by Sharon Sala
Gleason was surprised by the man’s presence. He’d been given to understand she had no family and was a stranger to the city. He motioned to Powers to stand guard at the door and then approached the bed.
Quinn saw the doctors enter and then saw the look on Nick’s face. She reached for the bed controls and raised her bed to a sitting position, unwilling to be flat on her back if she needed to run.
When one of the doctors started toward her, Nick walked between them, preventing him from coming any closer, and Quinn nearly lost her composure. It had been a long, long time since anyone stood between her and trouble.
Nick wasted no time flashing his badge.
“Don’t insult my intelligence by trying to pass yourself off as doctors. May I see some credentials?”
Gleason frowned but did as he’d been asked.
“And your friend by the door?” Nick asked.
Agent Powers flashed his badge.
“Thank you,” Nick said. “Keep in mind Miss O’Meara is recovering from surgery.”
Gleason nodded.
Nick stepped aside to let him pass, then moved to Quinn’s side.
“Miss O’Meara, I’m Special Agent Gleason. That’s Special Agent Powers by the door. I need to speak to you about the night you were shot.”
“Okay,” Quinn said.
“We were told you saw the fire from the highway and rode up on the scene. Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“What did you see once you were there?”
“At first just a car on fire. I had just realized there were bodies inside when I saw the silhouette of a toddler walk between me and the fire. I grabbed him before he could get burned.”
“Is that when you were shot?”
“No. The baby was crying and then I saw headlights coming from out of the desert driving toward the fire. I thought it was someone else like me. Someone who would help.”
“Can you describe the vehicle?”
“It was after midnight. All I saw were headlights coming out of the dark. I guess one of the headlights kept shaking—bouncing up and down—although the other one was steady. Not sure if that’s any help.”
“What happened then?”
“I was heading toward the vehicle for help, and then they started shooting at me. I zipped the baby up inside my jacket as I ran for my Harley and headed for the highway. I kept hearing gunshots, so I knew they were still shooting at me. I thought I was getting away until I took one in the back. Nearly lost it in the sand on the shoulder of the road, but then caught concrete and gunned it.”
“So you have no idea who was shooting at you?”
“No.”
“Did you see anyone following you? Did they get close enough you could get a make on the car?”
“I already told you I didn’t see anything. I caught a glimpse of the car once in the distance on the outskirts of the city, but like I said, it was dark. I couldn’t make out the driver, but I did notice one weird thing. The car was missing a windshield.”
Gleason frowned. This woman wasn’t going to help their case in any way. “Really? But you didn’t see the driver?”
“No, but Detective Saldano saw the one who tried to kill me here as they were bringing me up from surgery. I don’t know if it was the same man or not.”
Gleason glanced at the bandage on Saldano’s head.
“Did you recognize him, Detective?”
“No, but his body has probably been identified by now. You can check with my boss for details. Lieutenant Summers, Las Vegas Homicide.”
“Is there anything else you can think of that might help us?”
“No, sir,” Quinn replied. “All I saw with any detail was the fire and the baby.”
Gleason sighed.
“Thank you for your time. If you do happen to think of anything, notify Detective Saldano here. He can get in touch with us.”
Nick held out his hand to stop the agent from walking away.
“Wait a minute. Are you just writing her off?”
Gleason shrugged. “I’m sorry she was hurt, but her incident is separate from our case.”
“Like hell,” Nick said. “We both know Baba’s men shot at her out in the desert, and it was one of Baba’s men who tried to kill her here.”
“Which would put her case in your hands, Detective. Not ours.”
Quinn had been listening, slowly coming to understand that since she had nothing they wanted, the Feds didn’t care what happened to her. It didn’t surprise her, but it made her mad as hell.
“Stop, Nick! Stop now. I don’t want their protection. They already got two of their own murdered and left a baby to die alone in the desert. I’ll take my own chances.”
Gleason flushed at the accusation and then flinched as the woman pointed straight at him.
“You! Take your buddy over there by the door and get out.”
The men turned and walked out without another word.
The moment the door closed behind them, Quinn’s defiance disappeared, and the fear began to catch up with her.
“Oh, my God,” she muttered.
“Don’t,” Nick said abruptly. “You haven’t been abandoned. I’m still here. I won’t leave you, Quinn. I won’t walk away from you again.”
“I need to ask you something,” Quinn said.
“Ask away,” Nick said.
“Are you in a relationship?”
“No.”
Quinn sighed.
Nick’s eyes narrowed intently.
“Was that the right answer?” he asked.
She looked up at him, studying the man he had become, then looked away, embarrassed.
“I just wondered,” she said.
He cupped her cheek, making her look at him again.
“It’s too soon to go there,” Nick said.
Nick lifted a stray lock of hair away from her eyelashes with his forefinger, then ran it down the side of her face.
“You were my baby girl when we were little, remember?”
His voice was hypnotic, drawing her gaze back to his face.
“You always were the Prince Charming, weren’t you?” Quinn said with a smile. “I remember wanting to be a princess, and you made me a cardboard crown covered in foil and told me I was a queen.”
“Yes, I did.” Nick perched on the side of her bed and took her hand. It was still hard to believe that this woman—this strong, brave...beautiful woman—was the little girl he’d grown up with so long ago. “Between us, we have a lot of life to catch up on. There’s a lot about you I’d like to know.”
Even this hint of exploring a future scared her, because the worst part of a relationship was waiting for it to end.
“I have to survive Anton Baba first,” she said.
“You’ll survive. I promised you that. When you’re cleared to leave here, you’re coming home with me,” Nick said.
Quinn couldn’t believe what he’d just said. She took care of herself. Hard times and bad times, she’d never had anyone to depend on. The thought of Nick at her side, ready to defend her against these men who wanted her dead... It was enough to bring tears to her eyes.
“My things are all on my bike. I need my bike,” she whispered.
“I’ll get it moved to my garage, okay?”
Quinn’s voice shook as she spoke. “I don’t know how this happened...what the odds are of us meeting again like this after all these years, but I want to believe it means something more than a coincidence.”
“It’s our full circle moment, Quinn. I loved being your big brother when we were kids and I admire the woman you have become. I want to get to know you again. Are you good with that?” He smiled at her, and she saw something else in his eyes when he look
ed at her. He lifted her hand to his lips.
She could feel the warmth of his breath and the softness of his mouth against her skin. If this was a dream, she didn’t want to wake up.
Five
Anton was in Caesars Palace having lunch at Nobu with a man he knew only as Mr. Stewart. In the past two months, Anton had lost ten girls from a three-state area and needed replacements. It wasn’t uncommon. In his line of work, deaths were usually attributed to suicide or drugs, and Stewart was also another supplier for replacements.
Stewart had flagged down a waiter to ask for more sauce for his food, so their conversation was on pause when Anton caught two pretty young things staring at him from a few tables away. He lifted his glass to them in a toast, which made them giggle and look away. He looked good and he knew it. It was moments like this that fed his vanity. He took another bite of his yellowtail tuna and returned his attention to his lunch partner.
The waiter left, and Stewart resumed their conversation about the time line for the new shipment when Anton’s phone rang. When he saw the number pop up, he stood quickly and picked up the phone.
“My apologies, Mr. Stewart, but I need to take this,” Anton said and walked into a hallway leading toward the restrooms, talking as he went.
“Alicia? Go ahead.”
Alicia Alvarez was Luis’s sister. He trusted Luis to guard Star, but having his sister as a plant in the Las Vegas Police Department was also proving to be worthwhile.
“I have information for you,” she said.
“About my son?”
“No. Something you need to know about the people who died in that car fire.”
“What about them?” Anton asked.
“They were federal agents.”
Anton’s heart skipped a beat.
“You’re sure.”
“Yes, sir. There’s no mistake.”
“Thank you, Alicia.”
“Yes, sir.”
He disconnected, dropped his phone back in his pocket and then lifted his chin and returned to the dining area. His stomach was in knots now, wondering what the Feds already knew.
And that’s when the final link of the enormity of this situation hit him. His chef. The one who’d left with Star the night she escaped. He’d just assumed she was a do-gooder who had taken pity on Star’s situation and helped her get away. But this changed everything! She’d been a plant, he realized—a mole in his home who had cooked his meals, lived under his roof, even banking the money he paid her with full intentions of taking him down. He was furious that he had been taken in. God only knew what she had learned while she was there or what Star had already told her. The smartest thing to do would be to cut his losses right now and get out of the country. He could run the business from anywhere. But the longer he thought about it, the more he hesitated. What could she have learned, really? Nothing they could convict him with, surely. He didn’t do business at home, ever. Even if Star already told the Feds how she came to be with him, she wasn’t going to tell it again on a witness stand, thinking she would be sending her family to certain death. As soon as he got his hands on her he was going to end her conversations permanently.
The one thing he knew he had to do was to back off the woman who’d taken Sammy to the cops. Sending Dev after her had gotten him killed. The police clearly understood his involvement, and if he made another mistake, they’d be able to pin it on him. He needed to regroup. The most immediate goal was to get Star out of the hospital. Once she was gone, the Feds’ case would be back to square one. He returned to his lunch meeting and slid back into his seat with a nod to Mr. Stewart.
“Duty calls,” he said apologetically. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to forgo dessert, but please, order anything you want. Lunch is on me.”
Stewart shook his head.
“That’s very generous of you, but I’ll pass.” He patted his bulging belly to make his point. “It was a pleasure to see you again. I’ll be in touch with a firm delivery date soon.”
Anton nodded, dropped a handful of hundred-dollar bills on the table and left as Stewart finished eating his meal.
* * *
It was afternoon at the hospital, and the nurses were making the rounds picking up lunch trays. Visitors were coming and going. Some old man was shouting for help over and over at the far end of the hall, and the door to Star’s room was ajar enough that she heard everything. She could tell her back was beginning to heal because the pain had lessened. But the rub to her situation right now was the guard outside her room. He was blatantly leering.
It pissed her off that she felt so vulnerable when all she wanted to do was go to the bathroom. What he needed was an attitude adjustment. So she got out of bed, purposefully letting the top of her hospital gown slip just enough to reveal a good portion of her right breast. She held on to her belly as she moved, trying not to hurt her ribs, and paused at the doorway and stared back.
He seemed startled that she was challenging his rudeness.
“Your name is Luis, right?” she asked.
He grinned.
“On the money, honey.”
“Just wanted to make sure I thank Anton for your...services,” she said shortly and then stepped back and pushed the door closed enough that he could no longer look in, leaving him to wonder what damage she might do to his status with the boss.
Then she heard his phone ring, and instead of going to the bathroom, she stayed to listen.
Luis answered immediately, and when he began saying “yes, sir” and “no, sir” in rapid-fire answers, she knew he was talking to Anton.
“Yes, sir. She just had lunch. No, sir, she’s up and moving around. Okay...yes, I’ll be here. Are you coming to get her yourself, or are you sending someone?”
Star’s knees nearly went out from under her.
Sweet Mother of God, Anton was coming. Why the sudden rush? He must have learned about the Feds.
She turned away in panic. There was no way to contact Gleason, and she had no idea who their plant was on the floor. She should have known not to assume she was safe, but what the hell could she do? She slipped away from the door and began going through the drawers and closets in a panic to find her clothes, only to remember they’d cut them off of her in the ER.
She had to get out, but how? Then she spotted her lunch tray and had an idea. She palmed a plastic knife, grabbed the tray and threw it to the floor, scattering dirty dishes and leftover food everywhere. The glass that had held her iced tea shattered on the tile, and she gritted her teeth before purposefully stepping on the broken glass. Then she let out a cry just loud enough to alert Luis, as a shard pierced the bottom of one foot.
Within seconds he was inside her room, his hand on his gun.
“What happened?” he asked.
She was doubled over and pointing at the blood seeping out between her toes.
“I knocked my stupid tray over and stepped on the broken glass. Can you help me get to the bed?”
“Yeah, sure,” Luis said, putting his handgun back in the shoulder holster under his jacket and scooping her up in his arms.
She winced as his grip tightened on the bandages on her back. Her hospital gown had slipped even more, revealing most of one breast. Her cheeks flushed as he leered at her and grinned.
“Nice tits.”
Her eyes narrowed. It was the only warning the man would get before she plunged the plastic knife into the softest portion of his throat.
He gasped, unable to scream. His eyes were wide with shock and pain as he began clawing at the knife. She landed on her feet, grabbed his gun from the holster and swung the butt of it at his face before he even knew it was gone. His nose shattered beneath the impact.
Luis dropped to his knees and grabbed his nose, moaning as blood from both wounds spilled between his
fingers.
She grabbed the empty food tray off the floor and broke it over his head. He crumpled to the floor, unconscious and bleeding.
Frantically she tore off his jacket and shirt, pulled the belt from his pants, then emptied his pockets.
The first thing she went for was his wallet. She removed all the cash, then dropped the hospital gown at her feet and pulled the piece of glass from her foot and tried not to think of what she was doing.
Standing stark naked on the far side of her bed, she put on his shirt. The shirttail barely brushed the top of her knees, but it was long enough to hide her bare body beneath. She wrapped the belt around her waist twice then fastened it off. It was a poor excuse for a dress but it worked. The blood splatters on the collar and down the front were obvious but she hid them with the jacket. She put the gun in one jacket pocket and zipped it up, then dropped the money into another. His boots were way too big for her to wear, so she was going out of here barefoot in the fastest way possible.
But how to do this without being caught?
The moment she focused on the cigarette lighter, she knew what she was going to do. She pulled a section of newspaper from the trash, wadded it up and lit it on fire, then dropped it back into the metal can, knowing the rest of the trash was going to catch fire, too. She took off out the door, keeping her head down as she headed for the stairs.
She made it as far as the Exit sign by the stairwell when the sprinkler system went off on the fourth floor. A spurt of panic made her move faster. She had to get out before the fire alarm sounded and the staff shut down the floor. She pushed through the door into the stairwell at a run, stumbling down the stairs. Seconds later the fire alarms activated. With one hand gripping the handrail and her other flattened against sore ribs, she leaped, taking the steps down two and three at a time.
She reached the ground floor and came out into a lobby that was in total chaos. Firemen came running in the front doors as she was running to get out. From the corner of her eye, she saw a pair of slippers in the gift shop window and darted into the shop, grabbed the shoes from the display and ran. There was so much panic around her that no one saw it happen.
