Roy popped several bottles of water open and drenched Connor’s face while he attempted to slow the burn. “Open your eyes, son.” Roy poured another soothing stream over the young man’s face. Facial burns were not the problem. Skin could be grafted. Eyeballs were a different story.
Connor’s whole body went rigid with the effort. Blisters bubbled over the backs of his hands and neck. “Sweet Mary and Joseph. You’re killing me.”
“Got to. Sorry. I know it hurts.” Roy glanced over his shoulder, hoping an available EMT would notice. The dead agents had no need of emergency aid, but Connor sure did.
“Stop helping me.”
“No way. You’re going to the hospital.” Roy poured more water slowly over Connor’s face and eyes. The poor kid was deep in the throes of an adrenaline rush, his body’s flight or fight impulse rattling him off the chair. “Magnesium burns hot and fast, but I got to you in time. You’ll be fine. Now lean back and let me work.”
“I am. Honest, I’m trying to listen. Only I can’t see and… Damn! Feels like red-hot sand in my eyeballs.” He blinked through tears and water, shaking his head and struggling to obey. “I saw ’em, Roy. I saw ’em both. Those two guys. God, they burned alive.”
Roy cast another desperate glance into the street. Everyone seemed occupied with the smoking corpses. “Hey! Get me some help over here!”
Mission accomplished. In minutes, Connor was on a gurney and inside an ambulance. Roy waited outside while the EMTs treated his eyes, face, and hands. He knew the second that pain relief hit Connor’s system. Roy let out the breath he’d been holding. His kid was safe. Connor was going to make it.
“Are you hurt too, sir?” One of the EMTs clutched Roy’s elbow, concern written on his face.
“No. I’m fine, just take good care of my boy.”
The medic, another black man, shot Roy a tender look. “What’d you do? Adopt this pasty white kid?”
“Damn straight.” Roy was proud enough to do just that. “He’s all I’ve got.” Connor wasn’t all Roy had. Not really, but no father could stand to lose any kid under his command. Ever.
He climbed into the ambulance alongside his just adopted son, his composure plenty shaken. Connor had been stripped to his waist and an IV inserted into his forearm, but his boots kept bouncing. He gripped the rail of the gurney with gel-slathered hands.
“It will be a couple days before you’re chasing short skirts again. You’re lucky, son. Damned lucky.”
“Those FBI guys weren’t.”
Roy looked back at the flaming debris that only minutes before had been their first viable lead. The explosion had thrown both FBI agents back twenty or so feet. They hadn’t suffered; that much was good. He wiped his eyes. The damned smoke kept making him tear up.
“You saved my life.”
“Shut up.” Roy dropped to the street. “Enjoy the ride. I’ll come visit as soon as I’m done here. Maybe you can go home tonight.”
“Wait. I saw something.” Connor’s hand groped empty air as he reached toward Roy’s voice.
“What?” Roy grabbed the younger man’s ankle so Connor would know where he was.
“The truck’s parked over a storm drain. That’s how he’s doing it. I was wrong. He’s not shooting from the truck. It’s a decoy. He used it to access the tunnels under the street. He could be anywhere in this whole city.”
“There’s going to be no living with you once Alex gets wind of this, is there?”
“Thanks for—”
“Forget it. Get out of here.” Roy stepped away and let the medic shut the rear gate of the ambulance.
The ambulance had barely pulled away when he heard the 10-32 police code for a man with a gun issued over a nearby radio. “Shots fired,” the dispatcher advised. “All units respond to Dirksen/ Hart Senate building. At last report, sniper is south of the complex. Be advised FBI is on scene.”
His blood ran cold. Connor was right. The sniper had killed again.
Roy called Mother. “Connor’s on his way to the ER. Send me another agent or two.”
“Oh, no. What happened?”
Roy relayed how the explosion had killed two FBI agents and injured Connor. “I need you to cross-check the EOD sniper list against your facial rec program. You shouldn’t get many matches, but you might get a few. Step on it. I’ll be waiting.”
“Will do. Sending Junior Agents Eric Reynolds and Morgan Humphries to you.”
“Thanks.” Roy ended the call, his sharp eyes sweeping the scene behind him. If Connor was correct, the sniper had utilized the tunnels D.C. was known for. Most were secure since 9-11, but obviously, some were not. The sniper had not taken his kill shots from the tunnels, but they were how he’d become invisible so quickly after the assassinations. Roy headed across the street to chat with the closest police office. Law enforcement needed a team underground right damned now.
That single thirty-aught-six shell nagged at the back of his mind. He wasn’t the only one who had gotten a new hunting rifle all those years ago.
Twenty-One
“Yes, I’m Kelsey Stewart.” Kelsey lowered her embarrassing excuse for a weapon. The rock in her hand fell to her feet along with the bolo, but she did not release the spear. Embarrassing or not, it was her best weapon.
“Glad to meet you, Mrs. Stewart.” The older man extended a hand, a big smile on his face. “Jeff Watson, ma’am, and this here’s my neighbor, Newton Bridges. We’ve been looking for you. Heck, every Search and Rescue team on the east coast is looking for you.”
“I’m so happy to meet you. You just don’t know.” She shook their hands, resisting the urge to hug the stuffing out of these strangers. “Do you have a cell phone?” Excited relief wiggled up her spine. She’d be home tonight.
“Sorry, ma’am. Cell phone service doesn’t reach this far, but I’ve got a CB back at the ATV. Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”
“Wait!” Jeff spread his arm wide as he positioned Kelsey behind him. The beam of his flashlight skated over poor Raymond’s bewildered face. “There’s something under that tree. Holy cow. What is it?”
“It’s Raymond.” She brushed past her rescuers to kneel at his side. “See these kind men? They’re going to take us home.”
“Is they nice?” he whispered, his eyes barely making direct contact with the men.
Kelsey didn’t know who looked more frightened, them or him. “Yes, these are very good men, Raymond, and they are going to help us. Aren’t you?” she asked pointedly since neither of them had spoken the right words yet to lessen Raymond’s fear.
Newton nodded, but his eyes were as wide as Raymond’s. “Sure, but what’s wrong with him?”
“His name is Raymond.” She repeated, needing to be sure these guys understood he was not dangerous. “You ought to be worried about Ethel Durrant, not him. She’s the one who kidnapped me.”
“Who?” Newton asked.
Kelsey spelled it out. “Ethel Durrant. She’s tried to kill me once before.”
“She mean,” Raymond muttered. “She really mean.”
“News reports didn’t say anything about a killer on the loose.” Newton aimed his thumb back to Jeff. “Don’t you worry none. We aren’t armed, but we’ll keep you safe.”
An icy tendril of unease skated down Kelsey’s back. Unarmed? Keep you safe? How did those opposing concepts work? “Excuse me, but where we are?”
“Northeastern Shenandoah, ma’am.” Jeff’s gaze was still fastened on Raymond. “He sick or something?”
“I’m not sure,” Kelsey admitted, not willing to leave Raymond’s side despite the rescuers in their midst. “I’m afraid something might be wrong with his heart or lungs.”
“I is a big guy,” Raymond whispered timidly. “I needs to rest cuz I is a big guy, and I needs to breathe a lot more ’n you too.”
“You’re scaring him.” She ran a hand over his matted hair still trying her hardest to reassure Jeff and Newton this Frankenstein look-alike was safe.<
br />
“I not a scared,” Raymond mumbled, the first lie Kelsey’d heard him say. All ten of his fingers kept running nervous loops over and under each other on his chest. He’d started rocking again.
“Don’t worry. They’re here to help us,” she soothed. “I promise. They won’t hurt you.”
When Newton peered closer, she laid her spear alongside Raymond.
“Who are you, son?”
“I is Raymond.”
“You’re a big guy, aren’t you?”
“Uh huh. I is.” Raymond reached for her hand. “And Kelsey is my bestest friend, and she calls me Red Rover, and… and… I is a really big guy, but I is Red Rover too.”
Newton smiled, glancing back at Jeff. “Come on down. Raymond isn’t smart enough to hurt a fly. He’s just a big kid.”
Kelsey winced at the bluntly spoken truth. Newton didn’t seem to mean anything cruel by it, but it hurt her feelings. “He’s in my care. We had a secret word when I went looking for the road. That’s what he meant about Red Rover. That’s all.”
Newton looked around their meager camp, a smile tugging at his mouth. “Looks like you folks were bedded down for the night. How about I go back for the ATV, and we get you home instead?”
“I’d really appreciate that, but please contact my husband first. Tell him I’m okay. You can reach him at his office. His team will know where he is.” She gave him the numbers, including the one to Alex’s cell phone, which might work if he hadn’t used it for fastball practice during the last two stress-filled days. The love of her life did have a hellacious temper.
“You bet. Jeff, stay here with Kelsey and her boy.” Newton winked at Kelsey. “Not sure the ATV will be large enough, but leastways, I can let everyone know we found you. I’ll notify the sheriff too. I’m sure he’d like to talk to you about that Durrant woman.”
“You folks hungry?” Jeff asked as Newton tramped into the dark.
Kelsey noticed his small backpack. Her stomach gurgled an embarrassingly loud answer. “Yes, please. We haven’t eaten much the last two days.”
Raymond straightened. “You gots hamburgers in there?”
Jeff’s eyes lit up with humor. “It’s a little hard to pack a good burger, son, but I’ve got a bag of trail mix and some bottled water I’d be glad to share.” He dropped to his knees beside Raymond and unzipped his backpack.
Kelsey’s heart lurched at the way Raymond peered into the bag. He was so hungry. When Jeff pulled a good-sized bag of trail mix into view, a toothy grin split Raymond’s face. His tongue raced a couple laps over his bottom lip, ending with a resounding smack.
“Look at this.” Jeff opened the bag. “You want some?”
“Kelsey,” Raymond yelped, rocking faster. “He gots food, and it’s for you and me.”
“I see that.” She sat cross-legged beside her best friend in the whole world. “Thank you, Jeff.”
He shared everything and Kelsey wanted to cry. The nightmare was over. Raymond would finally get the medical care he needed, and he’d never be hungry again if she could help it. And Alex. Her throat constricted every time she thought of him. She had to look away as a tear got the best of her.
Within the hour, the trail mix was gone and Newton rolled his ATV to a halt on the trail. He was right. There was no way the two-man vehicle could transport Raymond.
“Don’t worry, ma’am,” he reassured her. “I called your husband. He’s on his way. He’s bringing a helicopter. We oughta hear him within the hour, maybe sooner by the way he sounded. There’s a good-sized meadow not too far from here. It will make a good landing zone. Let’s get you folks situated over there.”
“What’d he say?” The lump in her throat kept making her eyes tear up.
“Just that you need to stay put,” Newton answered with a twinkle in his eye.
Kelsey turned away. Alex was on his way. No better words in the whole world.
Jeff heard it first. Another engine revved up the path the ATV had just travelled, its headlights jostling through the brush as it bounced over the hard ground. “Aw, for Pete’s sake,” he groused. “What knucklehead’s four-wheeling this time of night?”
The vehicle roared alongside the ATV, its high beams blinding everyone. When a door slammed, Jeff stood, his hands shielding his eyes to see beyond the glare. “Where the heck do you think you’re—?”
BLAM! BLAM!
Two thunderous gunshots roared. Kelsey threw herself across Raymond. Jeff dropped to his knees, his hands clasped over his stomach. He gurgled incoherently until he collapsed to his side. Newton made no sound. He just leaned backward to the forest floor. Only then did a frumpy shadow step into the headlights’ piercing beam.
The witch was back.
“Where is she?” Alex asked.
“Shenandoah,” Mother answered. “Two local men found her. They were assisting Search and Rescue. Said she’s safe, but she’s travelling with some guy named Raymond.”
“They say if he’s a big man?” He pressed one palm to the wall for support. He hadn’t eaten in days. Of all things, good news was about to drop him to his knees.
“Sounds like the fellow in the pictures. They’d be on their way home, but he’s too big for their ATV.”
Relief coursed over him. Finally!
“Go get her, Boss.” Mother’s voice quavered. “I called Mr. McCormack. He’s got one of his choppers standing by. The pilot’s waiting.”
“Thanks. Tell Zack to meet me there. Tell Jed I’m on my way.”
“Already did.”
She hung up on him, and for once he was glad. His feelings were too tender. He ran for the elevator, his heart literally in his throat, and his head making plans for a new security system at home, inside and out. If Kelsey wouldn’t budge out of that cracker box house, he’d turn it into a fortress. This would never happen again.
New rule—the dogs could sleep indoors from now on. Hell, they could sleep in bed with her if they wanted. He hit the elevator call button. It was past time to book a cruise to Alaska. If that’s where she wanted to visit, then by damn, that’s where they’d go.
The door slid open, and he resisted the urge to push the nurse with the wheelchair-bound patient out of his way. His brain caught up with his heart the minute his thumb rested on the ground floor call button. Harley’s face came to mind. Another plan materialized, one Alex would be hard pressed to achieve without a certain nurse’s assist. He hit the fourth floor button, glancing at his watch and his head spinning. When he pushed Harley’s door open, Judy glanced up from the wooden table next to the window.
“Hi Alex. I was just going to give Harley a massage. You’re next if you’d like.”
“No thanks.” He didn’t have time for chitchat, and he’d never had a massage in his life. Wasn’t going to start now. “You feel like going for a ride?” he asked Harley, his mind mentally counting down the minutes he was willing to allow for implementation of this insane idea.
“Sure.” Harley’s eyes lit up, but he glanced at Judy with a glimmer of concern.
“No.” Judy shook her head. “He is not going anywhere. For Pete’s sake, Alex, the man’s just had surgery.”
“No. I’m good,” Harley argued, his blanket tossed to the side and his bare feet on the floor.
“You are not.” The massage table was forgotten and her dander was up.
“Yeah. I am.” He pushed off the bed and glared at his bossy nurse, she in her scrubs and he in an open back hospital gown with his butt cheeks showing.
“They found Kelsey.” Alex would have laughed at the comical scene before him if Kelsey’s lovely face had not been imprinted on his burning heart. “I need you to come with me, Harley. You’ve got two minutes to dress.”
“They found Kelsey?” Judy asked. “Where?”
“Shenandoah. Come on. Let’s go.”
“No, Alex.” Judy defied him, her hands on her hips, and her chin stuck out. “I’m happy you’ve found Kelsey, but he isn’t going anywhere excep
t back to bed. It’s against hospital rules. It’s illegal. It’s... It’s wrong!”
Harley rolled his eyes. “Yes, Nurse O’Brien, I am too going. It ain’t wrong. It’s what I do. Now I want my clothes and my boots. Where are they?”
Alex ran a hand through his hair. He hadn’t thought of a change of clothes, and he didn’t have time to fight with Judy. She was right. He tried another tack. “Judy, listen. It may help him remember.”
Her emerald greens sparked. She did not look convinced.
“He rescued Kelsey once before. Don’t you see? This may help him get his head back in the game.”
“What I want is my pants,” Harley grumbled, still looking confused.
“What he needs is...” Judy’s lower lip quivered, and Alex felt like an ass. Here he was dragging Harley away when she’d barely gotten him back, before Harley even knew who she was. Maybe this wasn’t such a smart idea. She didn’t need to take the risk of losing her job either, but what choice did he have?
Her hand clenched Harley’s shoulder like she meant to push him back to bed. “You think you can come in here and just like that, Harley is well enough to go gallivanting to the Shenandoah after your wife? Tonight? In the dark?”
“Yes.” He stood his ground. “I need you too. Grab a medical bag.”
That got through to her. “Me? Why? Is Kelsey injured?”
“I don’t know, but I have to go now.” He jerked a thumb to the door, time running out and his patience with it.
Judy walked around the bed to her massage table. Without a word, she lifted a small travel case off the floor and ripped the zipper open, upending the bag onto the bed. Bottles of massage oil, candles, and hand towels fell out. Something else landed on top of everything else—a faded pair of men’s jeans, an olive drab T-shirt, underwear and socks.
Alex could’ve kissed her. Judy was a woman after his heart. Always prepared.
Harley stood blinking at the pile on the bed, a puzzled expression crinkling his face. “You like boxers?”
“Tidy whities are old school.” She didn’t miss a beat as she picked up the clothing items in question and tossed them into his face. “Don’t ask. Don’t tell. Just put ’em on, and let’s go get Kelsey. And you.” She stuck a pointed finger dead center in Alex’s chest. “I’m putting my job on the line for this crazy idea of yours. You’d better damned well be right.”
Harley (In the Company of Snipers Book 4) Page 18
