Pushing the door to the parking lot open, Ian shook his head. “Nope. He’s not going anywhere, but he’s also not our suspect.”
“Fuck,” McCabe mumbled as they all filed outside after the man. “Now what?”
“Back to square fucking one.”
* * *
Marco watched as Harper paced the emergency room’s waiting area, wishing he could set her mind at ease. They’d been halfway back to the compound from the police department when Devon had called to say an ambulance was on its way for Harper’s mother. Apparently listening to Harper give her statement to the police detective had resulted in fifty-nine-year-old Karen experiencing chest pain. The quick thinking detective had radioed in to dispatch for the paramedics to be sent. After getting the news, Ian had immediately changed direction and they’d met the ambulance at the hospital. That had been well over an hour ago and they were still waiting to hear from the doctor. As if Harper needed more stress today.
In addition to Ian, Harper, and Marco, there were several other people waiting around. Some were with them, others were waiting to be seen or were there for family members. Foster and McCabe were stationed outside at both the ambulance and walk-in entrances. Kat and Boomer had driven Harper over, with Abbott following them. The female sniper was now posted outside Karen’s cubicle keeping watch—Ian wasn’t taking any chances with the woman’s safety since they once again had no idea who wanted to hurt Harper.
“Marco?”
He tore his gaze from Harper to find Kat standing next to him, holding out a cup of coffee for him, while balancing a cardboard tray with several other cups on it. “I figured everyone could use some.”
As Boomer rushed over to take the tray from her, Marco took the proffered drink. “Thanks, hon. I appreciate it. I’ll take one for Harper, too.”
Striding over to her, he stepped into her pacing path, causing her to come up short. “Here. Kat brought everyone some coffee.”
She took it from him, but didn’t bring it to her lips. Her eyes filled and she wiped them with her hand before any tears escaped down her cheeks. “I’m scared. She looked so pale when they put her in the ambulance. I was an idiot for giving my statement in front of her.”
Taking the cup back from her, he placed both of them on a nearby coffee table, then pulled her into his arms. He loved how she melted into him, letting him comfort her without hesitation. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart, and it’s not your fault. Your mother is a tough woman and she’s going to be around for a long time if she has any say about it.”
Her arms tightened around his torso in a quick squeeze before she released him again. “I should probably call Kristen to see if Mara is all right.”
“She’s fine. I guarantee it. Kristen knows what she’s doing and Devon’s reading all those books you gave them. And I told him if he gets stuck with anything, there’s always YouTube.” She snorted and chuckled as he’d hoped she would. “Trust me, she’s in good hands.”
“Karen Williams’s family?”
They turned as the nurse’s voice carried over the low chatter throughout the room. Marco took Harper’s elbow and stepped forward. “Yes. This is her daughter, Harper.”
The older woman dressed in scrubs gave them a reassuring smile. “You can see her now. She’s stable, but the doctor is going to admit her. He’ll explain everything if you follow me.”
Moments later, they passed Lindsey Abbott as they entered the small room where Karen was lying on a gurney with wires and IV’s hooked up to her. Overhead, a monitor beeped out her steady heartbeat and displayed the rest of her vital statistics, all which currently appeared in their normal ranges. A nasal cannula sat on her upper lip, supplying her lungs with fresh oxygen.
Her eyes opened as she heard them approach and she held out a shaking hand to Harper who grasped it like a lifeline. “How do you feel, Mom? Do you still have the chest pain?”
“No. They gave me some nitroglycerin pills, and after the second one, the pain went away. How are you doing? I’m sorry about all this.”
“Oh, please. It’s not like you planned it. It was probably all the stress of the past ten days. It’s me who should be sorry for putting you through all this. I should have insisted you go to Aunt Toni’s in Miami until we figure out who is behind all this.”
Marco bit his tongue instead of correcting Harper since he still didn’t know if it was his past that had come back to haunt them, but he couldn’t shake the feeling he was right about that. Soft footsteps entering the room had him pivoting to see who it was. An older, grey-haired man, wearing bifocals and a blue scrubs greeted them. “Hi, I’m Doctor Mark Schaffer, the cardiologist.”
Shaking the man’s outstretched hand, Marco introduced himself and then Harper.
Opening the chart he was carrying, the doctor consulted several reports. “We just got the labs and EKG results back, and it doesn’t appear you had a heart attack, Mrs. Williams. However, I think you’ve developed angina, which is basically chest pain associated with heart disease. It occurs when the heart doesn’t receive enough oxygen, and with your history of high blood pressure, it’s not an unreasonable diagnosis. What we need to do now is figure out if you have stable or unstable angina.”
“What’s the difference?” Harper asked.
“Stable angina is usually brought on by an increase in stress or moderate to heavy activity and we can control with medication. Unstable angina comes on at rest or with very little activity and will probably require either angioplasty or bypass surgery, but we’ll discuss that if needed. For now, I’m going to admit you to the cardiac floor, Mrs. Williams, and schedule a cardiac catheterization for either tomorrow or Wednesday. That’s a procedure where I’ll make a small incision in the groin area, and then thread a small catheter through the artery up to the heart to see if there is any blockage in the coronary arteries. It’ll be done under local anesthesia and take about an hour or so. From there, we’ll decide on a course of treatment. Any questions?”
Karen glanced at her daughter and then Marco. When both shook their heads, she turned back to the physician. “Not at the moment, but after this sinks in, I’m sure I’ll have a few.”
The man smiled. “That’s usually the case, but don’t worry. This is all very routine. Now, as soon as a room is ready for you upstairs, they’ll take you up. In the meantime, just try to relax. I’ll check in with you later, but the nursing staff will be keeping an eye on you.”
They all thanked the man as he returned to the emergency room nursing station, leaving them to digest all that he’d told them. It was another two hours before Karen was transported to the cardiac unit and ordered Marco to take Harper home because she looked pale and exhausted.
Ian, Kat, and Boomer had left a while ago, and the boss had sent Knight over to the hospital to join Abbott on guard duty outside Karen’s room. After returning from the restroom, to where he’d left Harper with her two assigned bodyguards in the lobby, Marco found her ending a phone call.
“That was Jenn,” she told him. “She brought Mara back to our apartment because Kristen was having another bout of morning sickness—why they call it morning sickness when it happens around the clock is beyond me. Anyway, Jenn said everything else is fine. The baby just woke up from a nap and she’s feeding her. I asked her to order us salad and pizza because all I want to do is go home and crash.”
Marco took her arm and led her out to his truck in the parking lot with Foster and McCabe flanking them. She barely spoke on the way home, and almost dozed off once or twice. Back at the compound, he opened the door to Jake and Nick’s unit for her and was surprised to see a furry body, with a mug that was so ugly it was cute, eyeing the new arrivals. “Hey, Spanky. What’re you doing here?”
The bullmastiff was sprawled out on the living room floor and didn’t even bother to lift his head, but his tail thumped against a coffee table leg in greeting. Marco knew the passive response could be deceiving in this case, because if the dog had sensed a threa
t to any of his favorite humans, he would have immediately gone into protective mode.
Jenn came out of the temporary baby’s room with a smiling Mara on her hip. “Parker had to go to Orlando for a construction job meeting, and Shelby took off work to go with him. The meeting is early tomorrow morning, so they left a little while ago to have dinner and get a hotel for the night. I’m dog sitting until they get home tomorrow.” She set the baby into a bouncer seat, next to Spanky, with little toys hanging above it to entertain her. “Harper, you look exhausted and please don’t take that the wrong way. The pizza and salad should be here in a few minutes, and the baby’s been fed and had her diaper changed, so let Uncle Marco do what he does best and take care of you.”
Dropping her purse and coat on a nearby chair, Harper nodded. “I will. And thanks for watching Mara.”
“No problem.”
Marco winked at his niece. “Thanks for everything, Baby-girl. Are you going to stay for the pizza?”
Picking up some books from the coffee table, she shook her head. “Nope. I ordered a chicken Caesar salad to be delivered for me, and also ordered extra pies for all the guards after checking with Uncle Ian. I’ve got a mid-term tomorrow in my child psychology class, so I’ve got lots of studying to do. Come on, Spanky. Let’s go downstairs.”
After closing the door behind the young woman and bulky canine, Marco patted Harper on the ass as she bent over to say hello to the baby. “Go lay down for a bit. I think you need the sleep more than the pizza right now. I’ll heat it up for us later. Mara and I will just catch the news and see if there’s a game on somewhere.”
He was pleased when she didn’t argue with him, and headed down the hallway after giving both Mara and him a quick kiss. “Just save me one slice to have with my salad and don’t let me sleep more than an hour, please, otherwise I’ll be up all night.”
“No prob.” Starting with the oh-eight-hundred court appearance, it had been a long day, but now, at five-forty-five in the afternoon, it was still too early for her to try to sleep straight through to the morning. As he placed his keys, wallet, and gun on the dining table, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and then hit the connect button. “Hey, Reverend. What’s up?”
“Hey. How’s Harper’s mom?”
Obviously, someone had called or sent a text to Jake out in California earlier. Sighing, Marco flopped into one of the two living room recliners to the delight of Mara, who giggled at him. “Looks like angina and not a heart attack. They’re scheduling her for a cardiac catheterization tomorrow, if not Wednesday. She’s stable and was sent to the cardiac unit. We just got back to your place a few minutes ago and I sent Harper to bed. Between everything that happened today, and all she’s been through in the past week, she needs to crash for a few hours. I think I’ll plan a low-key scene for after her nap. She needs to get out of her head for a bit, otherwise, I’m worried she’ll have another panic attack.”
“Yeah, Egghead filled me in on what happened with the tail you had. Give Harper a hug from me.” Before Marco had a chance to respond, his friend continued. “Listen. I spoke to Todd, and he’s going to do some snooping around.”
Jake’s snitch, Todd Wheeler, was a fallen-through-the-cracks-of-the-system teenager, who’d ended up in a few foster homes after his mother had been murdered. At sixteen, he’d struck out on his own and landed on the streets, eventually developing a drug habit to support. Catching him breaking into cars for cash, the former SEAL had befriended him and helped him get his act straight, which included sobering up and finding a job and a place to live. Now a year and a half later, the kid still repaid him with loyalty and information.
“Shit. I just hope he doesn’t get himself into a jam. This asshole has already wasted one person and tried to kill Harper twice.”
The sound of papers shuffling came over the line. Jake must still be at his office in the new San Diego compound Trident had purchased. “Yeah. I told him to be careful, but he’s a smart kid. He knows the ins and outs of Tampa’s underground pretty well, and I trust him not to do anything stupid. I gave him your number. Nick and I are taking advantage of a few days off, so we’re going camping tomorrow through Thursday, and I’m not sure what the cell reception is going to be there. I told Egghead to order me some satellite phones, along with a bunch of other stuff, but they won’t be in until next week.”
A knock at the door had Marco rising from the chair. “I think the pizza was delivered and someone brought it up. Have fun camping and I’ll keep you posted.”
“Sounds good. Talk to you later, bro.”
Disconnecting the call, he opened the door to find his best friend standing there with a box and bag from the pizzeria they always ordered from. He stepped back to let Brody enter, then shut the door again. After putting the food on the table in the dining area, the geek squatted next to Mara and softly tickled her belly, causing her to thrash all four limbs and let out a little squeal. “Hey, sweet-cheeks. Where’s your momma?”
“Hopefully sleeping,” Marco responded, since his daughter was still only speaking gibberish. “I was just about to check.”
“Mind if I stay for dinner then?”
Waving his hand over his shoulder, Marco strode toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms. “Beer’s in the fridge.”
CHAPTER 19
An hour later, both men had eaten three quarters of the pizza, leaving two slices for Harper, along with most of the salad. Mara had made it through twenty minutes of the news and her Uncle Brody making funny faces at her, as she sat in her bouncy seat he’d set on the coffee table, before falling asleep. As she was nodding off, Marco placed her in her crib, keeping with Harper’s routine, and turned on the baby monitor.
The two men talked about the case for a while, then turned the subject to the news and sports. Having Brody here, with no one else around, had gotten the wheels in Marco’s head turning. A ménage was on Harper’s green limit list, meaning it was something she’d done before and was willing to do again. When he’d questioned her about it, she’d told him the few times she’d participated in a threesome, it was with the Dom she’d been collared to for two years. Sometimes another male Dominant joined them, and then other times, it had been with a female submissive. Since finding all that out, he’d been tossing around the idea of having his best friend join them for a scene. It wouldn’t be a regular thing, just occasionally, but Marco knew how much pleasure the two of them could give his sub. And with all that was going on, he’d meant what he’d said to Jake earlier—he needed to get Harper out of her head for a bit, to destress.
He was certain his teammate would be more than willing to join them, since he was now aware of Harper’s experience in the lifestyle. While Brody had told him point blank that he’d hit on Harper in the past, Marco wasn’t worried any other lines would be crossed. They all knew the dynamics of the lifestyle very well. Brody wouldn’t do anything Marco didn’t approve of, and he, in turn, would honor his submissive’s limit list and safe-word. The baby would be sleeping for a few hours, and they had the monitor on, so the only thing Marco had to do was ask Harper if she wanted to proceed with a ménage tonight.
Rising from the recliner, he told Brody to stick around and he’d be back in a minute, then walked down the hallway to the master bedroom. Wearing a pink, cotton loungewear set, Harper was sleeping on top of the comforter in the darkened room. Kneeling next to the bed, Marco softly stroked her hair. “Hey, Butterfly. Time to get up.”
Her eyes fluttered open, and after they focused on him, she stretched the kinks out of her body. “Hi. What time is it?”
“A few minutes before seven. Are you hungry?” A growling from her stomach had them both chuckling. “Okay, that question is answered. Listen...Brody’s here. After you eat, I’d like to ask him to join us, but only if you’re okay with it. If you’re not up to it, or you don’t want him as a third, then just tell me. But I think, not only will you enjoy yourself, it’ll help you destress. It’s your choice, thoug
h, and I’ll respect it.”
While she remained silent, thinking it over, he could see her eyes had lit up at the suggested scene. He dragged the back of his hand down her shoulder and across her left breast, feeling it immediately tighten in response to his touch. “Don’t answer yet. I want you to eat first. Either way, we’re going to play tonight, because I think you need it. But it will be your decision whether Brody joins us.”
She sat up and cupped his cheek with her hand. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For taking care of me and knowing exactly what I need. For being here for me through all of this.”
Standing, he held out his hand to help her up, then pulled her into an embrace. “I’m just sorry I wasn’t there for you for the past year, but I hope someday you’ll be able to forgive me.”
“I already have. Besides, it wasn’t your fault to begin with.”
He waited in the bedroom while she used the toilet in the master bath, before washing her face and brushing her teeth. When she emerged, she appeared more awake and rested. As she checked on Mara, Marco went to the kitchen to get her salad and reheat the pizza. He wouldn’t mention anything to Brody until Harper gave him a verbal answer that she wanted the other man to join them.
After finishing her dinner and the half a glass of wine he’d poured for her, Harper stood from the other recliner, then knelt in front of him in perfect present positioning. Her gaze remained on his lap as she informed him, “My answer is yes, Sir.”
Clearly not expecting this turn of events, Brody raised his eyebrows at Marco, who simply gave his friend a nod of his head, then gently placed two fingers under Harper’s chin and lifted until their eyes met. “Say all of it, Butterfly. What are you saying yes to?”
“I’m saying yes to playing right now, with Master Brody being a third during the scene, Sir.”
Watching From The Shadows: Trident Security Book 5 Page 18
