“I’m all for that.”
“It won’t be just me. You’re going to need to be observant, too. I mean, you’re as important to the company as I am.”
“No, I’m not, David.”
“I rely on you. You’re second in command.”
“Then I’d better make sure my fire insurance is current, because I don’t have a cousin I could move in with,” Pete said with a grin.
When Alex called a few minutes later, David kept his promise and asked that Jim come help him install some security measures.
After that, David called Pete. “I want to know where we are in our bid. Did the break-in compromise our target date?”
“No,” Pete said. “We should be finished by the end of the day today.”
“Terrific. That should take some of the pressure off.”
“I hope so. Have you got a minute, David? I want to talk to you about a new project.”
“Sure, come to my office. I’ll want you here when Jim arrives, anyway.”
Soon the two of them were looking over some papers at David’s desk. When they heard a scream, they jumped to their feet to head for the reception area where Jeannie was seated.
But before they even reached the door, it slammed back against the wall and two masked men entered, guns at the ready.
David raised his hands and began moving back toward his desk. Pete followed suit.
“Which one of you is Buford?” one of the men asked in a growl.
“You’ve got the wrong office. He’s down the hall,” David said.
“Okay, I’ll shoot both of you just to be sure.”
“I’m Buford,” David said quickly. “Leave him out of it.” He looked at Pete. “Go back to your office,” David ordered.
“Call the police!” Pete yelled, not knowing if Jeannie was still out there in the reception area.
Both men took aim at them, and David and Pete dropped and rolled to avoid the bullets.
But David felt a searing pain in his right shoulder and knew he’d been hit, though he wasn’t sure how bad the wound was. He heard more bullets and looked up in time to see Jim with his gun drawn. He saw Pete lying still on the other side of the room. The only thing he could do was scoot to his phone and call the police.
Suddenly the two men knocked Jim down and ran out the door. Jim immediately got up and gave chase, despite David’s call for him to come back.
David rose to his feet and, gripping his wounded shoulder, staggered across the floor to Pete’s side. “Pete? Are you all right?”
Pete slowly opened his eyes. “I…I don’t know,” he gasped.
“Just lie still. I’m going to see if anyone’s called an ambulance.”
David dragged himself to the outer office. “Jeannie?”
Shaking, she got up from behind her desk. “Are you all right?” she asked.
“Not really. Call an ambulance and the police. And tell them to hurry. Pete’s in bad shape.”
“Yes, sir!”
Susan appeared in the hallway. “What happened?”
“Some men broke in with guns,” David said.
“David, you’re hurt!” He looked down and saw the blood seeping through the fingers over his wound.
“Pete’s worse,” he muttered.
Susan made a mad dash to Pete’s side.
David felt his legs crumple as he sank to the floor.
Suddenly strong arms were around him. “Hang in there, David,” Jim said. “The ambulance is on its way.”
“I’m more worried about Pete.”
“You’re both going to be all right. Wait here and I’ll check on Pete.”
David lay on the floor, anxious for word on Pete.
Jim found a young woman holding Pete in her arms.
“Excuse me, ma’am. May I look at his injury?”
“Are you a doctor?” she asked in a sob.
“No, but I’ve had some experience with wounds. He’s bleeding a lot, isn’t he?”
“Yes, he’s hit in the head.”
“Pete?” Jim called.
Again Pete managed to open his eyes. “Yeah? Jim, is that you?”
“Yup. You’ve got a head wound, Pete, but I don’t think it’s serious. It just bleeding a lot. The ambulance is on its way. This young lady will stay with you until help arrives.”
He went back to David. “Hey, brother? I’m counting on you pulling through.”
David, who’d been on the verge of losing consciousness, pulled himself together. “Yeah. How’s Pete?”
“He’s actually in better shape than you. He has a head injury, but it’s not serious.” Jim paused before he said, “He’s luckier in another way, too. He’s got some young lady holding him and crying over him.”
“Susan,” David managed to say.
“Susan? Does she work here?”
“Yeah, but…but she’s also my little sister.”
“Sir, if you’ll move out of our way?” an unknown voice said.
“Yes, I will,” Jim replied. “There’s another injured man in there.” He pointed to the office door.
The two paramedics split up.
Jim followed the man into the office, knowing someone would have to handle Susan.
“Susan, let the man take care of Pete,” he said, pulling her away to give the man room.
“I have to stay with Pete. He needs me!”
“I’m sure he does, but he needs to stop losing blood most of all. I’ll take you to the hospital right behind the ambulance.”
“What if he dies on the way? I should go with him.”
“David has to go in the ambulance, Susan. There won’t be room for you.”
“David? Oh, I forgot he got hurt, too!”
Chapter Eight
When the two injured men were loaded into the ambulance, with an assurance from one of the paramedics, Jim led Susan to his car. “Come on, I’ll take you to the hospital.”
“But I don’t know who you are!” she exclaimed.
“I’m Jim Barlow, David’s brother.”
Susan’s head snapped up. “David is my brother! What do you mean?”
“David was adopted when our parents were killed in a car accident. We recently found each other.”
She looked confused. Jim took out his cell phone. “Honey, is Alex there?”
“Yes, Jim. Is everything all right?”
“There’s been a bit of trouble. David and Pete are on their way to the hospital. I need Alex to tell Susan it’s okay to go with me. And Alex might want to come to the hospital, too.”
Suddenly Alex was on the line. “Alex, there’s been a little problem. Do you want to meet us at the hospital out here? And please tell Susan it’s safe to go with me.”
Of course, it wasn’t that simple. He had to reassure Alex that David was all right, and then Alex had to convince Susan to go with him. When he finally had Susan in the car, he sped to the hospital.
In the E.R., fortunately, it was a slow time and doctors were available to look at the two men at once. Jim provided the necessary identification and other details. He suggested the two be put in the same room.
Pete’s wound, in spite of all the blood, was superficial. The bullet had just grazed the edge of his head. They expected to keep him overnight and then release him the next morning.
David’s wound was a little more serious. The bullet in his right shoulder had torn through tendons, just missing an artery.
Pete had already been taken to a room, accompanied by Susan, when Alex arrived. Though she was concerned, she was in control of her emotions. Jim comforted her and told her about David’s wound.
“What happened to the two shooters?”
“I got to David’s office as they fired the first bullets. I pulled my gun and wounded at least one of them. I followed them out of the building, after I checked to be sure David and Pete were alive and told the secretary to call 911. Then I got the license-plate number and gave it to the police when they arrived.”
> “So they’ll be able to find them?”
“They should be. Now that you’re here for David, I’m going to go to the competing company, Carey & Company. It’s hard to believe that they would be behind this attack, but I want to find out.”
“Just be careful. I promised Carrie I would tell you that.” She gave him a hug and then waved goodbye as he left the E.R.
Then she walked to the desk and asked if she could see David. When they asked if she was family, she said yes, his cousin.
When she saw him being bandaged, she had to fight her rush of emotion. It was important that she didn’t fall apart.
She moved to his other side and touched his face. He opened his eyes and gave her a weak smile. “Hi. How are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m the one who should be asking you that question,” she said. “How could this happen?”
“Someone doesn’t like me.”
She leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Well, you’re safe now. Pete’s already gone to the room you two are going to share.”
“Ma’am, we have a private room for each of them,” one of the nurses said.
“No, we need to keep them together. They’ll be easier to protect that way,” Alex explained.
“Surely you don’t expect someone to come after them here?”
“It’s definitely a possibility.”
The nurse visibly shuddered. “Yes, we’ll put them together. He’s ready to go now if you want to walk alongside him.”
“Yes, I’d like that. Thanks.” Alex moved back beside David and took his left hand in hers. “Ready to go for a ride?”
“Where are we going?” David asked.
She realized he was under the effect of a painkiller and unaware of much. “We’re going to see Pete. And probably Susan. Jim said she was beside him when they moved him to a room.”
“Why is Susan there?”
“She thinks she loves him, remember?”
“Oh, yeah.”
They entered the elevator and moved to the fourth floor. Then they pushed him into a room where Pete and Susan were. Susan was sitting quietly, holding Pete’s hand. She seemed startled when she saw Alex.
“Alex! I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Yeah, Suse, I wanted to be sure David was all right.”
Susan didn’t leave her seat beside Pete. “How’s David doing?”
“Good. He’s a little out of it from pain medicine, but he’ll be fine.”
“Alex, that man, Jim, said he was David’s brother. Is that true?”
“Yes. I work with him. That’s how he found David.”
“But…but David is my brother. Is he going to take him away?”
“No, Susan, of course not. But there were six children in his family. David was the last to be found.”
“There are six of them?”
“No. One of them died in the Middle East. There are five of them now.”
“Alex,” David whispered.
“Yes, David?” she asked, turning her attention to him at once.
“Is Pete…?”
“Pete’s going to be fine, David. He’s sleeping right now, but his wound wasn’t serious. He’ll be out of here before you.”
“I…I….” He finished with a groan.
“David, are you in pain?”
“Yes….”
Alex leaned over him and pressed the button for the nurse, and within minutes, David was given more pain medication. He fell asleep, which Alex guessed was the best thing for him. But she had one problem. She didn’t know whether to tell his mother or not. She’d intended to ask him what she should do about that, but now it was too late.
“Susan?” she called softly.
“What?”
“Do you think I should call your mother?”
“Oh—no!”
Alex stepped around the curtain drawn between the two patients. “Why not?”
“She might find out about David’s other family. She’d be furious!”
“But, Susan, won’t she get worried if she can’t find David? Doesn’t she usually call him often?”
“Yes, but she calls him on his cell phone most of the time. Can’t he just keep it by his bed and answer it?”
“I don’t think so. Maybe she won’t call today and he can decide what to do about her tomorrow.”
“That sounds like a good idea, Alex. I don’t think she’d bother to visit him even if she knew.”
Alex agreed, but it made her sad that her family had so little of the warmth the Barlows had.
“Susan, do you want to go home? You can take my car if you do.”
Susan looked alarmed. “No, I can’t go home and leave Pete alone. He doesn’t have any family to stay with him. I think it’s important to have someone with you if you’re in the hospital.”
“But I’ll be here with both Pete and David. I’ll make sure he’s all right.”
“Why should you get to stay and not me?”
“Because I’m here to protect them.”
“Protect them? From what?” Susan asked, her voice rising.
“Shh! Susan, I was a cop. Now I’m a private investigator. I carry a gun.”
“So? No one would…I mean, surely they wouldn’t… No! I don’t believe it! Why would anyone…?”
“I don’t know, Suse, but we have to be sure they’re safe. That’s why Jim had them put in the same room.” She watched comprehension wash over Susan’s face.
“You mean those men meant to shoot Pete and David?”
Alex drew a deep breath. “Well, Susan, they sure didn’t pick that building at random and go specifically to the president’s office to find someone to shoot. It doesn’t happen that way.”
“How are you going to protect them?”
“Shh, Susan. I told you I carry a gun.”
“Well…you’ll need help. I can help.”
“Honey, you should just go home until tomorrow. We should have things cleared up by then.” She hoped Susan couldn’t see that she was lying. She didn’t want her cousin in any danger unless it was necessary.
“No! I won’t go. I’m staying with Pete.”
Alex sighed. “Okay, let’s wait until we hear from Jim.”
AFTER LEAVING THE HOSPITAL, Jim contacted the police. The police told him they had checked the license plate on the gunmen’s car. They’d located the two men and had already arrested them. But the men refused to say who had hired them.
Jim reached the police station and asked to talk to the officer in charge of the investigation. He explained why he was there, both as an investigator and a brother of one of the victims. Then he suggested they try to con the shooters by telling them they already knew who hired them, naming the owner of Carey & Company.
“Why do you suspect the owner of that particular company?” the officer asked.
Jim explained about the young woman who had spied on David’s company. He also suggested they check with the fire department and see if they could pin arson on these guys, too.
Jim watched through the two-way mirror as two detectives went in to interview them. They got a confession from them within ten minutes. They left the building to arrest the owner of Carey & Company. Jim left for the hospital.
When he reached the room, it was close to six o’clock. He’d talked to Carrie to tell her he hoped to be home soon. When he opened the door, Alex jumped up from her chair, ready to face an adversary if necessary.
“It’s just me, Alex.”
“Oh, Jim, I’m glad to see you. Did you make any progress?”
He grinned. “Yeah, lots. It was the owner of Carey & Co. The police have gone to bring him in. Those guys said the man was unstable, that his company was about to go under if they didn’t get this bid David’s been working on.”
“That’s crazy!” Alex exclaimed softly.
Susan appeared at the end of the curtain. “What’s going on?”
“Were we too loud?” Alex asked. Then she said, “Jim says the
y’ve found the man who hired the men to shoot David and Pete. He was the one who sent the woman to spy on them and report their work, the one you replaced. He was afraid his company would go bankrupt if he didn’t win the bid.”
“That’s awful.”
“Yes, but it means we don’t have to protect the guys all night.”
“Are you sure?” Susan asked, looking back over her shoulder.
“Well, I don’t think it will be necessary,” Jim said.
“I think I’ll stay until after David eats his dinner. Would you like to stay with me, Susan? We can go home after the guys are ready to go to sleep.”
“Oh, yes, I’d like that.”
“Okay, I’m going on home, then,” Jim said. “Carrie is waiting for me.”
“I bet she is. Thanks for helping us out, Jim,” Alex said, hugging his neck.
Susan gave him a hug, too.
“Alex, call if anything worries you,” Jim said from the doorway as he was leaving. “Will you be in to work in the morning?”
“Yes, I may be a little late. I want to come by the hospital and check on David and Pete first.”
“Good. Tell David I’ll be here at lunchtime to check on him.”
“He’ll like that, Jim. Good night, and thanks again.”
After the door closed behind Jim, Alex turned to smile at Susan. “What a relief.”
“Yes. But this is all so hard to believe. At least we don’t have to worry about another attack on them.”
“Let me give you some money and you can go to the cafeteria and get some hamburgers for us. They’ll be bringing the guys’ food soon and one of us should be here.”
Luckily, Susan didn’t question why she should go instead of Alex. Alex couldn’t give a real reason, but she wanted to make sure that no one came in to hurt the two men—just in case everyone hadn’t gotten the word that the plot was over.
When Susan got back with the food, they shoved the curtain aside that divided the two men and sat between their beds, whispering about the events of the day as they ate.
Pete awoke first. When the first word out of his mouth was Susan, she popped up out of her chair, her hamburger in her hand, to answer him. She explained that he and David were out of danger.
“And David? Is he okay?”
Alex answered him. “He’s fine. He’s still asleep over here beside you.”
A Texas Family Reunion Page 8
