by Suzanne Rock
“He’s a strict vegan. You better bring it back.”
“Of course.” She turned the cart around, and as she did, she put her back toward me. I glanced quickly around the hall to confirm no one could see us, then used a pressure-point-in-the-neck technique to knock her out. I hated hurting her, but if she made it back to the kitchens, she’d learn that my quip about Kami being vegetarian was a lie. I needed to give Tess as much time as possible to get the answers we needed from her friend.
Working quickly, I dragged the nurse back into the supply closet. Tess started to scream when she saw the body. Knowing that the noise would alert everyone in the building, I dropped the nurse and put my hand over Tess’s mouth.
“She’s alive,” I whispered. “I just knocked her out. She’ll come to pretty quick, so we’ll need to secure her so she doesn’t tell on us.”
Tess started at me in shock as I used various items in the supply closet to bind her up. “Why did you do that?”
Instead of answering, I went back into the hall and rolled the cart next to the door. “Because she had his dinner.” I lifted up the tablecloth and motioned toward the shelf underneath. “Get in.”
She crossed her arms. “I’m not going in there.”
“It will look suspicious if two nurses are bringing him food.”
“Why can’t you go under there?” she asked, pointing at me.
“Because I think quicker on my feet.”
She lifted her chin. “I can think quickly, and you’re more recognizable.”
“Those are Feds outside the room, not the local police. All they have to go on is a description,” I said. “If I wear my mask, I’ll be fine. They’ll know you instantly by your pale skin.”
She frowned and looked down at her hands. “You’re right,” She said. “I didn’t think of that.” With a heavy sigh, she climbed underneath the cart. I lowered the tablecloth and closed the supply-closet door behind me as I pushed the cart into the corridor.
“Stay quiet. Let me do the talking.”
“You always do the talking,” she shot back.
I couldn’t help but smile. Tess had a lot of fight in her, and every time she showed it, I couldn’t help but like her even more. If we had met under different circumstances . . .
Who was I kidding? I’d probably seduce her into my bed and forget about her. It was what I did. Everyone down at the station knew of my reputation with women. For some reason, it was hard to remember my vow to not get attached around Tess, but I had to. She was my job, and if I wasn’t careful, she was going to cause me to lose focus and put both of our lives in danger.
I stopped the cart a few paces away from the police officers. “Dinner.”
One of them, a big Irish-looking brawler with a crooked nose, lifted the dome on the plate and made a face. “The food here looks nasty,” he said.
“Better than my girlfriend’s cooking,” the other, skinnier man said. They both chuckled, and I held my breath. I didn’t recognize these men, but that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t recognize me. Keeping my gaze focused on the food in front of me, I waited until they opened the door.
“Do you have some ID?” one of them asked.
I steeled my jaw to prevent myself from cursing. I had forgotten about identification. Even if we had taken the badge of the nurse before leaving her in the storage area, it wouldn’t have worked. She had Asian features and neither Tess nor I looked anything like her.
Now what? Before I could think, an arm swooped out from under the cart and grabbed the man’s leg. I think Tess meant to pull him to the ground, but he was too heavy. All it managed to do was draw the big man’s attention.
“What the—?”
I punched him in the face before he could draw his gun. The officer staggered back, and I used the opportunity to hurry around the cart and take the gun out of his holster. I didn’t want to shoot anyone—it would make far too much noise—but I didn’t want anyone calling the cops, either.
Meanwhile, Tess scrambled out from underneath the cart and stumbled to her feet. From out of the corner of my eye I saw her grab the metal dome over the food and use it to hit the surprise off the smaller officer’s face.
I wanted to help, but had my own problems. The larger officer’s face started to turn red with rage.
“I know you. You’re Ferreira.”
“That’s right.”
“I’m to bring you in.”
“Sorry, not today.”
“Joke’s on you,” he said as he straightened. “The gun doesn’t have any bullets.”
He was lying. He had to be. What Federal Agent would carry an unloaded weapon? I didn’t have time to dwell on it, however. He lunged across the hall, his meaty hands grabbing the weapon. I turned to the side, pulling the gun from his grip. As he crashed into the wall, I hit him on the back of the head and watched him slump to the floor.
I didn’t know if the gun had bullets, but it was still metal, which was all I needed to take someone down.
I glanced over to the other side of the hall and saw Tess standing over the other one, the metal dome still in her hand. The fire in her eyes as she turned to me and grinned was damn sexy. Too bad there was no time to act on my urges.
“Quick, bring them into the room.”
“With Kami?”
“You have a better idea?”
She frowned as she put the dome back on the cart and helped me haul the men and the food into the hospital room. It took several minutes and as soon as we were done, I closed the door and sank against it.
“We don’t have much time,” I said.
“No, you don’t.”
I glanced over to the bed to find Kami sitting up, his finger on the call button for the nurses’ station. Tubes were running from his arms to large machines, and his expression ran from nervous, to a man in pain.
“I know you two aren’t hospital staff,” he said. “So I’ll give you three seconds. Who are you and what are you doing here?”
Chapter Seventeen
Tess
“Kami, it’s just me.” I straightened so he could see my face from the bed. “I’ve been so worried.” I hurried over and wrapped my arms around him. He felt frailer than before, which didn’t do much to calm my fears.
“Tess.” He dropped the call button, slid his arms around me and gently squeezed. “I’m so glad you’re here.” There was a strain in his voice and the hug felt half-hearted. At first I felt alarmed, but then I pushed the feeling aside. Kami was probably still weak from the accident and the medication they had given him.
I eased out of his grasp and sat on the edge of the bed. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine,” he said. “Or I will be.” He nodded behind me. “Who’s that?”
“I’m Maximo Ferreira,” Max said as he approached the bed. He stood behind me, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see that he was tense and ready for action.
“You’re the cop who was assigned to protect us,” Kami said.
“Yes.”
“You did a great job.” Kami’s voice sounded sarcastic. He turned to me. “What’s he doing here?”
“Long story,” I said.
Kami glanced down at the tubes in his arms. “It would seem that I have time.”
“Well, we don’t.” Max inched closer and put a protective hand on my shoulder. I could feel his stress roll off him in waves. He and Kami stared at each other, and I sensed some sort of battle of wills. I fought not to roll my eyes. This was neither the time nor the place for a macho showdown.
“Guys, please. We have a lot of ground to cover, and not a lot of time.”
Kami returned his focus on me. “What do you mean? What’s going on?”
I let out a long breath. I had wanted to avoid this conversation, but it would seem that was impossible.
“After that car hit us . . .” I swallowed as memories of the incident filled my head. I could have died back there. Kami could have died, too. The fact that someone
was trying to kill us seemed so surreal. It was as if I was living some sort of dream, and any moment now I’d wake up in my bedroom back in London and return to my laptop.
Max gently squeezed my shoulder in encouragement. “It was rather chaotic,” he said.
“Yes,” I agreed. “Max wanted to get me out of there, fast.”
“But it was just an accident,” Kami said. “Why did you need to get out of there?”
“It was planned,” Max said. “The man who hit you was confirmed as being from Tanzania. It would seem that he has strong connections to a vigilante political group over there.”
“The Sungusungu?” Kami asked. The Sungusungu was a tribal justice organization formed in the eighties to protect cattle and property in the more rural areas of the country. The government deputized them almost a decade later, giving them more power, and since then the rumors are that corruption and the use of extreme violence spread like wildfire through their ranks.
“No,” Max said. “A group even more violent—the Wild Ones.”
I nodded in agreement. When Max helped me reply to Anarchy’s comments, he told me about the paperwork he had found in Vash’s duffle bag along with the laptop, and I told him what I knew about both the Sungusungu and its vigilante offshoot, the Wild Ones. The Wild Ones, believing that they could rule Tanzania better than the people in power, had broken off from the Sungusungu and have been working to overthrow the government ever since. If Anarchy and his friend Unity326 were a part of the Wild Ones, then we could begin to form a motive behind their madness.
Kami frowned. “I thought that they were a small group without much influence.”
“I thought so, too.” I glanced over my shoulder. “But Max’s partner has been able to learn that, while everyone has been focusing on problems in the Middle East, this group has been quietly building a presence in Africa. They have challenged the Sungusungu for being too focused on Tanzania, and are looking to make a big statement to the world so that they can bring their issues to a more global stage.”
“A big statement like killing the daughter of an English diplomat,” Kami guessed.
I nodded. “We have no proof, but it would make a lot of sense.”
“That doesn’t explain the guards outside my door,” Kami said. “If they are after Tess, then why so much fuss?”
“I’m afraid that your association with me, plus your family’s connections with the Tanzanian government, puts your life in danger as well.” I reached out and touched his hand. “If we are right about this, then the Wild Ones are stronger than we thought. They have sympathizers in the local police force and influence in the FBI.”
“Some people were paid off, I’m sure of it.” Max tightened his grip on my shoulder. “They have manipulated my protecting Tess into some sort of unlawful act. They have told the media that I’m looking to sell her to this vigilante group to pay off old debts.”
“And you’re not doing this?”
“Kami!” I said. “Do you really think that anyone can hold me if I didn’t let them?”
Kami smiled. “I guess not.” His smiled faded as he turned to Max. “So you are hiding from the local police.”
“And the FBI—at least until this all gets straightened out.”
“That’s part of the reason why we’re here.” I squeezed Kami’s hand and then let go. “You were with me in Africa, and with me when that car hit us. Maybe your family mentioned something to you in passing, or you heard something through one of your connections . . . “
Kami thought for a moment and shook his head. “I’m sorry. Everything is a blur.”
“I understand.”
“You don’t remember anything?” Max stopped at the end of the bed and put his hands on the mattress. “How about the blog. You help her run it, don’t you?” When Kami nodded, Max continued. “Has there been anything odd going on with her blog? Any commenters that may seem to be part of this radical group?”
Kami frowned as he thought.
“We’re already following up on Anarchy and Unity326,” I offered.
Kami looked at me in surprise. “Do you think they are behind it?”
“We’re not sure,” Max said. “But once we find out their identities, we’ll know more.
Kami shifted uncomfortably in the bed, and I hurried to adjust his pillows.
“Did you find out anything yet?” he asked.
“Not yet, but we hope to have more information soon.”
Max tightened his jaw as I took my seat back on the side of the bed. “If there’s anything you can think of about your trip to Africa that seemed out of place . . . No detail is too small.”
“I’m sorry,” he said after a moment. “I can’t remember anything specific.”
Max’s frustration showed on his face. He muttered under his breath as he dismissed Kami and moved over to crack open the door and watch the hallway.
Kami turned to me and took my hand. “I may not know anything concrete, but I can tell you this. The government has been growing weaker by the day in Tanzania. There is much unrest. The landscape is ripe for a heavily armed group to take over the country.” He squeezed my hand and lowered his voice. “Perhaps you should do more research on your own about these vigilante groups. They may not be as bad as you think. If they can provide some stability to the region—”
“Kami, they kill innocents and sell children who don’t meet their idea of pure into slavery. They’re thugs, nothing more.”
Kami fisted his hands in the blankets at his hips. He looked as if he was about to say something, but Max spoke instead.
“We have trouble.” He closed the door and pulled me into a standing position.
“Wait. I just need a few more minutes.”
He shook his head and dragged me toward the door. “There’s no time.”
I glanced at Kami over my shoulder. “Just focus on getting better, Kami. I’ll come back to see you when I can.”
“Where will you go?” my friend asked.
“I don’t know. Somewhere safe, so there’s no need to worry about me.”
“But—”
“Just get well, Kami,” I said. “I need you.” Tears stung my eyes as Max tugged me out the hospital room door and into the hallway.
As soon as we stepped out of the room I knew something was wrong. A small group had assembled by the storage room door we had recently vacated and were looking down at something lying on the floor. I stopped, forcing Max to stop with me.
“They discovered us,” I whispered.
One of the men, someone in a hospital uniform, looked over his shoulder at us.
“Hey you there,” he said. “What are you doing?”
“I think it’s time to go,” Max said.
“Agreed.”
The man had gotten the attention of the rest of the crowd, and several had started down the hall after us.
“Stop right there,” someone said.
“The cops are on their way,” said another.
Max muted under his breath. As we approached the elevators, two doctors stepped out. Max pushed his way past their surprised faces and slammed his palm on the control panel.
“Stop them!” someone yelled.
The doors closed, leaving the crowd behind us.
“What do we do now?” I asked as we started to descend.
“Now we get away from this hospital before the cops get here.”
“Yes, but then where do we go? They’ll be looking for us.”
“Good point.” He tightened his grip on my hand. “They are following our credit cards, and have managed to find my brother’s apartment. I’m not sure there is anywhere left to hide in this city where we can’t be found.”
I nibbled my lower lip in thought. When the doors opened, an idea finally came to me. “I know where we can go,” I said as he pulled me out into the foyer.
“Where?” Thankfully, the elevators opened into a small hall off from the main foyer. We crept down the hall and then st
opped at the end. Max peeked around the corner as I talked.
“Dr. Mayalla’s apartment.”
He glanced over his shoulder at me. “Who?”
“The professor at New York University I was going to visit. You know, the reason why I came here in the first place.”
“Mayalla could be in on it.” Max glanced around the corner and tugged me forward.
“No I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
I couldn’t help it. I smirked. “She’s my mother’s cousin.”
“She’s family?”
“Yes, but I never met her. She moved to the States while I was still a baby. She’s the one who helped arrange for my mother to leave Tanzania. She was born in Tanzania, but got a scholarship to study in London. She was studying there when my mother was attacked. When she heard about it, she reached out to the shelter and helped my mother with the travel arrangements. She was the person my mother stayed with when she first arrived.”
“I see. That doesn’t change my opinion. She still could be dangerous.” We kept quiet as we passed through the foyer, careful to keep close to the wall. We passed a large group of people made up of both police officers and hospital staff, but they were too busy giving orders and running around to pay much attention to us. Within seconds we were outside and walking away from the building.
“Do you have a better idea on where to stay?” I asked.
“Not really.”
“That’s what I thought. She doesn’t live too far from here. I’m sure she’ll be relieved to see us.” I pulled him toward the subway station. “Come on.”
After a quick glance over his shoulder, Max followed me down the stairs. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” he said.
I hoped so, too. While I had a gut feeling that the professor had nothing to do with this, I couldn’t be sure. It was entirely possible that whoever wanted to hurt me had already talked to the professor. If that was the case, then it was possible that we were walking out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Chapter Eighteen
Max
Thankfully, we arrived at the apartment complex without incident. While the cops were watching my apartment, my brother’s house, and any credit-card activity, they had not considered watching the professor she was scheduled to meet. While on one hand it was a relief, on another, it was a little troubling. There were no assurances that this professor wasn’t part of the group trying to hurt us.
