McAllister Justice Series Box Set Volume Two

by Reily Garrett

  “We’ll have the antidote tonight when we interview Dr. Schmidt.” Lucas prayed the scientist kept supplies at home. If reports on the freak’s ego were correct, he’d consider himself beyond any form of reproach.

  “I can sedate Billy with the same stuff I’m using on the wolf. It won’t stop the nanos from doing internal damage, but it will stop him from hurting himself.”

  “Reinhardt said the nanos are sensitive to temperature and a burst of cold would destroy the chip,” Luc supplied.

  “Yeah, but I don’t have that kind of equipment and it would release the nanos into his system—all at once. I’ll go light on the sedation, we want him awake but not struggling.”

  “Strip him down to his skivvies and check for needle marks. Maybe the cold will slow down the little fuckers inside him. Hell, he’s really gonna love that.” Luc eyed Ethan warily. “How do we know you’re not infected?”

  “Ah, because I’m resting at the table and acting rational?” Ethan replied.

  “He didn’t start it, Luc. He was defending me after Billy attacked.” Lexi sat in Ethan’s lap, smoothing her fingers along his cheek before kissing him. “See? He’s calm and responsive.”

  “I’ll show you responsive. Take these damned cuffs off.” Ethan’s defense channeled his earlier anger into the kiss. The potency of his ardor exposed a new side of his older brother.

  “What about Caden?” Lucas turned to Matt.

  “I pray they didn’t get him, too. I’ll head back and find him as soon as we’re straight.” Matt sighed and sat at the kitchen table.

  “Okay, priorities. One, since they have no electronic access up here, according to Reinhardt they can’t reset or change the nanos’ mission.” Matt ran his hand over the nape of his neck before glancing at Ethan. “Two, I haven’t heard a drone, so they most likely don’t know where we’re located, yet. Thank you for that, Lexi. Three, our captain has been compromised along with others on the list, known thanks to Luc’s visit with Reinhardt. Shit. Billy’s infected and we don’t know about Ethan.”

  “Fuck it. I’m not infected with that shit!”

  “I’d say let’s ask the feds for help, but we haven’t identified Kilregard’s partner and don’t know if either one is compromised.” Lucas sat beside Billy’s sleeping form.

  “How do we know the feds aren’t now working with these pricks? Hell, for all we know, one was blackmailed into snagging Billy at the morgue, figuring we’d show up there since the victim was mutilated.” Ethan’s guilt filled the room.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Megan cleared her throat and glanced at Lucas. After feigning surgery on Reinhardt, she shouldn’t have qualms concerning her next endeavor. Dr. Schmidt had helped develop the heinous surgeries, which meant she’d have to alter the procedure to fool him. Justice dictated he suffer some type of consequence. And now I’m thinking like my partner in crime.

  The savage smile crossing Luc’s features betrayed the inner workings of his mind. “Since this must be the bastard who operated on Billy, how about you talk me through the procedure tonight.”

  “No. We need him alive in case the antidote doesn’t work.”

  Sly shadows denied clarity of the target house along the quiet, maple-lined street. Serene neighborhoods held little expectation of sheltering monsters such as Schmidt.

  Once reporters congregated in his yard in hopes of damning photos or information from the local residents gathering around the news vans, the world would once again be rocked by reality, if only for a moment in time, until someone unearthed a more fiendish beast.

  “Speaking of life, cameras viewing Reinhardt’s farm lane hasn’t shown him leaving his home today.” Whether from pain or fear of revealing telltale bruises didn’t matter. The end result equaled one less threat on the loose.

  “He’s not stupid enough to contact Morfran, Schmidt, or anyone else.” Lucas murmured as he took Megan’s hand.

  Again, he anticipates my thoughts and emotions. “No doubt he spent the day nursing his headache. Are you sure this is the best approach?” Megan shifted her backpack, so the heavier instruments weren’t striking her spine.

  “Yep. Walk right up and ring the doorbell. He might recognize us, but he’ll be too slow to react. This bastard is too arrogant to think he can be bested.” From the case clipped on his belt, Lucas retrieved the canister containing the first phase of their assault.

  “Lexi, you still hear us okay?” Megan scanned the homes on the opposite side of the street, alert for a curtain’s slight movement or the sound of a door closing. Fifty yards away, Lexi sat in the back of their SUV, her electronic monitoring giving them an edge. They’d passed no one on the sidewalk nor seen any vehicles in motion. A perfect night for mayhem.

  “Loud and clear. I went back into our SUV’s GPS system and am now showing the SUV circumventing Boise, Idaho.”

  “Amazing, how you can do that. Thanks.” With each step, Megan’s heart rate ratcheted up another notch. Evil this strong should taint the atmosphere, but shadows veiled all that lurked beyond the deceptive shelter of streetlights. “What if he doesn’t have the antidote in his private lab?”

  “Then we’ll find a way into ClickChip to get it. But Reinhardt said this prick used his basement as a makeshift testing room. Probably experimenting on pets in the area.”

  The colonial sprawled over the lot, its large footprint entailing a recessed addition adjoining the northern side. Sallow light spilled between curtains’ gaps on the east side while shades prevented scrutiny from the front.

  Lucas led her up the patterned brick walk and under the elaborate portico. Other homes along the street stood equal in size and stature but lacked the pretentious zeal of sculpted hedges and a concrete fountain, drained for winter.

  The doorbell’s five bars of classical music with a dramatic pounding beat jerked her attention forward. Megan’s heart picked up the tempo yet somehow failed to force enough oxygen to her brain. Lightheadedness necessitated reaching for Luc’s hand.

  “Jesus. If I didn’t already hate this precocious bastard for what he’s planning, I would now.” Luc’s gaze scanned the area before facing the door. The pleasant smile curving his lips was reminiscent of a long-time friend. He gave Megan’s hand a reassuring squeeze before releasing it.

  Megan kept her right hand on the grip of her dart gun jutting from her back waistband and under her jacket—in the event Schmidt entertained company. “I’ve blurred so many legal lines, I think I’m getting numb to the law.”

  “Good thing I’m no longer a cop.” Lucas didn’t hesitate in reaching up to ring the doorbell again.

  Sudden lights to her left preceded male grumbling disparaging uninvited visitors. The knot in her throat grew proportionate to her fear.

  As the door opened, Lucas raised his hand to spray the sickly sweet aerosol in Schmidt’s face. “Hi, neighbor. We came to visit for a spell.”

  An indignant gasp suctioned the tiny droplets into the resident’s respiratory tract before shock forced him back a step.

  Megan followed Lucas into the two-story foyer and locked the door behind them.

  With a tight grip on the starched collar, Lucas guided the doctor’s slumping retreat into unconsciousness. “Watch over our client while I check out the rest of the house.”

  “What’s it like inside?” Lexi’s calm chatter provided a point of focus.

  “I think the landscaper has a twin, an interior designer with the same flamboyant tastes. There’s blue crushed-velvet sofas that probably cost six-months rent. Crystal lamps with decorative finials look like they belong in a starlet’s home.” Megan didn’t have to run her shaking fingers over the rug to understand its supple density. We’ve just invaded this monster’s home and I’m describing the décor. She appreciated Lexi’s distraction.

  The gun in her hand shook to the point she couldn’t hit anything smaller than an elephant. Breaking and entering, kidnapping, and theft didn’t compare to the dangerous realm she intend
ed to enter. I do surgeries all the time. Just not on humans. “Of all the animals I’ve worked on, this is the one I’ll care about least.”

  Eternity could’ve passed before Lucas returned with a thumbs-up signal. “We’ve got the house to ourselves. I’ll bet he has a safe that’s separate from his medical working area downstairs. If we ask real nice, maybe he’ll tell us.” Luc’s chuckle held anything but cordial expectations.

  Her partner’s return allowed for the first deep breath that night. “I don’t believe he’ll approve of our methods, Luc. What is it with these guys and basements? A surgical suite?” She thought about the wolf Luc had been forced to kill, its mate left confused and in pain. “Why don’t we add an authentic touch and work on him in his special place? It’d be worth the trouble to see his face when he wakes up.”

  “I like the way you think, doc.”

  “Once he’s strapped in, we’ll snap some pics as leverage.” In her mind’s eye, Megan pictured one of her post-graduate instructors lecturing on the similarities of human and canine anatomy. Not even close.

  “I’ll film the first part and send it to Lexi.”

  “Opening his abdomen is risky. I’ve never operated on a human body.” Megan followed Luc, who carried their unconscious patient through the kitchen.

  “Well, if I hear a buzzer sound, you might’ve touched something you shouldn’t have.”

  The reference to a board game shouldn’t have surprised her. "He might get an infection despite me not cutting through the peritoneum.”

  “That sounds sexual, doc.”

  “Think of it as a sac containing major organs.”

  “You had me at sac. ’Sides, it’s worth the risk and he’ll know to take antibiotics. He’ll love seeing the snapshot.” Lucas chuckled. “Plus, it’ll ensure he stays quiet. Morfran finding out someone’s been compromised equals a death sentence.”

  From the kitchen, an enclosed stairway led to the lower level, a gateway between worlds.

  First impressions gave the appearance of a man cave with a large screen TV dominating one wall. An overstuffed sofa matched the recliner anchoring a rug and designated the space for leisure. On the opposite side, an Oriental rug covering concrete tagged the area as office space.

  Glass walls enclosed a moderate-sized suite off to one side, all gleaming stainless steel counters and white cabinets. The designer had spared no expense in equipping the surgical room with medical storage units, lights, and a pulley system, which hoisted a dog-sized sling. In the corner, a leather easy chair stood as the lone salute to creature comfort.

  It didn’t take long to strap their patient to the table, his suit confirming him a member of the social elite but wrinkled in a manner befitting his predicament. “Appropriate that there’s no cushion.” Luc roamed the small space during surgical prep. “Glad I don’t have a queasy stomach.”

  “Agreed. Let’s suit up.”

  A retired cop equaled a great partner in crime, understanding methods to avoid leaving incidental evidence.

  “To create a believable deception, I’m gonna have to do a bit more manipulation of his muscle tissue to make him believe we’ve done the procedure.” With anger filling Megan’s mind, the sterile drape she laid over her patient’s abdomen took on new meaning. If she were slightly less ethical, she’d inject the prick with his own monsters. “You’re not squeamish at all, Luc?”

  “With four brothers? I’d better not be.” The snort, muffled by his surgical mask, concealed a wealth of anecdotes.

  “Okay, Nurse Luc, grab some of that gauze and hand them to me as needed. This is going to get messy.” Normally, her assistant stood to her side and handed each instrument as asked. She pictured Lucas handing her a wrench and saying, “Make do,” with a cocky grin.

  His hands remained steady while anticipating her needs. Quiet reigned as they worked. In consideration of Billy’s infection, it remained likely Luc deliberated on slicing the man’s throat. “Are you gonna tell me what you did at Reinhardt’s house while I wiped down surfaces?”

  “Nope.”

  Sometimes it’s better not to ask.

  “Okay, that’s the last suture. I fiddled around enough to ensure he’ll have lots of pain. Cutting the abdominal muscles alone will make him believe we implanted him with his own shit. We’re good to go.” If she’d calculated the drug dosage properly, Schmidt shouldn’t wake up for an hour or two. “His imagination will run rampant. Cutting through all that muscle will also make him believe we’ve implanted a GPS. We’ll warn him that if he goes anywhere near an X-ray machine, we’ll release hell inside his body.”

  Snapping off her latex gloves, Megan dropped them on the pile of bloody gauze before donning a clean pair. The crumpled surgical mask left on the tray of bloodstained instruments added a nice touch.

  “Just because he doesn’t have an ideal setup to work on humans doesn’t mean he hasn’t done it.” Megan adjusted her patient’s position to let his head angle over the end. “At his age, this position will at least give him a headache and make him wonder what else I’ve put in his body.”

  “Good work, doc.”

  “Thanks. If you’ll babysit, Lexi’s gonna walk me through sacking his computer. We’ll let him see all this before we bag it and take it with us.”

  Quiet until now, Lexi’s hum of anticipation over the earbud directed Megan’s thoughts away from the futuristic mystery they’d entered. “You’re getting the hang of this, Megan.”

  “Everything still quiet in the van?” Luc hadn’t liked the idea of leaving Lexi by herself.

  Lexi chuckled. “Hoover and I are fine. And you’re just like Ethan, overprotective. By the way, better get used to it, Megan.”

  Back in the main room, Megan searched their host’s desk. “I’m surprised the drawers aren’t locked. He’s got a tower computer, but I doubt he’d put sensitive work details there, would he? On the other hand, he is one cocky bastard. Probably thinks his system is impenetrable.” Megan plopped down on the comfortable leather chair. The executive desk was the one piece of furniture she admired, with plenty of drawers and space for files.

  “Lexi, if I had a fraction of your knowledge, you’d be with Ethan at the cabin.” Guilt over embroiling all the McAllisters in her trouble forced her to concentrate despite exhaustion weighing down her eyelids. A soft hum filled the room with the electronics’ start up.

  “It’s all right. Matt will watch over him, not that I believe he was injected with anything. He just reacted to me being in danger. Right now, Hoover and I are cozy and warm.”

  Within minutes, Lexi took control of the computer as window after window popped up on the screen. “Pay dirt. I think if headquarters knew what the good doctor was planning, they would be very unhappy. And to make sure Schmidt knows we’ve been here, I’ll leave him a calling card.”

  Megan chuckled at the sudden appearance of a large skull and crossbones on the screen. ClickChip’s logo on the frontal bone and CSV’s badge covering the skeletal mouth delivered a well-aimed message.

  “Nice touch, Lexi. Love it.”

  “Okay, I’ll finish here then shut down. You can go ahead back to Lucas if you want.”

  “Thanks, Lexi. Another piece of the puzzle in place. I’ll let you know when we’re coming out.”

  A perverse sense of pleasure spread through her chest at seeing the doctor strapped to his own table. God alone knew what atrocities he had committed in the name of science.

  While she’d played corporate raider, Luc had repositioned the doctor’s head to a harsher angle.

  Megan padded to where Luc sat in the only chair near her patient. In a short time, they’d crossed so many lines together, forming a bond she’d never experienced.

  Luc’s open arms answered the question in her gaze. Careful of his injury, she sat, too tired to care if he made something of it. “How’re you holding up?” She’d let him interpret that as a reference to exhaustion or his wound.

  “Good. Can’t wait until he
opens his eyes, the prick.” Lucas wrapped his arms around her, nudging her head under his chin. “Take a nap. He’ll let us know when he’s awake.” The warm chuckle reverberated in his chest and filled her own with warmth.

  “Thanks, I’m beat.”

  A low groan filled the room. Mumbled curses followed.

  “Ahh, my patient’s awake. Let’s see what time it is.” Megan checked her watch. “Right on schedule. It won’t be light for a few more hours.”

  Lucas helped her to stand before stepping to the table’s other side and checking Schmidt’s restraints. “Even if you could pull a superhuman stunt and free yourself, you’d be dead before you could touch us.”

  Slurred epithets characterized Schmidt’s thoughts on his surgeon’s heritage. Frowning, he looked around then focused on Lucas. “You’re one of the McAllisters. You killed Reinhardt.” Confusion veiled his gaze as he shook his head. “The feds have a warrant out for your arrest, both of you.”

  Luc tensed but remained still, his face impassive.

  Megan studied her partner in crime. Words wouldn’t come. He killed Reinhardt while he had me wiping down nonexistent fingerprints? Oh shit.

  “And you. You worked as a maid at ClickChip. You’re a doctor? I thought you were a fed. Why would you be working with him?” Schmidt counteracted a dry heave with a slow, moderate breath.

  “Sorry, doc. You’re in no position to ask questions.” Luc’s hardened jaw spoke volumes of anger and frustration.

  “What have you done to me?”

  “You know what they say, do unto others as they’ve done…or something like that. My doctor friend performed a variation of what you’ve been practicing—albeit with a wonderful twist.” Adjusting the overhead light and providing a small mirror allowed the patient to focus on his abdominal stitches, then his face. “What’d you do?”

  “Yeah, no facial bruise. Nice, yes?” After giving her patient a few minutes to organize his thoughts and correctly misinterpret his condition, Megan held up an empty vial. “Recognize this?”