Don Juan

by Leanne Tyler

  They got out of the Uber at the entrance to Chicago Med and went inside to the information desk. They typed in Colleen’s name at the kiosk to find out what floor she was on before heading to the bank of elevators.

  Once inside the elevator, Carly turned to Simone. “I still think this was a bad idea.”

  “You didn’t have to come with me,” Simone pointed out. “You could have stayed at your apartment doing your laundry.”

  “No I couldn’t. I would have worried something would have happened to you alone. The smart thing was for you to stay at your place until Donovan returned.”

  “Live a little, Carly. Take chances.”

  The elevator dinged, signaling they’d arrived to their floor before the doors opened and the girls stepped out. All discussion about what was right or wrong ceased as they following the corridor signs down the hallway to where Colleen’s room was located.

  The sound of arguing voices wafted down the hall and the two looked at one another.

  “Geeze, I hope they aren’t in her room doing that.”

  “Mr. and Mrs. Summers never had tact when it came to disagreeing,” Simone said.

  Someone made a sharp pitched whistle sound cutting them off. “Enough. I know you want what’s best for your daughter, but this isn’t it.” A door shut, preventing Simone and Carly from overhearing whatever else was being said on the matter.

  “I wonder if that was Colleen’s guy,” Carly said.

  “Maybe. We better hurry and find her while he’s preoccupied with mom and dad or we’re busted.”

  “Oh, now you think of that.”

  Simone rolled her eyes and grabbed Carly’s arm dragging her with her down the hall toward the nurses’ station.

  Colleen’s room was directly across the hall from the station, which was good. They went inside and slid the curtain back so no one would see them visiting with her.

  “Oh my God,” Simone gasped when she saw the bruising and swelling on Colleen’s face.

  “She must have been attacked in the bathroom. That’s the reason she was in there so long,” Carly said. “And you wanted to leave when those guys came in.”

  “I-I had no idea. The three of us had been to that bar so many times before. It was always a safe place to go until last night. Do you think she was raped?” Simone whispered.

  Carly moved to the opposite side of the bed and reached for Colleen’s hand that didn’t have an IV sticking in it.

  Their friend flinched at her touch. Her eyes fluttered opened and her lips began to tremble once she focused. Tears began to roll down her cheeks.

  “Sh-h-h, don’t cry. It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re safe.” Carly patted her hand.

  Simone stepped forward and brushed hair away from Colleen’s forehead. “We’re here for you.”

  “What happened to me?” Colleen asked.

  “You don’t know?”

  Colleen shook her head.

  Carly looked at Simone, then back down at Colleen. “Honey, we don’t know. Do you remember going out with us last night?”

  “Yes. I remember dancing with you guys, but that’s it.”

  “We were getting ready to leave, but you had to go to the restroom,” Simone said. “So you went alone.”

  “We waited for you out front, at the bar, but then the bar got robbed. The bartender was shot and we were lucky to have gotten out alive. In all the chaos, we never knew what happened to you. We found out you were taken to the hospital last night to be checked out.”

  “Your parents are here, down the hall arguing about whose going to take you home. Have you seen them yet?” Simone asked.

  Colleen groaned. “Carly, I know I made fun of your apartment last night, but let me go home with you.”

  They laughed.

  “Hey, you are remembering something from last night. That is good.” Carly smiled at her. “What did the doctor say when he saw you this morning?”

  “That I needed to rest and stay here another day because of my memory loss and some tests they want to run on me.”

  “Did they examine you?” Simone asked.

  Colleen nodded. “That didn’t happen. But for what did, I still feel violated. I don’t remember it, but he did something to me. I feel icky and I want to shower a dozen times. I know I never want to wear that skirt again.”

  The curtain scrapped back fast and a young, blond man wearing tactical gear came into the room. Simone guessed this was Wyatt.

  “Ladies, I don’t assume you were given permission to be here?”

  “Are you going to do something about it?” She asked, walking toward him. She came nose to nose with him, hoping to intimidate him.

  The guy didn’t flinch. He slid the glass room door shut, pulled out his phone and punched in a number. Then he put the phone up to his ear. “Don Juan, I think you’ve lost something very important and you need to come collect it now before I report you to Brand for slacking on your duties. It has red-hair and curvaceous …”

  Wyatt laughed into the phone. “See you then.”

  “Who’s he?” Colleen asked.

  “He’s been assigned to protect you,” Carly explained. “We’ve all got a guy assigned to protect us after what happened last night at the bar.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “The bar shooting was gang related. Simone and I are witnesses inside. Jules saw the getaway car outside because she came back when she heard the gunshots.”

  “I heard them too.”

  “You did?”

  Colleen nodded, closing her eyes. “That’s what caused my attacker to run away.”

  Wyatt came over to the bed. “Did she say what I think she said?”

  Carly nodded.

  “Colleen, what else do you remember from last night?” he asked.

  “I’m tired. I need to rest now.”

  Wyatt punched in a few more numbers on his phone and walked back toward the sliding doors. “Brand, Wyatt here. You need to come to Chicago Med. There’s been a development. Sure. Just get here as fast as you can. Thanks.”

  He turned around and looked at them. “Ladies, you might as well take a seat and get comfortable. You’re gonna be here a while. And then you won’t be able to sit without remembering the chewing out you get.”

  Chapter 5

  Liam was almost at Simone’s apartment when he got Wyatt’s call so he hurried to drop off the groceries before going to Chicago Med. He should have known she’d not have stayed put while he was gone. She’d made out such a long list of errands for him to run, it should have been a clear sign there was something up. But she’d played it so cool with him this morning, even telling him to take his time since she was going to be catching up on work for Monday. He had to hand it to her. She’d fooled him once, but she wouldn’t do it again.

  He took the “L” to the hospital expecting to get there in a straight shot, but the many stops along the way added time he hadn’t anticipated, which had him sweating it by the time he reached the hospital. Then he had to figure out how to get to the information desk and locate which floor Colleen was on. He got off on the wrong floor and took the wrong corridor, but then he found a bank of elevators and got back on to head up to the right floor once again.

  When he stepped off he was near the nurses’ station and came face to face with Brand and Commander Burns. Shit!

  “Wyatt called you both in about this? I swear I only left Simone alone to go get a few groceries and some things she demanded she had to have. I never imagined she’d leave her apartment.”

  “So it happened to both of you?” Burns asked.

  Brand grimaced.

  “Both of us?” Donovan looked at Brand.

  “Yeah, both Carly and Simone are here visiting Colleen. I guess Wyatt didn’t tell you that?”

  “No. He just told me I lost something and if I didn’t want him telling you, I’d better get here fast.”

  Hawkeye chuckled.

  “This isn’t funny,” Brand grumbled.
<
br />   “Not at all,” Donovan agreed.

  “I beg to differ. Two females giving highly trained military operatives the slip? You can fight for this country, and are trained to serve and protect, yet you can’t keep them in their apartments? This isn’t going to look good when I try to get funding to get a program going here in Chicago if you can’t even keep these two safe.”

  “It won’t happen again,” Brand assured him.

  “It better not. I’m counting on all four of you to do your jobs and make my task easy. I want this program for my city.”

  “We understand,” Brand said. “Don’t we, Donovan?”

  “Yes, Sir. We have your six on this.”

  The sliding glass door to a room across from the nurses’ station opened and Wyatt came out, closing the door back. “I thought I heard voices. Before you go in there chewing the girls out, their visit has been good for Colleen. She’s been responsive, and remembering things about last night with them that my questioning couldn’t get her to recall. I know they disobeyed and risked their lives coming here, but it has been good in the end. I still would bring the wrath of God down on them, but keep in mind what was accomplished just the same.”

  “Did she get a good look at her attacker? Should we bring down a sketch artist?” Hawkeye asked.

  “She hasn’t proclaimed that yet, but she did say she heard the gunshots and that is why her attacker ran off. She napped and when she woke up she talked about him taking her purse, and how she was worried about her apartment and being robbed and her credit cards being maxed out. That’s the reason I contacted your office, Commander.”

  “I was in the area so I dropped by to see how things were going.”

  “How did her parents take the news she wasn’t going home with them?” Brand asked.

  “Not well, but when I explained she wasn’t going to her apartment, but a safe house and why, they agreed that was the best plan because of their work obligations. In return, I promised to keep them well aware of what was going on with her.”

  “That was handled well, Kincaid.” Hawkeye stepped forward and touched him on the shoulder. “Let’s go in and meet this courageous young woman and her daring friends, under better circumstances.”

  Liam didn’t like this. He didn’t care if the commander thought this was under better circumstances. Simone had just made a fool out of him and she’d regret it. He didn’t care if her visit had been a help to Colleen or not. He glanced at her sitting with Carly across the room, looking all smug, eyeing him like he was a piece of candy. That was a change in attitude since this morning. He didn’t like the way her looking at him like that made him feel as if she were undressing him with her eyes. He was supposed to be the Don Juan in the relationship, not her.

  Colleen turned her head toward the doorway.

  “This is Commander Burns from Chicago PD, Brand Chambers and Liam Donovan,” Wyatt explained. “They are here to check in on how things are going and to collect Simone and Carly.”

  “What if we don’t want to go?” Simone asked.

  “You will do what you’re told young woman or I’ll have you taken down to central booking,” Hawkeye told her.

  “On what charges?”

  Liam wanted to slap his hand over her mouth and shut her up, but she’d probably bite him. Maybe he could find something to gag her with before she made matters worse. Didn’t she know you didn’t talk to a commander that way?

  “Impeding an investigation.”

  “And how would I be doing that?”

  “By causing more work for your protector and the police to make sure you’re safe, when my officers need to be out in the field looking for your friend’s attacker and the gang members who tried to rob the Pied Piper. I’m sure I could come up with other charges to keep you in a holding cell until we find the perps. Or you can go back to your apartment with Mr. Donovan and stay in comfort.”

  “I do have to go back to work Monday.”

  “Then he’ll go with you. I’ll send a driver and a car around for your use.”

  “I have a job interview next week. I need this job to pay my bills. Please, can I keep the interview?” Carly asked.

  “No. Not after this stunt,” Brand barked.

  “Brand, take it down a notch.” Hawkeye arched a brow at him, before turning toward Carly. “I don’t see why that should be a problem if Brand goes with you. We want you to carry on your normal routine as much as possible. You aren’t a prisoner by any means. However, we do want to keep you both safe and measures must be taken to ensure that, so if it feels like your wings of freedom have been clipped temporary, that’s all it is – temporary.”

  “Thank you, Commander.” Carly paused. “There is one more thing. I’d like to be able to go to the bartender’s funeral, whenever that is, to pay my respects to his wife, if possible. Can that be arranged?”

  The Commander was hesitant for a moment, but he finally nodded. “That can happen, Ms. Manning. I’m sure his wife will appreciate that.”

  After a few moments Simone leaned toward Carly. “Geeze your guy is a hard ass.”

  “He’s tough, but fair.”

  “You’re not defending him are you?”

  Carly half-shrugged. “I get him.”

  “You and the men you pick.”

  “I haven’t picked him.”

  Simone tilted her head and looked at her pointedly. “If you say so.”

  Carly shook her head and went back over to hold Colleen’s hand while the commander asked her a few questions. Simone decided to follow. She didn’t want to be left out on whatever Colleen was saying.

  “I-I’m not sure what he looked like. He came through the door so fast and hit me in the face with his hand. I-I don’t think I’d be any help for a sketch artist.”

  “You may think that now, but I’d like you to try. We can bring in a behavioral scientist who can take you on a journey through a series of questions. The results will help you reveal more than you ever imagined you'd remember.”

  “Like a profiler?” Colleen asked. “Something like they do on Criminal Minds?”

  The commander nodded. “But this method is real.”

  “How soon can you have someone here?” Wyatt asked.

  “I can arrange to get someone here as early as this afternoon. The sooner we can get a sketch of her attacker, the better we’ll be able to find him.”

  “When do you think Colleen will be released from the hospital?” Carly asked.

  “That is up to the doctor,” Wyatt said. “He wasn’t hopeful this morning but that was because he wanted to run tests.”

  “So her staying here has nothing to do with trying to keep her in a safe location?” Carly questioned.

  “If that was what we were going for, we’d have to have a guard posted outside her door to track who comes in and out of this room. A hospital is too public to be safe.” The commander turned to Brand. “My car and driver are downstairs. You and Donovan can escort the women to their respective apartments for now. I’ll order a car detail for you both to have at your disposal. All you have to do is call when you want it. I’ll send both of you the information.”

  “Thanks, Hawkeye.” Brand motioned to Carly. “Say your good-byes so we can head out.”

  She nodded and looked down at Colleen, giving her hand a squeeze. “I’ll see you soon. I know you’re in good hands with Wyatt. You can call me if you want to talk.”

  “Good luck on your interview.”

  “Thanks. I’ll need it.” Carly stepped away from the bed and turned toward Simone. “Let’s go girl.”

  “You're going to let him order you around like that?” Simone questioned.

  “He’s not ordering me around. It’s time to go. Colleen needs to rest. Can’t you see how tired she looks?”

  “Simone!” Donovan said, his tone full of irritation.

  “Yes, Donnie?” Simone allowed the words to purr from her mouth for effect.

  Brand grunted. “Donnie?”

>   Simone sidled up to Carly and whispered in her ear. “I got him right where I want him. Before the week’s out. I tell you, before the week is out.”

  Carly rolled her eyes and tried to stifle a laugh.

  Chapter 6

  “What the hell, Simone?” Liam asked as soon as they got back to her apartment. He was so frustrated at her he couldn’t stand still, so he paced in front of her as he talked. “What’s with this Donnie crap? I told you my name is Liam or you could call me Don Juan like my pals do. Nothing was said about Donnie? And why were you looking at me from across the room like I’m man candy? And purring my name like you’re a cat? Was that all show for your friend? Like you’re going to get me in your bed or something, because let me tell you right now, sweetheart. That’s not going to happen.”

  “I told you before, I’m not your sweetheart. It was an act, okay? Carly brought up the gun and the bullet and I went into auto mode talking cheeky about you. Like I wanted to get you into bed to take the focus off of the shooting and what happened at the bar. That’s me. The free-spirit. The pole dancer when we go out to bars. The attention seeker.” She sucked in her breath and ran her fingers through her hair. “I had to take my mind off of anything about last night and put it on you.”

  He planted his hands on his hips and fixed a glare at her, finally calm enough to stand still. “And the way you were talking back to Commander Burns. That was disrespectful. You can’t blame your behavior on anyone or anything but yourself. That man is the reason you have me here protecting you. And speaking of which, what gave you the idea that you could call up an Uber and go to that hospital with Carly in the first place?”

  She blanched. “Not the brightest idea I’ve had. Carly tried to talk me out of it, but when I found out Colleen was there and Brand was possibly keeping info about her away from us, I had to go.”