tilt of her head told him that she would turn on him any second. He had to be convincing.

  "Of course I trust you. Can I just lie down first? I'm not feeling so good." Arrigo nodded toward the operating room.

  Emily smiled back at him. Arrigo took that sign as a go ahead. He fully planned to let her step into the O.R. first and subsequently trap her there. Arrigo motioned for her to go first and she complied. As they approached the glass door, he spoke.

  "How long have you been at Tecktar helping people?" he asked. Arrigo waited for just the right moment to shove her into the room.

  "Not long enough." And with that statement she spun on him and stabbed him in the neck with a needle.

  Arrigo shoved her away with one hand and reached for the syringe with the other. "Fuck!" he shouted.

  "I'm sorry, but I could tell you were nervous. It will all be over soon and then you'll be able to function without the pain.

  "What. Did. You. Give. Me?" Arrigo struggled to stay awake and it had only been three seconds. He didn't even hear her reply if there was one when everything went black.

  Chapter 13.

  The team pulled into the Tecktar parking lot with weapons loaded and the agreement that they were going in to get Arrigo and bring him out alive. Sana, had no clue of Arrigo's current status, but she hoped that he was alright. The thought of losing him again would kill her.

  Every moment they had shared, good and bad, flashed through her mind. She wouldn't trade a single one of them for anything even though they had both endured too much pain to deal with. She wouldn't give up on their love, ever. The hint of tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them back knowing that Arrigo needed her.

  "Sana, we'll get him out." Sinjin covered her hand with his and when her eyes met his gaze she saw something there that she hadn't seen from him before. Love. The kind that a family has.

  "Thank you," Sana mouthed. She feared that if she actually used her voice she would show her fear and the guys wouldn't let her go in. Sinjin nodded in reply.

  "The police are here and I've already notified them of our presence. We'll partner with them to get to Arrigo. The facility is vast, but we're assuming they are in the restricted area." Williams showed them the layout of the campus on his tablet and pointed out that area as well as Hess's office.

  "Team we don't know what we're up against in there other than Kane has been drugged and Jonathan Hess is dead. Let's go in and see what the CPD has found out if anything and everyone be on full alert at all times. We can't afford to let our emotions get in the way."

  Williams didn't even glance at Sana and that made her stomach churn. If he couldn't scold her then she knew he feared the worst, but Sana refused to give up hope. She would find him alive and well. She hoped.

  Once inside the building, the Chicago police and Tecktar security filled them in with the latest information. They quickly learned from the surveillance cameras that Hess's daughter entered his office, but never left and that's when Arrigo happened along. There was a private entrance from Hess's office to the restricted area of the facility, that only Hess had authorization to use. It had been accessed approximately forty-five minutes after Emily Hess entered the office.

  "Do you have a photo of his daughter?" Marcus asked. The fact that Marcus had been here had slipped Sana's mind. The man showed them a photo of a pretty black haired woman in her late twenties. Sana clenched her jaw. Anger ripped through her as she took in the image of the person that had her husband.

  Sana focused back on absorbing the information and processing it to her advantage. In the end though, all she needed to know was where she could find Arrigo.

  "We'll split into two groups. S.W.A.T. will take the direct access into the restricted area and the four of us will go through the private office access. The subject may be armed and is definitely considered dangerous." Williams turned to the S.W.A.T. members. "This is his most current photo and all I can say is he is one of us and has sacrificed everything for man and country. I can't thank you enough for your assistance in this."

  The team members nodded and they all headed toward their destination which only took two minutes to reach. Sana sucked in a deep breath as they entered the office where Hess had been found dead. Normally, they wouldn't have tread across a crime scene, but the murderer was still on location. CPD forensics was on site and collecting evidence as they entered.

  "We've got a syringe here and obvious signs of a struggle that are separate from the murder victim." One officer spoke to Williams, but Sana looked passed the dead body and towards the private entrance. She knew Arrigo needed help and they were wasting time.

  "He said he had been drugged when he called. We can't waste any time so let's move." Williams ordered.

  The head of Tecktar security opened the door with the electronic key and held it back as they entered. Sinjin, Williams and Marcus all had their weapons drawn and ready. Sana on the other hand had her knife out as one of them always went in ready for hand to hand combat. The group, including the head of security, made their way through the hallway and into a long white corridor.

  "Dr. Hess had her own research area segregated from the others through here." The man led them down the hall and toward a doorway that would hopefully lead them to Arrigo. "Mr. Hess was the only one that dealt with her as she never left the facility," he added.

  "I've never been here before and considering the circumstances I wouldn't be surprised at what we may find." This guy just didn't know when to shut up, Sana thought. The anxiety was building rapidly as every second passed. She didn't need his added narrative.

  The group came to the door of the supposed lab.

  "On the count of three," Williams stated.

  Sinjin counted them in. "One. Two. Three."

  Williams busted the door open and the team pressed through one at a time. Sana stood front and center with her weapon at her side. While the others called clear from their designated directions, Sana stared straight ahead and could only hope that her eyes deceived her.

  There in front of her, behind a glass wall, stood a woman spattered in blood. In front of her, lay Arrigo. Draped in a blue sheet, his face was also spattered in blood, but what worried Sana more was the side of him that she couldn't see.

  "Arrigo!" Sana shouted.

  The woman's gaze darted to Sana. They exchanged a look for a moment and Sana knew the evil glare she received meant she would have to fight to get him out of that room alive.

  "Sinjin, I need your shot on her. Marcus, you're second gun. Sana-" Williams spoke, but she wasn't able to process his words as quickly as normal. She was frozen.

  Sensing someone closing in on her, she turned quickly to see Berk.

  Placing a hand on her shoulder he spoke. "Sana, it will be all right. He's going to be fine."

  While she heard his reassuring words, she doubted the outcome.

  Practically speaking in a whisper, Williams directed everyone to their locations, including Sana. He wanted her at the door so that it would force the woman to create a connection with Sana. With everyone in place, Williams spoke.

  "Dr. Hess, we are here to help you. Please step away from the table and hold your hands up." Standard procedure was to establish contact and wait for the subject's response before using necessary force.

  Sana swallowed hard as the subject was addressed with her professional title. Clearly, she didn't deserve it, and while Sana understood the circumstances, she only wanted to refer to her as a subject.

  The subject ignored them as she leaned back over Arrigo and that only infuriated Sana more.

  "Dr. Hess we need you to step away from him." Williams repeated his statement one final time.

  No response.

  "Sana, it's your turn. You can do this."

  Taking another deep breath, Sana let it out and pushed the door open a few inches.

  "Dr. Hess. My name is Sana, may I come in?" Sana paused at
the door and waited for a response.

  "He fell and cut his head. I'm trying to stop the bleeding." The subject's brow furrowed and she seemed frantic. Sana knew she had to move quickly if Arrigo was bleeding out.

  "Let me help." Sana seized the opportunity and stepped around the table so that she was practically shoulder to shoulder with the subject.

  As she looked down at her husband she saw a steady stream of blood coming from his temple. While the blood flowed freely, it wasn't life threatening and that fact relieved her.

  "Place your hands here while I get suturing materials." The subject pressed Sana's hands on Arrigo's wound. As the subjet turned away, Sana looked up toward Marcus who had already started through the doorway.

  Quietly, he took about three steps before the subject turned around and by this time, he was able to throw himself at her. Knocking her to the ground. Just as a struggle ensued, Sinjin, Williams and the Tecktar team piled in behind.

  "No! Let me help him! I'm the only one that can take away his pain." Her screams filled the small room, but they went unanswered.

  Sana held one hand firmly on his wound and checked his eyes with the other. His eyes were rolled back and his pulse was rapid. "The bleeding isn't life threatening, but he has been drugged and his pulse is erratic. We need to get him to a hospital ASAP."

  Twelve hours later...

  "I don't care if I was on my way to hell, you shouldn't have gone in after me." Arrigo lay in the bed scolding Marcus for coming into Tecktar after him. "You don't have all the proper training."

  "You sound like an old woman, nagging." Marcus stood at the end of the hospital bed with his arms crossed, rolling his eyes.

  "Don't make me separate you two," Sana ordered as she returned from the bathroom.

  Arrigo smiled at her from hooded eyes and Sana couldn't help but smile in return. The love of her life was alive and well. Oh the things she was going to do to him once he had recovered.

  "Come here." Arrigo held up his hand toward Sana.

  Happily, Sana accepted his hand and surprisingly, Arrigo pulled her onto the bed.

  "Arrigo you need your rest," Sana whispered.

  "I'm feelimg much better now," Arrigo replied. Pulling Sana closer, so that their mouths entwined, they expressed their joy to be alive.

  But not everyone felt the same joy...

  "Oh for the love of all things holy please stab my eyes out now," Marcus whined.