by Sharon Sala
* * *
It was almost sundown when Nick found out Star Davis was responsible for setting off the sprinklers after taking out the guard Baba had on her door. And, if what his partner texted him was true, Baba had put out a half-million-dollar bounty for her safe return, which meant every bounty hunter and creep in the city would be on her trail. But what if Star actually got away? No way could Baba stay in Vegas if he knew the Feds had her again. But would he leave the country immediately, or play it safe and eliminate all the loose ends beforehand?
Quinn was one of those loose ends. Baba would assume she could tie one of his men to what happened out in the desert.
Nick was still reeling from the shock of knowing what her life had been like, and since she had no one to speak up for her, he’d already made it his business to take care of her before the world fell down around her again. He needed to talk to his lieutenant. Despite the late hour, he quickly made the call, and when his lieutenant answered with less than enthusiasm in his voice, Nick was braced for the worst.
“Saldano, something better be on fire again for you to be calling me at this time of night.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but there’s a situation here. Is it true Baba has put a bounty on Star Davis’s head?”
“That’s what I was told.”
“Am I still ordered to be off duty?” Nick asked.
“I’d ask you if you’re home in bed resting like you were told, but I suspect you aren’t. But, yes, you are officially off duty.”
“Thank you, sir,” Nick said. “And just for the record, I am going home.”
Nick hung up, buzzed the nurses’ station to ask for help, then stood in the hall outside the door, waiting for someone to show up.
It wasn’t long before a nurse was hurrying over to him.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“I’m checking Miss O’Meara out tonight. The situation regarding her safety has escalated, and I need to move her. Unfortunately, I can’t wait for her doctor’s permission, so I’m just letting you know. What I need right now is for you to show us the quickest way out of here without being seen.”
“She doesn’t have any clothes. If she’s walking down the street in an open hospital gown, that’s going to be pretty conspicuous,” the nurse said, tapping her foot for a moment as she thought. “We’re pretty close to the same height. I’ll be glad to donate a set of scrubs if it would help?”
“That would be great,” Nick said. “You’re helping me save her life.”
“I’ll be right back,” the nurse said, then turned and ran.
Nick went back inside to wake Quinn. He hated to disturb her because it had taken so long to get her settled down after she’d cried herself to sleep, but necessity took precedence.
He leaned over her bed and gently shook her.
“Quinn, honey, I need you to wake up,” he said.
Quinn’s eyes fluttered open. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m checking you out of the hospital. There’s been a change in the case, and I want you gone from here with as few witnesses as possible.”
She didn’t ask what was happening. She didn’t panic. She just reached for his arm, and he was relieved at the sense of trust she seemed to place in him.
“Put down the guardrail for me. I want to go to the bathroom.”
“All your stuff is still with your bike, but a nurse is bringing you a set of scrubs so you’ll have something to wear,” he said as he lowered the safety rail.
Quinn finger-combed her hair and then swung her legs over the side of the bed and let Nick help her down.
“I’ve got this,” she said and slowly made her way to the bathroom.
By the time she came out, the nurse was waiting with the change of clothes, and Nick was on the phone with Hospital Security.
Quinn was trying to get dressed when Nick got off the phone. She had the pants on, but because of her shoulder wound she couldn’t get the top on over her head.
“Just put your hospital gown back on over the pants, Queenie. We’re not stopping anywhere, so you’ll be fine until we get where we’re going.”
Grateful for the reprieve, she reached for the gown and let the nurse tie it at the back of her neck and at her waist again.
Nick grabbed a blanket from her bed, draped it over her head and shoulders and helped her into the wheelchair.
“Now pull the blanket around your face, lower your head as if you’re asleep and don’t talk. We need to hide that pretty red hair—it’s too easy to identify you.”
She gave him a thumbs-up, dropped her head and pulled the blanket tight beneath her chin.
The nurse pushed Quinn out of the room with Nick matching her pace as she quietly moved them to an elevator the public wasn’t allowed to use. They rode down in silence. When the car doors opened, they were met by four hospital security guards. She pushed Quinn out, gave Nick a thumbs-up as he took control of the wheelchair and then took the elevator back up.
“Detective,” one of the security guards said as he nodded at Nick. “My name’s Walker. My boys and I have got your back. Get your car. We’ll bring her out that door as soon as we see you pull up.”
Nick hated to leave her alone, but there was no other way to make this happen.
He knelt in front of her.
“Okay, Queenie... I’m going after your coach. Hang with the royal guards for a few, and I’ll be right back.”
In spite of a new wave of panic she felt at having him leave her side, he’d made her smile.
As he exited the building, the security guards encircled her.
Eight
Star was anxious. It had been forty-five minutes since she’d called her parents. She wasn’t sure how her rescue was going to happen, but she had to believe they wouldn’t let her down. This would likely be her last chance at freedom.
She pulled the curtain aside, but saw nothing except city traffic and a few pedestrians walking on the street beyond the motel.
Her heart was beginning to thump erratically. The fear of failing to get away again was overwhelming. The skin on her back felt as though it was pulling, almost like it was shrinking. She knew the sensation was a result of the alcohol she’d poured on her wounds, but it was better to be uncomfortable than get an infection that would slow her down.
She went back to the bathroom to see if the wounds had dried up again. She couldn’t see all of her back but what she could see wasn’t pretty. There were scabs trying to form and staples on a half-dozen different places—they’d told her forty in all. That Nevada desert shit was almost as mean as Anton Baba. She would be scarred for the rest of her life, but it wouldn’t matter if she and Sammy got to safety.
Deeming her back dry enough to get dressed again, she slipped into the sports bra and pulled the well-worn T-shirt over her head. The fabric was soft, close to threadbare in places, and would do as little damage to her back as possible. She put her shoes back on, got Luis’s gun from the backpack and turned out all of the lights except for in the bathroom. She sat down in a chair against the wall where she’d be out of the line of fire if someone came through the door shooting.
She took a deep, shaky breath and glanced at the clock beside the bed. The hour she was told to wait had come and gone.
Her heart was thumping harder.
“God, please let this be okay.”
* * *
They came into Las Vegas in a convoy. Eight dark blue Chevrolet Impalas with Nevada Highway Patrol insignia on their doors driving bumper to bumper, but devoid of flashing lights and sirens, down the main drag. In spite of the high energy and the myriad of colored and flashing lights from businesses and Lucky Joe’s Casino, their dark and silent presence was obvious.
Inside the cruisers, the radios were silent. The offic
ers driving the cruisers had volunteered for this rescue mission. They knew there was a connection to Anton Baba with this case, and that the mission could go sour at a moment’s notice. But they’d been told a brother officer was going to rescue his sister who’d been missing for the past seven years, and that was all they’d needed to hear.
Officer Justin Davis, a four-year veteran of the force, was in the lead car, following GPS directions to get to the address his father had given him.
He was still in shock from the phone call, and like his parents, he had pretty much given his baby sister up for dead long ago. He didn’t know what was waiting for them upon arrival, but he was ready for it. It would be the ride of his life if Starla was really at the end of it—waiting for someone to take her home.
The night she disappeared was as fresh in his mind as if it had happened yesterday. He’d had nightmares for over a year afterward, imagining her crying out for help and no one coming. He didn’t remember when the family began to act as if she was dead, but for years now she was always spoken of in the past tense. If this rescue played out, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
The GPS told him to take the next right, and as he did, he glanced up in the rearview mirror, grateful for the backup behind him. He took a left turn at the next stoplight. The motel would be four blocks down on his right. He could hardly believe his sister was really this close. When he finally saw the neon light of the motel sign, his gut knotted.
He flipped the turn signal, and as he drove into the parking lot, he began reciting the details his dad had given him in his mind. Seven doors down from the office, window facing the street, room 107. There weren’t any parking spaces, but that didn’t matter. Justin wheeled his cruiser behind the car parked in front of 107, while the other seven officers fanned out beside him and parked.
Justin checked the rearview mirror again. Their abrupt and silent arrival had caught the interest of people walking the streets. Some were slowing down; others had come to a complete stop, curious as to what was happening. That many patrol cars in one place was unusual, especially since highway patrol territory was the roads and interstates. He couldn’t do anything about their presence, but as long as the curious kept their distance they’d be fine.
He got out with his weapon drawn, slipping between the cars, as did the officers behind him.
Justin motioned for two patrolmen to stay outside as guards, then pounded the door with his fist and called out loudly, “Nevada Highway Patrol. Open the door!”
* * *
Sitting alone in a darkened room would normally have made Star sleepy, but she was too sore and scared to close her eyes. When she heard the knock she nearly flew out of her chair, but then she heard her brother’s voice and felt an instant flood of relief and hope. One quick glance through the peephole was all it took. Her knees went weak.
Justin!
Forgetting she still held the gun, she unlocked the door and seconds later the room was flooded with police, all yelling at her.
“Drop your weapon! Drop your weapon!”
She had not even remembered she was still holding it and immediately laid it on the floor.
Her brother’s voice sounded cold and angry as he grabbed her by the wrist.
“Where’s Star Davis? What have you done with her?” he yelled.
She was shaking so hard her body was swaying.
“Justin, it’s me! I told Daddy to tell you I was in disguise. Didn’t he tell you?”
Justin stared at the woman standing before him in disbelief.
“Starla?”
She nodded and held his gaze firmly, waiting for some sign of recognition.
“Oh, my God,” he whispered suddenly. Then he pulled her into a hug.
But the moment his arms slid against her back she screamed out in pain.
Justin immediately let her go, then turned and pointed at his team.
“Close the door and hit the lights!” he ordered, then grabbed Star by the arms. “What’s wrong with you?”
She shrugged out of his grasp as the lights came on, then turned her back to the room and pulled the old T-shirt over her head.
She heard the officers gasp. One cursed softly beneath his breath. One cleared his throat.
When Justin spoke, his voice was shaking. “Sweet Mother of God! Sis...what happened to you?”
She lowered her shirt and turned back to face him. “I was in FBI custody when Anton’s men caught up to us. They shot at the car we were in. It started rolling and... Sammy and I were thrown out of the open sunroof. I guess I slid across a lot of desert.”
There was a muscle ticking at the side of Justin’s eye, the only outward sign of his distress.
“We need to get you out of here now. I’m going to cuff you and take you out as a prisoner. We want this to look like a regular arrest, in case any of Anton’s hunters are out there. We don’t want anyone to realize we have you. So keep your head down. Don’t look up no matter what.”
“I need my backpack,” she said.
Justin handed it off to one of the officers as she turned and let him cuff her.
She was in tears.
“Thank you—all of you. I’ve dreamed of this moment for seven years, and there aren’t enough words to express what this means to me.”
Each of the officers nodded in respect as Justin led her past them. One touched her arm, another her hand, simple gestures to let her know they heard and understood.
Then the door was open, and they were on the move. With no wasted motion, he put her in the back seat of his cruiser, buckled her in as he would have any suspect they’d taken into custody, but before he backed out, he quickly unlocked the cuffs and closed the door.
“Let’s do this,” he said to the men, and within moments they were all back in the cruisers.
The sound of eight high-powered vehicles starting up at once echoed within the confines of the parking lot.
Justin led the way out, back through the streets of Las Vegas and then out of the city. The moment they passed the city limits sign, they hit their lights and sirens and were doing eighty miles an hour when they disappeared into the night.
* * *
Nick gave Quinn a quick glance as he slid behind the wheel. His head was pounding. He patted his pocket to make sure he hadn’t left the bottle of pain pills behind, then turned up the air conditioner to cool off the car a little faster. She was sitting so still...almost too quiet. He had yet to explain why this was happening in the middle of the night and guessed she was nervous.
“Are you okay? I can recline the seat if you’d feel better lying down?” he asked.
“No, I’m okay. Just uneasy about this. What’s going on?”
Nick put the car in gear, and as he drove away, he began to explain what he’d learned about the fire alarm and the sprinklers, and the bounty on Star Davis’s head.
Quinn was quiet for so long after Nick stopped talking that he was wondering if he’d said too much. As he stopped for a red light, he absently noted a convoy of Nevada Highway Patrol cars passing through the intersection and was wondering why so many were in the city at this time of night when Quinn finally spoke.
“She’s tough, isn’t she, Nick?”
“Who? Star?”
“Yes. She knew testifying for the Feds would be dangerous, but she loved her baby enough to take the chance to make a new life for them. And she’s still taking chances, willing to do anything to change her life. I hope she gets away...far, far away. And I hope Anton Baba winds up in prison somewhere...or dead. Preferably dead. People who do what he does don’t deserve another chance.”
“It’s my job to find and capture the bad guys and bring them in...but I’m not going to argue,” Nick said.
“I’ve been afraid. I ran,” she said.
The quiet tone in her words reminded him of what she’d said about her past. Some horrors could only be talked about in whispers. He reached across the seat and gave her hand a quick squeeze.
“It took you a while to do it, but you ran straight into my arms. I’m still trying to come to terms with the odds of this happening, although I probably shouldn’t be surprised. This is the city for luck and playing the odds.”
Then the light turned green and he drove on.
Again she stayed silent as he steered into the flow of traffic. After a few minutes more of trying to stay awake, Quinn leaned her head back against the headrest.
“Are we far from your home?” she asked.
“No, not far at all.”
“Do you live in an apartment?”
He smiled.
“No. I have what’s called a Spanish-style bungalow. Three bedrooms, with some bells and whistles. You’ll have your own room with a private bath.”
“It sounds like heaven, but I don’t want to wear out my welcome.”
“That’s not going to happen unless you snore. I’m the only one allowed to snore in my house.”
She smiled.
“You make me laugh, Nick Saldano.”
“You will learn that I have a full repertoire of amazing skills.”
Her laugh was soft, but he heard it. It felt good to know he’d taken her mind off the fact that Anton Baba knew her name.
It wasn’t until he finally turned onto his street that he began to relax. When he saw his house, he tapped the remote for the garage door, and it was already going up as he turned into the driveway.
Quinn was wide-eyed now and taking notice of all the houses on the block. They all had some kind of security light on except for his. Seeing Nick’s home by moonlight gave it a hint of secrecy.
The light from the garage door opener was dim as he pulled into the garage, but light enough to see her Harley up against a wall and the duffel bag still tied down on the back.
“My bike! Oh, thank you for taking care of it. It’s basically my whole life right there.”
